Thick stuff made for good hunting but tougher shooting - Berretta Silver Pigeon pictured
10 steps into the ferns and balsam firs of northern lower Michigan, I was reminded why early grouse hunting can be fun and frustrating at the same time. Weather was incredible, maybe low 50’s with a glint of sunlight through the trees, shining off the tiny water droplets that enveloped everything we were about to walk through in front of us. Our group of four was happy, hunting over two days near Gaylord, Michigan’s Pigeon River Forest, albeit wet.
While chaps kept most of the moisture from the woods at bay, we had to perspire a bit to find our quarry, but what better way to get some exercise? You could suspend a rotisserie chicken in front of a treadmill, but what fun would it be to just pluck and start eating. Instead, we walked a few miles of mixed aspen and pine, with the occasional alder swamp edge, to get our steps in.
AGLOW Conference
Campfires, guitars, and like-minded friends made AGLOW that much more fun.
We gathered together as Outdoors Writers, Media Members, and Visitor and Tourism Bureaus as part of the annual Association of Great Lakes Outdoors Writers (AGLOW) meeting. Though I’ve known about the group for some time, it was my initial conference and one I’m not likely to miss in coming years. Not only did we work on our craft, but we played guitar, ate great food, learned more about the area we stayed in, and actually hunted and fished. That’s right, instead of just talking or writing about it, we pursued a variety of outdoors ventures, from fly-casting to walleye-trolling, and elk bugling to bulging a bucktail for muskies. Of course, I chose grouse getting as a trip for myself as well. After a trip to Jay’s Sporting Goods, a Michigan institution and only place I’ve seen ammo in many months, I was ready to hunt.
Thick Cover, Shots Fired
The first bird to flush was a ruffie in a sunny upland with scattered birch, but the best shot I had at a gamebird was actually in an alder thicket. I wandered away from the group a touch, and our dog Ruby for the first day was actually in cahoots. She pointed, then broke, and then put up a woodcock straight away. I shouldered and fired, only to watch my shot pepper the lone big tree in the swamp. The one the woodcock fluttered right behind. Oh well, it was the first shot of the season in heavy cover to boot.
My second round fired came on day 2, and admittedly was a much easier shot. Which of course I also missed. Devil Dog as his owner called him, did a great job of flushing this bird into the relative open, just a bit long on the end of shotgun range. Still, I had a chance at him, and that’s all you ask for in early grouse. Continuing on, we put up 14 birds total that day. Some of them launched out of trees, others just out of range or in fresh aspen regrowth among slash piles. Hip flexers were sore after those walks, but that made lunch back at Tree Tops resort that much better when we got back.
One For the Bag
Devil Dog and his quarry.
My bird came on the edge of some of that slash, where it met up with some mature forest. 3 flushed, two shots were fired, and one grouse was found, eventually, with the help of the Devil himself. Without his nose, we never would’ve stood a chance. I watched the bird touch down after the second shot kind of funny, but wasn’t sure if I’d hit him or not. The Setter in less than 10 seconds found the landing spot, trailed around and under some thick grass, only to come to a quick, hard point. The bird was still alive, and likely to scoot without the dog eventually retrieving when permitted to.
Hunting Dogs and Later Season
I don’t have much experience hunting over dogs like Kyle Alexander and Nick Green, Michiganders and incredible bird hunters in their own right, let us hunt with. I can see the addiction however, and how without them, especially early, a hunter just wouldn’t stand a chance. Yet, I also saw in the early hunt how they were all licking their chops for the coming weeks. Less cover, easier walking, and finally some open shooting might make the scales tip a bit more in favor of dogs and hunter. Still, if you’re an addict of fall sights and smells, why wait for an already short season to be shorter?
At the end of our walk we put up yet another bird near the trucks, one that we ended up missing for one reason or another. It was a great end to our time in Lower Michigan, reminding us of the promise of weeks to come, and what it means to leave a few birds for seed. Devil Dog had been particularly well behaved up to that point, until I stepped on one of the treats he left near the vehicles when we first departed. To add insult to injury, in an attempt to re-bury said offensive boot bombs, he managed to kick sand all over me. While I might not be getting a Setter anytime soon, I’m sure it was his way of reminding us to shoot better next time.
Whether with dog or not, I was excited to discover a new corner of the world that had everything I look for as a sportsman. Salmon and trout species in close proximity, with wild turkeys, grouse, and walleyes. Not all particularly in that order, with some stunning scenery to match. A touch of Great Lakes with great inland waters and woods makes for an interesting variety of things to hunt, fish, and generally enjoy. Thanks for the memories Gaylord, I’ll be back.