He slammed the door to his SUV as the five of us huddled up in the early December woods of northern Wisconsin. Clemmons, “Bird Dogs — Health Matters” columnist for The Upland Almanac, was about to show us his special technique for winter grouse hunting. Clemmons hails from the great state of Alabama where his mixed pedigree includes a degree in English from the University of Alabama and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Auburn University.
He said the day’s conditions were perfect for a Shake ’n Bake. A dusting of fresh snow had fallen the night before. Added to the four inches already on the ground, it made for optimal tracking and easy walking through the woods. There was little wind on this overcast winter day.
Dave Patton and his German shorthaired pointer Gretchen, Mike Studer and his year-old shorthair Peachy, Leon Bertschy and his English setter Lily and me and my 4-year-old yellow Lab Beau stood ready for coaching and instructions. Clemmons was in the lead with his Drahthaar Bell.
He explained that the two-track we stood on ran about a half mile around the conifer-peaked uplands that rose to a summit above us. At our feet an old logging skidder trail led to the top of the hill and over, splitting in half the entire section we were hunting.
“The five of us with all our dogs are going to walk around the full circle of this two-track, making a bunch of racket and end up right back here where we stand now,” Clemmons said smiling. “Y’all keep your dogs close or on leash and out of the woods as we walk this circle. Then we are going to form a line and walk up this hill to where we hopefully pushed all those grouse towards the middle of those pines up on top.”
Denne historien er fra Winter 2019-utgaven av The Upland Almanac.
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Denne historien er fra Winter 2019-utgaven av The Upland Almanac.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Tail feathers - STANDARDS AND PRACTICES
\"An armed society is a polite society,\" the NRA says in one of its dicta, cribbed from Robert A. Heinlein, a 20th-century American science fiction writer.
Day's End - IN PRAISE OF FENCEROWS
Driving north along the Hudson River, I gazed at a pastoral autumn scene: sere fields of faded yellow harvested corn, stubbly and broken amongst the clods of black earth, almost smooth from my vantage point. Spiky brown veins of wild growth marked barriers between plots. Occasionally, the gray bones of a mature oak rose among the brown shrubs to stand over the yellow fields. A sentry, keeping silent watch as white frost crystals slowly melted into invisibility.
That Time of Year Again
Without doubt. The most idyllic form of hunting in Ohio is seeking the woodcock. - Merrill Gilfallan, Moods of the Ohio Moons: An Outdoorsman's Almanac (1991)
I Don't Wanna'!
I'm an old hand at being retired, though - have been practicing for 25 years.
Hunting the Huns: Alberta's Big Sky Country
The prairies of southern Alberta are vast, beautiful and full of prime bird habitat. Crop fields are interspersed with abandoned farms, rolling hills are intersected by coulees and creek beds, and Hungarian partridge and sharptailed grouse occupy some of the best and most picturesque habitat on the continent.
Side Dish - End of Season
Sporting trips are not only about sport, as many other experiences are discovered alongside. And my trip to Lakewood Camps in Maine was certainly just that.
AN EXTENDED STAY
There is no reason to leave Michigan in the fall unless the opportunity of a cast and blast adventure at a historic sporting lodge in Maine comes calling.
KEEP IT HANDY
If you think shooting a ruffed grouse on the wing with a shotgun is tough, try shooting one in flight with a still camera.
A Longtime Love Affair
It's possible to hunt your favorite birds in a lot of different places, I suppose, but I don't do that.
Profile of an Artist: Harley Bartlett
Harley Bartlett was born in 1959 near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. However, having lived in Rhode Island for most of his life he considers himself a Rhode Islander.
