BDA Articles

Bird Dogs Afield host Paul Fuller is the gun dog columnist for Northwoods Sporting Journal. The Journal has granted permission to re-print Paul’s articles. Thank you Northwoods Sporting Journal.

October Grouse Hunt

October is the magic month for ruffed grouse hunters. We patiently wait eleven months for our time in the grouse woods. And, what did we find for 2023?

The third week of October, Susan, the dogs and I headed North to the small village of Allagash, Maine. We rent a cabin which has easy access to three gates which allow entrance to the North Maine Woods. The North Maine Woods (NMW) is a three million acre property owned by several paper companies. It’s about the closest a person can come to wilderness in the Eastern United States. There is no internet or cell phone service in the NMW. And, the roads are rough. We rent a satellite phone for our week of hunting in the NMW.

Grouse and woodcock enjoy early successional growth woodlands. Your author has always felt that 70% hardwoods and 30% conifers is a good mix. The hardwoods provide the food and the conifers provide the shelter. Continuous cutting in the NMW provides the cover preferred by the ruffed grouse.

Susan and I knew there was trouble after we hunted hard for three days and never saw a road bird. And, in that three day period, we only had one grouse flush in front of dog work. Over the years, our average would be ten flushes per day in front of dog work. So, what happened to the 2023 grouse population in the NMW?

The strongest answer is weather. During prime nesting season (both clutch and brood), there was continuous heavy rain. The chicks simply could not survive. And, if the hens tried a second breeding, the same weather occurred. In other words, there was no opportunity for the hens to have a successful hatch. The few grouse flushes we had were large mature birds. No first year birds.

Here’s another possible reason for low grouse numbers. Susan and I met two forest rangers at the Two River Diner in Allagash. They offered another reason for low grouse numbers. The grouse boom year of 2020 generated a growth in the fisher population in the NMW. Fisher eat both grouse eggs and the actual bird. To add to this theory, after 60 years of walking the woods in northern Maine and New Hampshire, this year, I saw my first fisher in the wild. The theory offered by the forest rangers seems very plausible.

The American woodcock, however, was plentiful in the NMW. There were more woodcock than I can ever recall. The little russet feller kept the dogs busy and offered some shooting for the hunters.

For our second week of hunting, we headed south to Eustis, Maine. Located in Eustis is one of the finer old traditional Maine sporting camps:Tim Pond Camps. The Camps are not actually in the town of Eustis. They’re accessed several miles into the bush on a gravel road. Tim Pond Camps is a gated property of several thousand acres. Tim Pond Camps saved our 2023 grouse season.

We knew hunting would be an improvement over the NMW when we saw a road bird the first ten minutes of driving from the Camp. This would be a good time to explain how Susan and I handle road birds. Having bird dogs and being proponents of fair chase, we approach road birds as follows: We stop the truck as soon as we see a bird. Either Susan or I get out of the truck and load our gun. The other hunter releases our oldest dog (Dena). Rather than seeing and chasing the bird, Dena slowly approaches the bird. Most often, the bird will run into the woods. Dena picks up the scent and starts tracking the bird. Most of the time, the bird will flush either out of range or in very heavy cover; neither situation providing a shot. However, about one in five times the hunter will get a reasonable opportunity at a shot. This technique worked twice for us at Tim Pond Camps. It also failed us four times but that’s okay. Dena loves the challenge!

Overall, each day we had several grouse contacts while hunting at Tim Pond Camps. Also, as with the NMW, woodcock were very plentiful. We had numerous woodcock points and even managed to scratch down a few. The woodcock held very well for the point. I don’t recall a single woodcock running.

I commend Betty and Harvey Calden for operating such a comfortable camp. The food and service is outstanding. And, the bird hunting is pretty darn good.

Wherever you’re hunted, Susan and I hope you had an excellent season.

Paul Fuller and Susan, his wife, produce and host the Bird Dogs Afield TV program. All episodes are available on their website: www.birddogsafield.com. Contact: paul@birddogsafield.com.