Hobbes, Hannah and An Odd Grouse
Here's the bird.... (Brian Heft photo)
Brian Heft is a bird hunter who’s also the park manager at Smith Mountain Lake State Park in Virginia. We saw some photos he shot, and asked about the story behind ’em. Here’s what he said:
My first bird dog was a German Shorthair Pointer named Hobbes (I love the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes). He was a great dog. I got another German Shorthair Pointer a few years later and named her Hannah (the two graves in the picture) and she had a better nose, but Hobbes just had it. He was a machine.
With Hobbes I was younger and single, and he went everywhere with me. Great dog, house dog, and friends and family described him as having almost human qualities that we all like to give to animals at times.
Anyway I could read the dog and I could tell by eye contact with him what he was up to. He’d give me the “eye†when I missed. I’d also tell him to cover a hillside, and if he didn’t you could bet there were no birds in that brushy area.
Once, with both dogs, we flushed up a 400+ pound bear out of one of my honey hole brushpiles, and I called both dogs back. Hannah chased the bear, Hobbes just watched. Yes, Hobbes was the smart dog. (Hannah came running back down the ridge, and I was pleased to see the bear was not chasing her.)
If we’re all fortunate, we’ll own at least one bird dog in our lives like Hobbes. It’s tough when he is your first dog. He’s made it tougher on all the rest.
(Brian Heft photo)
The Bird
We own 29 acres in Deerfield, VA that back up to the National Forest. Within a good hike there are clearcuts. We are at the southern edge of ruffed grouse habitat, so we hunt hard for flushes here at times. I don’t plan to hunt this bird though.
The dogs are buried on the property. I’ve seen the grouse in the pictures this year drumming pretty close to the house trailer we have on the property. He’s followed me around on another occasion, but on the last trip the dogs weren’t with me: I have a couple of Weimaraners now, so I guess he felt he could chase me off his turf.
He was a bit curious, but this is his place for most of the month and I only visit and cut the grass in the summer. I would go into the shed and I could lean out to see him come running to see where I went.
He just about flew into me as I headed down the hill to cut where the dogs are buried – that would’ve been a great picture.
I ended up getting pretty close to him, within a foot with my camera. It’s been quite a show and experience, what a crazy bird.
Thanks for the story and photos Brian!
VA This Year?
> We also asked how Virginia was looking this year because we’ve gotten a couple reports of more grouse being seen. He said he’s seen more birds this year, and is hoping for a good season.
Category: Ruffed Grouse, VA
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Enjoyed your story. As a fellow hunter and birddog enthusist I feel both your pleasure and loss rembering your dogs. I am going to come down to smith mtn area to try grouse hunting! Happy hunting. Greta