Grouse Season in Montana - Day 4

Photo By: Karen Thomason




We started the day in one of my favorite Aspen groves. Only one grouse flushed, far in front of us. The single birds this time of year are almost always mature males. This guy made a thunderous roar and was definitely a very big grouse. I know where he lives and he and I will meet again. We moved to a creek bed I hunt occasionally. We met a Forest Service employee who said he had not seen any birds that morning. I explained "Happy's" beeper collar and how we shot the grouse on the wing rather than the traditional Montana method of shooting them in the road with a .22. I gave him my number and invited him to hunt with the dogs anytime. We changed dogs at the end of the road and started up a logging spur. A grouse ran across in front of us from right to left. As we eased our way towards the bird, 2 flushed from the right side into some trees. I worked past Dick and Steve to try to kick them out when 4 or 5 birds flushed right in front of me. The sky was full of birds and I had a rare chance at a double, but someone forgot to thumb the safety off......?? Nothing happened on the trigger pull. I did gain my composure in a hurry and managed to scratch down the last one. "Jack"made a long retrieve. Nice Jack! We took the afternoon off. The blowdowns were getting a little harder to step over and we ended the morning with 10 flushes and one in my vest. DWT