Oct 31 - wc hunt

yesterday Oct 30 I took the dogs to the park.
2-3 wc were found


Oct 31
Rob's place
3 C
9 am
good breeze
mostly cloudy

Luna had 5 points I shot one bird and missed another.
One more I saw was flushed by either Liza or Ivy
and one point was NP

Liza stole the shot wc from Luna, I let her hold it for a few seconds, she was chomping on it.

Oct 28 wc hunt

Rob's place
10 am
8 C
light rain, all wet

Moved 7 wc in 1 hour
Luna had 3 points, Ivy 0, Liza bumped about 3.
One Luna's point I placed Liza and Ivy at sit, walked in, Liza ran in, the bird flushed, I missed.
The second Luna's point the bird left before I got there.
The third, Liza flushed it.

I saw Liza flash point for 1-2 seconds before flushing another bird, no solid points.
She finds them. The point will come
Ivy moves quite slowly.

Oct 27 - wc hunt

Rob's place
9 am
cloudy
4 C
decent breeze
pretty dry

We moved 10-11 birds. They were pretty scattered.
Luna pointed 3-4, Ivy 2-3, Liza flash pointed one, but flushed it pretty quickly and I didn't shoot.
Liza bumped few more, she bumped twice from Luna's point, I am pretty sure
Ivy also pointed a rabbit.
Luna had nice long points, she was standing waiting for me.

I only shot one bird (my only shot taken), when Ivy bumped a bird and it flew over my head into  the open field. Looks like large female.
10-15 cm of snow is forecasted in Timmins and full moon is in about one week, so I think the next week will be the last for wc hunting.

Ivy is pretty slow and 'lazy' it has to be her thyroid.
She's in decent shape, 20 kg weight

Retrieve

I give Liza few simple retrieves once every few days  in front of the house.
She's very eager and comes reasonably to deliver, not much circling or running away.
This is good progress, she's getting more cooperative and her recall is much better (I'd say almost 100%)

Oct 24 - wc run in the park

11 am
local part
13 C sunny

The dogs found 2-3 wc today, Liza pointed something, but it was non-productive.
She's showing progress nevertheless.

Oct 23 wc hunt

on Oct 22 I took the dogs to the park - not a single bird

Oct 23
9 am to 10:30
Rob's place
cloudy
14-16 C hot for the dogs
pretty dry

Luna had 2 solid points early on, I shot one bird and missed the other, I had Ivy and Liza sitting away and waiting

Luna and Liza bumped a few

Then in the end Liza pointed solidly (in the little island bush), the bird was under some conifer and it flushed to the other side, so I missed with 2 barrels.

All in all 7 flushes I think and a nice solid point from Liza.

Oct 21 - wc hunt

Rob's farm 9:20 to 11:20
10 C to 18 C
partly cloudy
dry
pretty hot


19 flushes, at least, 2 points I didn't make it to - one from Ivy and one from Luna.
I also heard Liza yipping couple times, she was probably flushing wc.
She flushed one rabbit too.

The dog worked bad, really bad. I only shot one bird and missed 3 more.

Liza pointed for the first time!!! I brought the dogs to a ditch where they drank water and cooled, it was the second time at this spot, after we moved on and Liza pointed a wc. It wasn't pretty, she was hunched, rear legs slightly bent, almost like she was going to poop. But when I stepped closer a bird flushed from the bank of the ditch, going right, I missed with both barrels, but I gave Liza the bird I had in the vest, shot 5 min before from Ivy's point (relocated bird). Even that bird cleanly killed they couldn't find for a good few minutes, even though I had a good idea where it was.
Scenting conditions were bad and the dogs were hot.
Liza finds birds, so I am pretty happy.
Luna was working far away a lot, she knows the place well and thinks she knows better where to hunt...

wc hunt - Oct 17

11 am
Rob's farm
14 C sunny, failry dry, some breeze (there was frost in the morning)

Found 5 wc, Liza bumped the same bird 3 times I think.
She had another couple finds, all bumps

Ivy had 2 points. It's amazing how she doesn't go far or fast, but still finds birds.
This time she pointed a bird close to me, in the area where Luza was running for a while before.
Ivy pointed and I shot the bird. Luna found it, Liza is always trying to steal from her.
Luna delivered to hand and I let Liza pick up the bird too.

The second Ivy's point was close to the fence and she was standing while Liza was repeatedly bumping another wc. So I heard GPS point beep and found Ivy. She started moving slowly when I approached, she followed up very nicely on obviously running wc. Finally the bird flushed.
BTW, I think Liza was backing Ivy, at least some of the time. May be she flushed the bird, I am not sure. The wc instantly disappeared behind some green bush, I fired, Ivy jumped the rail fence and searched for the bird, but found nothing. I guess I missed.

So about 5 contacts and one in the bag.
Liza is searching well and she finds birds, but the point is yet to come.

Oct 15 retrieving cold game

I put cold dove in a pantyhose (so she doesn't pluck it) and threw it for Liza.
She sniffed it, picked it up. She didn't really want to come in, so I reeled her in on CC.
I did it couple more times and she got better - delivery to hand.

WC hunt Oct 14 2017

Rob's farm
cloudy wet
14 C
10 am

Luna had one NP and one good point in the end on the line with the next property, but Ivy came and the bird flew away before I could get close enough

Liza busted 2 birds that I saw and I heard her twice more make the yipping noise she makes when a bird flushes, so may be there were more.... No points, but at least she finds them...

Ivy slowed down a lot, she doesn't run far or fast

Next to the car I shot one dove, the dogs were in the car. I took Liza out and walked with her encouraging her to find it. She did and after plucking the birds a bit she picked it up, first she went sideways, put the bird down, but after some encouragement she picked it up and brought to hand. Good girl.

wc train Oct 13

Local park
noon
light rain
13 C

Luna pointed one, it took me few minutes to find her, so Liza was there already, backing Luna.
Don't know who moved, but when I was under 10 m out the bird flushed. Think it was Liza.

In the end of the walk found 2 more wc, no points.

so 3 wc in one hour, usually there's more

hunting grouse in the north - Oct 8-10

I went north of Sudbury as usual to hunt grouse. Last year I didn't go, but before that I used to go few times each fall. It used to be very good. I usually shoot my limit of 15 grouse in 3 days and go home.

This year the grouse numbers are not good, they weren't good 2 years ago either. 

Not sure what happened there.. it cannot be explained by hunting pressure, most of the time I hunt overgrown old trails which are not accessible to ATV hunters. Even driving the roads, I only saw 2 birds on shoulders, usually I see many more. Many spots produced no birds at all.

Ivy stayed home, 3 dogs was a bit much to sleep in the car with and she also rubbed her armpit raw when a strap of her vest slipped in a wrong place few days ago.

I left on Sunday (Canadian Thanksgiving), stopped halfway there near Grundy lake, hunted 2 spots for 30-40 min each, flushed one grouse at each, no shots. No woodcock either, the second place usually holds woodcock. It's also pretty dry in the woods.

Hunted about 2 hours in 2 spots at my final destination. The first one - nothing. Luna pointed non-productive (NP), then she chased something up to 160 m away. It had to be a hare. Liza follows her mom most of the time. Luna came back panting hard (it was 18 C) and with a bloody tongue.

The second spot just before dark produce 3 flushes of spruce grouse, I shot one off a tree branch.

I drove to another spot to park on level ground and camp for the night. I made a mistake and pulled into some overgrown trail. The next morning I heard grouse flutter from branch to branch, after light breakfast I went there and shot one spruce grouse from a tree branch. There were probably more... 

It was very very wet, sunny morning, I had to put on rain pants, but my shirt got soaked going through tag alders overgrowing the trail. I think I heard one more flush on this trail.

Then I drove to the next spot, where I planned to sleep initially. Walking on 'road' part there, I saw nothing, saw three 410 ga shells in one spot there, so road hunters got some birds there.

When I walked into overgrown part of the trail. I shot one ruffed grouse from a branch and I heard another flush later.

I ate lunch, fed the dogs and we drove off to another spot. Luna pointed NP, then 5 min later flushed the only wc of the trip. No grouse. Next spot, no grouse, I was hoping for wc, but nothing.

Next spot - nothing.

Then I saw grouse running across the side road. I stopped and put Liza out. She smelled it right away, but started going backwards, I called her to me to put her in the right direction and she went into the bush and flushed it. I heard the grouse clucking at her from a tree. Liza is very vocal, she barks and yelps if something is getting away from her or even when she can't find Luna.

Then I drove to the next spot and parked for the night, cause we were all tired. Luna clocked 25 km and Liza was not far behind.

Both mornings it was 6 C, the second day no dew and it was around 10 C by 1-2 pm

I hunted 2 spots. One next to the camp, the dogs found and pointed dead spruce grouse. Luna retrieved it. I guess someone shot it off the road and didn't bother go and look. Damn road hunters.

The bird didn't smell bad, so it had to be from the day before.

This walk produced nothing. Then I drove to one more spot, one flush next to the truck, then in the end, one more. 

The last spot I hunted was the same spot I shot the first spruce, but this time we saw nothing again.

Altogether, very poor bird numbers, less than one flush per hour. Dogs didn't point anything productive. Luna doesn't have enough experience hunting grouse. She runs them too hot on ground scent and flushes. It's like she's trying to catch them. Liza has no idea what she's doing. She's behind her mom 90% of the time. She has good search though and has decent nose, I think.

The shot birds she wanted to pick up and gave good plucking to one of them (guts were out).

I will teach her HOLD soon.

On the way back I wanted to check out one area south of Sudbury for wc, it's Mowat CN road and it's just north of hw69 and hw522 intersection. Nothing there. Talked to an old fella on a quad, he says grouse numbers are not good and so everything else is down - moose and deer (bad winters)

I also stopped after sunset at Tiny, but no wc were flying.

wc hunt Oct 6

Rob's farm
9 am
cloudy
wet
14 C

Hunted under one hour, shot one wc from Luna's point, she was pointing in conifers, I didn't see exactly where, then when Ivy came close the bird flushed, I don't know if Luna moved or not...
The birds flew right to left and I shot it.
Ivy flushed 3 more, one was repeat, I shot at the second flush (no point) but missed.

Liza was running around, some time after Luna or Ivy, some time alone. She barks when she doesn't know where everybody else is... also I saw her bark on scent trail again, but didn't see any game.

Liza's first wc hunt Oct 5

First we had 30 C weather, than a cought a bad cold, so the first wc hunt of the year was record late - Oct 5.
I took all 3 dogs to Rob's farm.

11 C
synny
very wet forest, I was soaked.

Nothing happened on the 10 min walk from car to the back where I find wc.
At the deer stand Ivy tracked and flushed a turkey, I saw it fly across my FOV.
After getting into poplars, they started busting wc, no points.
I tried to put Liza onto relocated birds couple times, I sat the other two, so they won't interfere.
I saw Liza flush at least 3 birds - one, then 2 very close, no points.
The whole thing - the first wild bird hunt was a bit too much for her.
She was following Luna a lot, but also ran independently.
2-3 times she found and chased something, not sure if it was a rabbit or another turkey.
She's quite vocal, She's definitely 'scent laut'.
Couple times I think she was barking because she couldn't find/catch Luna.

So as soon as we stepped into poplars the dogs produced about 10 flushes, some repeats.
The first point was from Luna, but it was unproductive.
Right after I saw Ivy on point. She was flagging a bit, also Luna run right by her and didn't smell anything, so I thought it was old scent. Then I saw wc on the ground. I guess she didn't have a very strong scent. While I adjusted my cap to shield my eyes from the sun, the bird flushed and instantly disappeared in thick foliage, I fired as I was swinging and saw nothing fall.... Ivy and Luna went looking in the direction of the flush and soon Luna came back with our first wc of 2017 (large female). Liza was there as well and happily grabbed the bird. I took it from her, but let her smell it for a bit, while holding it.

After that, I only saw 2-3 flushes, 15 min later, but no points.

So that was it for the first hunt.
I continue to intro e-c to Liza in 'everyday situations', e.g. when I call her and she doesn't respond, which is rare.

I also threw couple retrieves for her on the sidewalk in front of the house yesterday.
She did well, no run-arounds and no going somewhere to chew on it.