# 28 hours of driving, No More!!!!



## gsppurist (Sep 22, 2015)

Hello all,

It has been a bit since posting after moving to Idaho.  It has been a great time up here, starting with Chukar on the last day of the season, Steelhead and smallmouth fishing.  

The season is quite generous here and started with grouse on Aug 30th. 

Opening morning began at 43 degrees, and dry conditions for past several months.  I targeted an area on the Palouse river on National forest land, which was a convenient one hour drive from our house.  

We worked an old road paralleling the main road but flanked a feeder creek.  This was my first time serously targeting Ruffed grouse.  Was a nice easy walk with a good friend of mine (also a GON member from Moultrie).  After several minutes his lab careened off the trail and I saw a ruffed run off the fly a short 20 feet to land in the tree.  

The morning was filled with several coveys of bird flying off into the trees and bagged.  After 3 hours of easy walking, we left home, with 6 birds.  Could have filled several limits if we shot all birds that were sitting in the tree over us.

Although since the rains have come, the birds have scattered and difficult to locate now.


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## gsppurist (Sep 22, 2015)

https://youtu.be/6ueJUcVnXRA


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## injun joe (Sep 22, 2015)

Beautiful cover.
I love it out there.


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## gsppurist (Sep 22, 2015)

Sage grouse last weekend in SW Idaho


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## Jetjockey (Sep 23, 2015)

I bet your having a blast out there!!  From what I've heard, bird numbers are up all around the PNW.  Your making me jealous!  Luckily, we are heading West soon as well.  We are moving to CO.  I can't wait to have some of the best bird hunting in the country within 6hrs.  

How'd you do steelhead fishing?  Get into any of the big B-Runs?


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## BriarPatch99 (Sep 24, 2015)

Beautiful Country ... Great Photos too!


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## BROWNING7WSM (Sep 24, 2015)

pretty country


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## 95g atl (Sep 25, 2015)

Jetjockey said:


> We are moving to CO.



what part of CO?


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## Northwestretriever (Sep 25, 2015)

Great pics!  I love pictures 3 and 4!


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## Jetjockey (Sep 28, 2015)

95g atl said:


> what part of CO?



South of Denver.

I have to say, GSP is making me jealous with all these pictures.  I'm not sure there is anywhere else in the country with greater sheer numbers of upland birds to hunt than the PNW.  Grouse, pheasants, chukar, quail, huns, and doves all get hunted in the PNW.  Not only that, there are many variaties of them. WA alone has four different species of grouse to hunt (Roughed, Spruced, Sooty, and Dusky grouse) and 3 species of quail (California, Mountain, and Bob white).  Not to mention birds such as the sage grouse that will hopefully have huntable numbers again in the future.  He is in upland hunting Mecca if you ask me.


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## gsppurist (Oct 13, 2015)

An evening hunt after Idaho Pheasant opener.   One Rooster got away without a shot but scored on the way back to the truck.


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## mlandrum (Oct 16, 2015)

N I C E !!!!!


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## HossBog (Oct 20, 2015)

Oh me! Hmmmm, go west old man (that'd be me), go west. While ye can.


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## AnchAk1961 (Oct 25, 2015)

You are killing me Mr. idaho!


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## gsppurist (Oct 27, 2015)

Been busy this past week.  Nephew and Brother in law arrived for hunting adventures.  Prior to that I had scouted out several areas and had decent bird numbers.

First night they arrived, nighttime salmon fishing was a bust but most boats were having the same luck.

First hunt was for Grouse and chukar.  First bird contact was 20 minutes into the hunt.  Walking an old logging road and Buster locks on a stand of trees facing us.  A Ruff busts out crossing the road.  I managed to pop off one shot and hit nothing but tree.  As we rounded the tree looking the grouse to be perched in a nearby...nothing.  Looking over at Buster, he look up at me with a face covered with feathers.  Sometimes better to be lucky than good.  
30 minutes later my nephew bags his first Ruff while it scurried away from a thicket.  Two in the bag.  

With the sun lowering quickly, we tried to head to a chukar spot but settled on a grassy hill, gave it a try but ended up empty.  Headed home with at least a few stories and great memories.

Second day, headed to Redbird area.  Hit some Huns along the northern border, hit one but never found him.  

Opening duck hunting was not as fruitful as I hoped but learning the area.  Family left soon afterwards, happy and tired.

This past weekend was the last camping so the family headed out.  My new Chukar/huns spot produced some legendary hun flushes of 20+ birds, all out of gun range.  Several chukar flushes but when the dogs are 100-200  yards, it takes about 10-20 minutes to get to them because of the slope.  There is no quick approach in Hells Canyon.
Hope to give it a try again this weekend.


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## blood on the ground (Oct 27, 2015)

Very nice thanks for sharing!


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## Jetjockey (Oct 27, 2015)

That's it, I'm blocking you! 


How many species of birds have you hunted out there now?


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## gsppurist (Nov 4, 2015)

Went out last weekend in Eastern Washington to hit some farm land.  Saw 4 roosters about a dozen hens.  Dogs did well.  High 45 degrees, winds 25 mph. Headed to North Dakota this Friday.  Only a 13 hour trip this year.


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## gsppurist (Nov 4, 2015)

Jetjockey said:


> That's it, I'm blocking you!
> 
> 
> How many species of birds have you hunted out there now?



7 species


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## Jetjockey (Nov 4, 2015)

gsppurist said:


> 7 species



Awesome!  Have fun!


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## gsppurist (Nov 9, 2015)

Nov 6, Friday afternoon I left home for North Dakota, Picked up my nephew at a small airport to take him on his first NoDak trip.  Drove all night, arriving 0600 Saturday morning.  Started hunting immediately.  

Weather began at 23 degrees and calm.  As the day warmed up the winds started.  We were pushing south bordered by the main road on one side and a creek on the other with a corn food plot along the middle. The birds were flushing wild but one of my dogs locked into a point.  My nephew walks in and a rooster flushes up and over his left rising fast.  He shoulders my Beretta and ...click.  No shot.  I followed up...and a miss.  

I was shooting poorly at first.  But improved as the day progressed.  We scratched out a limit but it took 6 hours.

Fell asleep at 9pm after hunting all day and evening chores at the hunting lodge.  Hadn't slept since the waking up the previous day at 6 AM.


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## gsppurist (Nov 11, 2015)

Nov8, Sunday.  We hunted a local farmer, down of the earth kinda of guy.  He was harvesting sunflowers with his 6 yo grandson, while others in his family hunted deer.  Grandson carried around his Daisy Red Rider BB gun...just in case they needed it.

We started the day with a east-west one mile push.  Headed into the wind on a gorgeous day.  Was to reach 54 degrees, 10-15 mph winds.  There were a few flushes of 10 birds, then one-two birds.  Ruger was casting perfecty albeit quickly.  He has two gears, standing and sprinting.  He has yet to master the art of tracking birds.  We were crossing a small depression and whips a 180, rock solid point.  Rooster jumps up as I get within 10 feet and dropped him.  GoPro was running caught it all.  

Minimal birds following.  We inadvertantly crossed the property line which was not marked and hit a tree line, busting up hundreds of birds.  All out of range.  We quickly corrected out position and headed back.  Uneventful return to the truck.

Next we followed a creek bottom covered with thick CRP.  Rooster erupts near our position and flies across the creek, Dropped him dead and Buster forged the river to retrieve.  He was the superstar for the day.  Despite pushing hundreds of birds from the sunflowers, could not get close enough for a limit.  Had opportunity but can't shoot a bird if you forget to load the bottom barrel on my Beretta.

Still happy, Nephew also got 2 birds.


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## gsppurist (Nov 11, 2015)

Monday was a beautiful morning, crisp air, 30 degrees with slight winds.  We pushed down into a creek bed, the upper flats was harvested wheat. Both dogs running. This area had been hit hard previously and we werent seeing a ton of birds.  In the area called the Russian Slough, there was a tight narrow section of cattails.  Both dogs lock in a point.  I climb down and a rooster flies up and away, succumb to #5.  Then I heard another shot directly behind me and my nephew got one that flushed behind me.  Both dogs retrieve.   Score!!

After that I changed tactics.  I started to look for areas that had never been hunted that season.  As I rounded a corner there were a half a dozen birds feeding in a cut wheat field. They flushed into the middle of the harvested field.   We decided to give it a try.  Striking out an a fast footrace we started to hit area where the cut wheat was taller than the rest.   To our surprise, there were still birds there.  The ratio of roosters to hens was 2:1.  Buster bumped several roosters out of gun range but then locked one down in an area of slightly thicker cut wheat stocks/weeds.  BOOM!!! #2.  My nephew got one up and we were both almost done.  These birds were big, with long spurs and tails!!!  
Quick to another spot and we saw a small one acre seep (area where water prevents farmers from cultivating).  As we pushed to other side and I saw a rooster run out then flush in front of David.  One shot and His bag is complete!!!   We eyed another 5 acre seep and there was probably 30 birds flushed, at least half roosters.  I nailed one and we were done... sort of.  

We learned that cultivated fields had a decent populations of birds and the shallow depressions usually had small 1x2 foot washes running down them holding a large proportion of roosters.  Also they are much easier walking, compared to thick CRP.

The farmer that hunted previously allowed us to hunt the day prior gave us permission to hunt a quarter section native grasslands with sharptail/huns.  We covered that entire area and found sharptails scattered throughout.  It started while Buster was pointing a hen pheasant.  I could hear the clucking of sharptail nearby.  As we worked down an slight hill into a wash, I saw 5 sharpies fly off.  Once the hen flushed, we started up.  Two more flushed wild and once we crested the hill 2 more got up.  I hit one but only knocked feathers off.  They flew 200 yards and when we approached that spot, one flushed out of range, Buster quickly locks up.  Second one gets up and I finally got my sharpie after 5 years of missed opportunities.  

45 minutes later, my nephew hits one on his second shot at a fast crosser, legs drop out and he flies straight up the air and literally hovers about 40 feet up for 4-5 seconds.  Waiting for him to die, knowing he has a lethal hit, it drops, head first.  Then at the last second, cups his wings and soars off, inches off the ground, headed downhill.  We go after him.  A bird jumps up and flies off when we get to the area where lost site.  David heads after that while I continue downhill to where I suspect his bird may have gone.  200 yards later Ruger goes on point.  The bird landed on a small frozen pond and slid under the grass, Dead!  

Back to the truck, elated, tired.  My nephew was about to pop!!!  BEST DAY EVER.


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## mlandrum (Nov 11, 2015)

Must say Again "Awesome"??


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## Beagle Stace (Nov 11, 2015)

Beautiful pictures and writing. Thanks for taking us along. Hope to make it out that way one day. I am sure your dogs are enjoying the bird contacts.


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## gsppurist (Nov 13, 2015)

*NoDak Trifecta*

Our final day was Tuesday Nov 10.  We hunted a ranchers property.  Beginning near his house pushing a L-shaped CRP which bordered the main road ending at a large homestead.  Scattered flushes and a modest covey at the end.  No shots but Buster pointed a bird for another hunter.  

He was showing his maturity as it was impressive to watch him work.  Along the road, he was tracking what ultimately turned out to be a hen. Originally he found the track in the ditch along the road to my far right.  I was about 150 yards paralleling the road.  As he worked this bird, when he lost the trail, he would cast across all the hunters 30 yards in front of us until he came across the track then follow it.  He pushed it for about 1/4 mile until the bird flushed.  

First bird was pointed by Ruger as we pushed another homestead.  Not many birds taken as in the past.  We followed this by pushing creek bottoms the crisscrossed a section of grazing land.  Only two roosters harvested.  Most of the birds were running wild and hard to pin down.  Buster did point a 220+ lb whitetail buck bedded down.  It was enormous, he jumped up only 20 feet from us and ran off.  

After we had both filled 2 of 3, we worked a CRP cap on top of a small hill.  A covey of huns were flushed and I capped the trailing bird.  This completed my NoDak Upland trifecta.  Rooster, Sharpie, Hun.  

Last bird came soon afterwards in a cattail slough nearby.  Done by 1230.  5 hours of hunting.  Exhausted, we headed back with our trophy and ended the hunt with pheasant chili.


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## gsppurist (Nov 13, 2015)

More photos of the trip.


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## gsppurist (Nov 22, 2015)

Just finished another year.  

Good Luck all and take care this season.


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## ZachMatthews (Nov 27, 2015)

Truly sick thread, and great photography.  Have you thought about submitting to some of the upland mags?

Zach


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