"Shut out" in NH

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gar-dog
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"Shut out" in NH

Post by gar-dog » Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:46 am

We just got back last night from out trip to Pittsburg, NH. I am humiliated to admit the bag is empty!

We hunted Perry Stream the first afternoon, parked, let the dog out, and walked about 30 yards down a little trail, Ginger was up ahead on point already to the side (we had no idea - I mean, we were just getting started). As we caught up to her a grouse came busting out - I tried to shoot but had the safety on - by the time I got the second shot off it was too late. I just wasn't in "hunt mode" yet, this was less than a minute from getting out of the truck. Other than a grouse crossing the road while driving that was it for the day.

Day 2 we hunted Indian Stream 4-5 hours. Then we went to River Rd and then back to Perry Stream where we flushed the first grouse. NO bird contact whatsoever. No sound of birds flushing anywhere nearby... nada. 10 hours of hunting. My son found a nice knife at Perry Stream, that turned out to be mine I had unknowkingly lost the day before. We got a nice laugh out of that.

Day 3 we hunted along Magalloway Rd and up on Magalloway Mountain. I shot at and missed one grouse, and my son one woodcock. We saw one other woodcock flush a long way away and one grouse crossing the road. And that was it for the trip. Back at the cabins we talked to many hunters who had similar experiences - maybe 3-4 bird contacts. It was tough. The guys in the cabin next to us were from NY and knew Ray Gubernat... so GDF is quite a network.

Ginger did great and did not shy away from the thickest cover. That was the most difficult terrain I have ever hunted. She hunted hard all day, maybe hunting a littler closer in by 3pm each day. I was really proud of her.

The scenery was amazing and the locale just great. It wasn't crowded and there were great restaurants. My wife and two non-hunting kids hiked to waterfalls and had a great time. Our Lopstick cabin was quite rustic, to say the least, but after settling in really grew on us. We ate two nights at the Rainbow Grill which is a great place. We ate at the Indian Stream Cantina as well, which had surprisingly amazing margaritas.

I recommend to anyone to rush out and buy the GARMIN ASTRO. Man what a great tool that is!

This was where we saw some birds on the third day:
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This was a "christmas tree" forest of 6-8 ft tall firs next to an alder run which had a nice edge:
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Our little shack!
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Our rig (Ginger had a nice smile until she suddenly noticed that Noah had some jerky in his hand:
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mudhunter
Rank: 2X Champion
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Location: PA

Re: "Shut out" in NH

Post by mudhunter » Tue Oct 14, 2008 10:38 am

I got to reccommend Maine if your heading north again. I just got back and it was great. Tons of bird contacts and really saw my pup develop!

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whitedogone
Rank: Master Hunter
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Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2007 5:23 am
Location: Central Illinois

Re: "Shut out" in NH

Post by whitedogone » Tue Oct 14, 2008 6:15 pm

I never have figured out why guys hunt them blasted G birds anyways. WDO
Beretta S686 Sporting 12g 30"
Beretta Silver Pigeon Sporting 20g 28"
Ithaca (SKB) Model 500 28g 28"
Ithaca (SKB) Model 500 20g 28"
Browning BPS Synthetic 12g 3.5" 26"
Browning BPS 12g 3" 22" cant. fully rifled

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The Zephyr
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Location: East 'til your hat floats...

Re: "Shut out" in NH

Post by The Zephyr » Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:08 am

Gary,

I returned late Saturday night back home. My trip to N.H. of five days wasn’t too bad.

Day 1 was muggy, mid-60’s. Not too conducive for grouse. We flushed a few, shot a little and went back to the cabin empty-handed.

Day 2 we hunted Indian Stream, but up high, probably a mile or more past a locked gate. We had ten flushes in three hours. I dispatched two birds, one grey and the other a red phase. I missed on one by being a little too sporting and letting it get out on a left to right. My hunting partner missed a nice going away in open cover.

Day 3 we pressed hard after being lured into a sense of entitlement from the day before. One of the other guys in the party took a single after a two-mile walk.

Day 4 we had to huddle down with a cold front moving through, steady rain showers meant a trip to Colebrook for some different food (Green Bean Chowder???) and a perusal of the local firearm institutions. I found some one’s great-grandfathers pahtridge gun, a 1913 Fox Sterlingworth 12 Ga., 26” barrels, some bluing and very little CC. I’ve added it to the safe.

Day 5 The mudbats have arrived!!!! The cold front that pushed through the day before and the full moon that had begun to wane brought the timberdoodles. I don’t like to make them my primary quarry, but with the low number of grouse contacts we had to switch gears. We managed twenty to thirty flushes, sometimes flushing the same bird more than once.

It’s unfortunate you didn’t get into the birds when you were in Pittsburg. It can definitely have a lot more action than what both of us experienced, but as you noted it is a beautiful place and although tiring, it can be very relaxing.

We did speak to some of the road hunters. It seems it was a very hard winter. They received over 240” inches of snow. That would partially explain the number of moose remains we found during our hunts.

Also, I’ll put out accolades on the Garmin unit. On day 2 when we were on Indian Stream I came back to the truck and let Natasha out of her crate and let her sniff up the grouse. I tossed the bird into a small group of shrubs and let her retrieve it. She brought it back handily, Great!! I turned and put the grouse down on the tailgate of the truck turned again to Natasha to give her a little more praise and…… she was gone!!!!
I called a little, shrugged my shoulders and waited. Eventually, after a few minutes she returned, muddy, winded but awful happy with herself.

Now on day 3, I put the Garmin unit on her and let her go. She was having a ball. I could see where she was her distance and direction. That’s a lot of peace of mind. She’d go out 50, 70, 90 yards and check back in. After a couple of go-rounds like this she became a little too self-confident. The garmin was producing distances again 90, 130, 190, 230, 270 yds!!!! I swore when I got the little she-devil back she’d be back in the box, but it felt good that a least I had an idea of where she was even if it meant that she might be doing a Peter Pan off a thirty –foot drop on the backside of the mountain.

John L.
FC AFC Fieldmaster's Montauk Zephyr
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/genview.php?id=324
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Fieldmaster's Oregon Road Phosphorus
http://www.perfectpedigrees.com/genview.php?id=2833

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