Fox Collectors

I’m calling this a Red Letter Day but that 24 hour period actually stretched over two days.

Back up to the mountains and solo hunted yesterday late afternoon, stayed overnight at the cabin, and hit it again for about 5 hours today in some light rain on and off. It was quiet walking and I hunted four coverts between the two days, limiting out by 3 pm today. This is walk up hunting on old woods roads and century-old mining RR beds. Both Foxes are 20-bores, a Utica Sterly and a New Britain XE Special. I took the Sterly because rain was predicted but both got caught in passing showers. That XE has proven to be very lucky gun and three of the four birds were taken with her. Check out the second bird from the right that has a reddish ruff, only the second one I’ve taken in my haunts here in northern PA. The two birds I cropped both had 100% buds from twigs ..... no berries, nuts or pieces of green leaves. That grouse and the one on the far left are now in freezer for a “Fox gets the Game” mount like Craig had made up this spring.

Cell phone pic, not the best

Wow! Nice job. I took the day off today and went bird hunting too. My brother and I flushed 5 woodcock and 3 grouse. One woodcock went home in his game bag and mine stayed empty. I guess I need to sharpen up my shooting skills. Maybe next time.

Silvers

Those sure are nice healthy looking birds, makes me think of my grandmothers wild mushroom, walnut and cranberry stuffing. The red phase grouse is unusual. The only one I ever shot was a large all red male in Clarion County about ten years ago that blasted straight up from a large mat of greenbrier, multiflora rose and grapes.

Just curious - were there other typical foods available (apples,haws, viburnums, buckbrush,etc? ) in the area you shot the birds? I know specific tree buds are nutritious and attractive to grouse but always seems strange to me when grouse are eating what I consider to be late season grouse foods when other food sources are available. Any idea what kind of buds they were eating ? In the areas hunt the volume of apples and haws that are on the ground is hard to believe, but many of the birds are in white oak areas right now. Makes for challenging approach to get a shot.

Your XE is a great looking Fox.

Chris

Chris, it surprised the heck out of me that both birds I cropped were exclusively eating buds this early. I don't know what they were but the coverts where the birds were harvested had a lot of witch hazel, small beech and black birch. I haven't found any apples, haws, beech nuts or grapes. Wintergreen berries can be found here and there.

I had a couple of questions on hunting technique. This is walk up hunting unless I'm with someone with dogs but that can be tough because of porkies. I have a system for flat areas that was shared with me in confidence by a mentor when I was a teenager and it helps to keep birds from getting spooked when walking up on them. If he appears in a dream and releases me from my promise I'll post it some day. Also, this area of the Endless Mountains has plenty of old RR beds and timber roads on the side hills. Now imagine yourself sneaking along the uphill edge and looping to look for birds on the downhill side, like every 20 yards or so. These beds have grown up a lot since this pic was taken in that general area. The beds were made of cinders, mine tailings, rocks etc and that tends to keep it in weeds and brush rather than trees.

Very very nice Frank. I hunted in the Va mountains last Tuesday. Flushed 6 birds and got a shot at two with zero connects. The others flushed wild. Lots and lots of acorns in the National Forest down here this year. That usually is a good thing for all wildlife because in the National Forest zero timber is getting done and old age forests are a slow death for almost all wildlife that I care about Unless we have a good mast crop. Hopefully we will have a good year with some decent carryover.

Frank four beautiful grouse I would call that a red letter day plus plus.

Great hunt, but you guys are killing me. 12 more days until I get the Doc's clearance to carry a gun afield again.

I'll second Frank's call on the darn porkies!! My dogs got into one hunting there with Frank last year. 4 grouse in 2 days is more than most PA hunters even get to see in a season! Well struck! Save some for me please.

That is great shooting, Frank! The grouse with the red ruff is very interesting. Seems like the grouse populationin in your neck of the woods is better than the PA predictions. About how many flushes did you get with no chance for a shot?
Jim

Thanks everyone. I'm not sure if the population is up, or the birds were concentrated in that area because of the rain or some preferred tree bud. Time will tell. Had 8 flushes all together: I heard 1 but didn't see the bird, 2 were too thick to shoot, missed 1 with both barrels, took the 4 with 6 shells = Remington 1200 fps 7/8-ounce Game loads of 7-1/2's.

Well, you don’t get ‘em every trip. We tried a different, closer area on Wednesday morning after staying up to watch the Pennsylvania votes clinch the election. I was running on adrenaline, met up with a friend and despite some light rain we hunted three places. Flushed only two birds over 5 hours and they were within 200 yards of each other at the last place. Both drove into thick hemlocks and my Fox and friend's Parker went back to our homes without being fired. Finished up at 3pm because we were both kegged and wet. But it was a GREAT day anyway!

One of the old railroad bridges in the area we hunted yesterday.


Opening to a timber rail spur leading to a remote area. Relatively easy walking on this part and then there's a switchover to a old "jeep trail" as called on the topo map to hunt on the way back.


Just a tip to PA grouse hunters; both birds we raised were in this area with heavy mountain laurel and witch hazels.

sweet looking cover - reminds me of the abandoned logging towns i used to hunt down there

Wow thats the stuff of dreams! I find the old 1920s-60s strip mine benches that wind around the mountains to have the same type of cover. Not pretty but thats where our grouse can be found.

Great photos Frank! Thanks for sharing. Your covers definitely look "grousy"

Here in the mountains I hunt, you either find them where there are acorns or Mountain Laurel. Thicker the better. That said, I have flushed more then a few in the edges of fields close to acorns. They can really bunch up when it gets cold and nasty.