Fox Collectors

Up in the Averill region for the last week. Not overly encouraging.

Week started with Monday and Tuesday hitting 70deg by 9am then peaking 88 by mid day. Hunted very little and saw even less.

Rained Tuesday night with temps in upper 40s on Wednesday. Encouraging. Started the day putting one up for a quick shot and miss. Then that was it.

Struggled Thursday only seeing one that flushed about 200’ away when I walked onto a trail. This included a solid 4.5hrs in the morning and 1.5hr afternoon covering probably 8mi of trails walking and another 20mi driving searching for roadies.

Spoke with an old timer and he said the birds just don’t hold and flush but just walk away well ahead of you. Said to start focusing on the ground 100+ feet ahead. Walking some old logging roads that’s exactly what happened. Moved 3 that popped up from the grassy drainage ditch and walked up and over the berm separating the road from woods and went somewhere in the woods. Dogs gave chase and birds flush 75’+ away right into the tall pines. Never even got a chance to mount the gun.

Saturday was in the Silvio O Conte wildlife refuge and it was rather packed with hunter ATVers and hiker. The ATV trails are like an interstate freeway with signs and maps and exits. People everywhere. Saw nothing so went somewhere well remote and moved 2. First one did the same deep woods walk while the second one was a more tradition flush right into heavy pines. Managed a shot and took down about 2lbs of pine needles.

Sunday went back to another remote trail going about 1mi uphill. Saw one walk and vanish into woods on way up and on way down dogs went into woods and about 20’ in from the logging trail was another old small trail heading downhill. Dogs followed something and 300 yards later reached the bottom next to my truck. Called it a day but was thinking they were on something.

I walked another 20 feet to the “main” logging road and 30’ to my right was this grouse just standing in the middle of the road. So I called the dogs, they charged, it flushed, and my trip ended on literally a last minute find. Talk about a gift wrapped bird.

Will post some pics later. Need to resize.

Sounds like a frustrating week but a week bird hunting with your dog is better than a week working without him! We had a very wet spring her in northern New England and it took its toll on the nesting success. That might have been most of your problem, just a lack of birds. Hopefully next spring will be better and the population will rebound. It always does.

Sounds like you had quite the frustrating trip Ron, but it still beats working.

Thanks Ron for the report here on Fox. Yes a non productive trip in terns of getting some good shots and bagging a few, but it's so nice to be out in the woods away from modern day distractions with gun in hand and in anticipation of action. Every morning brings a new day and new hope; kind of like when some of us ran a trapline in our youth.

Regarding skittish runner grouse and wild flushers, I'm convinced the gene pool has responded to hunters taking foolish and stupid ones over the years and generally the present day birds are more clever and smarter. frank

Maggie and Mollie thought it was a great vacation -24/7 with dad for 7 days.

On the way down following scent. This was the small trail that they followed down

The difference in grouse behavior always fascinated me. I will never forget my first hunt to Northern Maine from my Central NH hunting haunts. Here in NH the grouse always flushed out of range, or most of the time that is. In Northern Maine they would just sit on the ground and you had to literally walk up to them to get them to fly, and some of the time they would just walk off. Those birds in Maine were unfamiliar with hunters.

Tired dogs

One little rant if I may.

My 2 dogs are very well behaved Pitbull mixes. They actually put up more birds than many pedigree hunting dogs but most of all they listen to me and don’t charge other dogs.

I say that because at the lodge there were numerous others with their hunting dogs who they let run loose that would run from 200’ away despite owner yelling “STOP” and jump one of mine (both on leash) and generally it was Maggie (brindle) because she loves all dogs. And when that happened Mollie would “attack” and a little scuffle would break out.

While no one this particular trip said anything, I could sense from some reactions “control those vicious dogs”. But I have had others who have said to me that I shouldn’t have my dogs out where there are other dogs because of their reaction.

I keep them on leashes exactly because I know if something happens and my dog bites yours, my dog being a pitbull is responsible even though YOUR dog ran from 200’ away and jumped her. At least on a leash I have a defensible legal case.

Sucks. But that’s the pitbull owner perception.

When I first discovered they could hunt I took them to a trainer. Her advice was forget about teaching them to hunt that’s instinct teach them to behave and listen to 3 basic commands; stop, stay,
and come here and the hunting will come natural - they either haven’t or they don’t.

From a non traditional hunting dog owner, please control your pedigree hunting dog.

Pit bulls get a bad rap Ron. My last male lab was totally under control but just didn't like having his butt sniffed and would snap at the offender. Most guys bring their dogs out in the field with little to no conditioning and training of the basic commands. I ran into that in South Dakota more often than not.

Pit bulls get a bad rap Ron. My last male lab was totally under control but just didn't like having his butt sniffed and would snap at the offender. Most guys bring their dogs out in the field with little to no conditioning and training of the basic commands. I ran into that in South Dakota more often than not.

1steve7301 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 13, 2025 5:52 pm The difference in grouse behavior always fascinated me. I will never forget my first hunt to Northern Maine from my Central NH hunting haunts. Here in NH the grouse always flushed out of range, or most of the time that is. In Northern Maine they would just sit on the ground and you had to literally walk up to them to get them to fly, and some of the time they would just walk off. Those birds in Maine were unfamiliar with hunters.

Steve,
I had friends 20 years ago go into Canada to hunt a place called Timberdoodle Lodge. They had two Maine born Springers. They ran into a ton of what they called "Goony" Grouse. Birds were totally dumb. They wouldn't even flush if you walked up to them. You had to chase them to get them up and then they would fly 10 feet up in a tree and look down at you. They would throw rocks at them to get them to flush.

They would however flush if a Springer got after them, but even then they would fly into a tree and look at the dog. They killed limits every day of both Sharptails and Ruff Grouse but did not enjoy it. They were supposed to stay a full week, but left at 5 days. Just to them more like shooting tame chickens.

PS. Even with the name of Timberdoodle lodge they did not see a Woodcock all week.