KNOCK ON WOOD!

I FINALLY got that crazy HIGH GLOSS browning finish off the gun that performs for me on live birds year in and year out. This Browning superlight feather 16 ga is a thing of beaty. I have no idea why, but NOW it feels like it has the respect it deserves. I have always been a fan of deep oil finishes, and this was came through with flying colors. After seeing a sample of what the wood work gunsmith at Williams gun sight can do in southwest Michigan, I HAD to send this gun to se what he could "bring out. For 200 dollars I was shocked and amazed at what he did. I easily would have paid TWICE that much. I love the satin type finish he put on this gun, and it really adds a lot of character. I'm hoping she feels as good about her new looks at I do, and hopefully it helps her shoot even better at this seasons grouse. Life is GOOD with a stack barrel of 6 lbs in your hands! I leave SUNDAY for my Montana trout trip and will be giving nightly updates with pictures, so from Tunday to Thursday, TUNE IN, and feel free to comment!

Shaking the rust off

August 1st is a blessing and a curse for me. It means the end of my trout seeason (in Wisconsin at least) and the unofficial start to game bird season. After taking the summer off from smells of powder and a slight kick against the shoulder, it was a fantastic enlighinment to have both feelings rekindled. My father and I brought out to first tiers. One of which will be entering the Marine corp in 8 short weeks, and the other my 22 year old neighbor who has always wanted to shoot a shotgun. After a little coaching they both managed a 19 and a 23. Fantastic scores and both these kids have talent if they wish to pursue the sport of clayshooting. they both asked how soon we were going to go again, so I think I may have brought two new fine young men to our great sport.
I have a disclaimer that my father beat my score yesterday. Yes miracles can happen! haha

Pop, Pop, goes the Smallmouth

"Is there ANY better way to spend a sunday afternoon"?  That phrase must have been repeated at least 10 times during our drift on Sunday. All topwater, no rain, 80 degrees, and an absolute truckload of laughs was just what the doctor ordered. It was a crazy day from the start. While unloading Tim's boat, we met the Purdue university wrestling team (literally), and one of upland journals own (Gonehuntin) (what a pleasure), and saw water levels that were downright scary.
We decided from the onset that "topwater" was the only way to go this day as we finally had a day without Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel speaking about Wisconsins crazy weather. We produced on everything from Boogle bugs (proudly made in *&^%^$#$^)  to Chernobol ants.
The  "Americas funniest home videos" moment of the day belonged to yours truly. I set the hook on a 6 inch Smalllie so hard that it became "federal cartridge like" and whacked me in the beans and franks SO hard that I doubled over in pain on the bottom of the driftboat. It seriously would have won the grand prize of 10,000 dollars if it would have been filmed. A moment that if I wasn't in so much pain, I would have surely been laughing hysterically at my own plight.
What a great time seeing Randy nail a 19 incher, and hearing Tim proclaim me as the "Huck Finn' of his driftboat (the Laziest but most  adamant hook setter he's ever seen). It was a day I wont soon forget, and a day I thank God for his blessings, and the beauty he created.

Review: The Sporting Road

With another Tropical storm falling this week, and more predicted, Trout fishing (or fishing of any kind ) has pretty much been halted. You know it's bad when Al Roker is referring to your storm as a "Midwest hurricane." So what's an outdoors man to do in this "slack time?" Why its time read about and live vicariously through someone else's outdoor experiences. I just finished the little known about second installment of the Jim Fergus's "ROAD" series. Most all know of his first installment "THE HUNTERS ROAD", sharing his 4 month trip across the country with his yellow lab in a airstream trailer. This book is literary gold, and if you haven't read it, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy. His follow up is just as good, sharing more stories of him and the loyal "Sweetzer" chasing everything from desert quail, to more grouse in Wisconsin and upper Michigan. With only a few months left to go before opening day, reading this book will get you amped up and ready to go.  Jim does a fantastic job of capturing the smells, sights, and moods of every upland hunter. He's an award winning writer, and doesn't disappoint with this follow up. It's a bit tough to find, but after a few days of searching the amazons, and Barnes and Nobles online, I found a great used copy. Good reading and enjoy!

SEARCH, SCOUT, SCORE

Sorry,
Its been WAY to long since my last update on here, but after the MONSOON of July, trout fishing has been blown out on almost every weekend, grouse broods have been hiding under anything they can find to stay dry, and my golf game is still crappy. SO, its time to do my SECOND favorite thing when it comes to grouse, ASPEN SEARCH 2010.
I become a google earth aficionado this time of year. When its 95 degrees with a a dew point in the 60's, the only place to be is in an air conditioned suv, following up on what my head tells me are suitable grouse covers. I'm happy to say over the past three years, my diligence in computer work and mapping has really paid off. I now feel I have almost every aspen cover on any form of public property in the areas that i hunt . It's really led to a much more relaxed experience, as now I ALWAYS have somewhere else to go if someone is already there. I went to a new cover only about an hour from my house I last night in hopes of connecting the dots between one of my google earth photos. Its didn't disappoint. It's a small cover, but found one nice young mother and 6 of her offspring. the itch is coming, only two months to go! Aspen, and grouse always raise my blood pressure, no matter what season it is.

Going Down, but Not SO BAD!

The much anticipated drumming counts of Wisconsin's GROUSE PEAK were supposed to be reported this week, much to the dismay of hunters statewide, the best was last year. NOT to worry, after speaking with our DNR biologist last week, he left me with confidence that even with an AVERAGE brood survival this season, our hunting will be as good as last year. The brood survival of the past two seasons was terrible, in his words. so while were "going down", its still pretty darn good! LIFE IS GOOD.
Here's their "official release"


Annual survey indicates slight drop in Ruffed Grouse population
Weekly News Article Published: June 15, 2010 by the Central Office


Three out of four regions show decrease
MADISON – Wisconsin’s ruffed grouse population appears to have deviated from its four-year rise, according to data that state wildlife managers collected during the 2010 spring drumming counts.


“Statewide, the ruffed grouse population decreased about 5 percent between 2009 and 2010,” said Sharon Fandel, Acting Upland Wildlife Ecologist with the Department of Natural Resources.


“The southwest showed the greatest decrease in drumming activity over the last year with a 21 percent decrease,” Fandel said. “The central and northern regions showed a slight decrease of 4 percent and 6 percent, respectively, whereas the southeast region experienced a large increase of 60 percent more drums than in 2009. The southeast region contains the least amount of grouse cover in the state and minor increases in grouse drumming numbers can have a large influence on the drumming index.”


For reasons not well understood, grouse populations cycle up and down over an 8- to 10-year period. The previous high was in 1999, and it would appear that Wisconsin has reached the peak of the current grouse cycle. Biologists note that while the 5 percent statewide decrease from last year’s drumming survey results supports the idea that the ruffed grouse population may be on the downswing, the change is not statistically significant and may be due to random chance or smaller samples sizes representing a given area.


Ruffed grouse are one of Wisconsin’s most popular upland game birds. Their characteristic “drumming” noise is readily recognized and is produced by males during the spring breeding season. The male grouse will stand on drumming logs and rapidly beat their wings with the intention of attracting female grouse.


Ruffed grouse drumming surveys are divided into four regions around the state. Each spring since 1964, wildlife biologists, wardens, foresters, members of the Ruffed Grouse Society, and other volunteers have driven survey routes, stopping to listen at predetermined locations for the unmistakable sound of drumming ruffed grouse. These drumming counts and observational data on breeding success are used to estimate grouse population changes.


“Ruffed grouse drumming surveys are helpful in tracking statewide population changes over the long term,” says Krista McGinley, Assistant Upland Wildlife Ecologist. “However, they are not good predictors of local harvest or hunting opportunities. The most successful hunters are usually those who spend the most time in the field and cover the most ground.”


There are two ruffed grouse management zones (pdf) in the state. The hunting dates for Zone A are Sept. 18, 2010 through Jan. 31, 2011. The dates for Zone B are Oct. 16, 2010 through Dec. 8, 2010. Daily bag limits are 5 birds per day in Zone A and 2 birds per day in Zone B. Possession limits are twice the daily bag limit. Additional information can be found on the ruffed grouse page of the DNR website.


FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Krista McGinley, Assistant Upland Wildlife Ecologist (608) 264-8963 or Sharon Fandel, Acting Upland Wildlife Ecologist (6

I'm BLIND, thanks midge

OK,
Now I know its been a few years since I tied with any "regularity", but this is ridiculous. I put on my first pair of "cheater glasses" today after struggling to put beads and tie on size 22 midges of  various styles and colors. I have always been a huge fan of the zebra midge ties in black and silver, but after a little bit of experimentation trying the BLOOD MIDGE this Spring, I am also a believer.
So back to grind of whipping out a few of these guys. I have to be pretty proud of myself, I only managed to have 5 small plastic beads shoot across the room  at Remington speed during this tying session, three lost hooks, and three "gorilla breaks" of 8/0 thread. For those of you that don't know, my fingers are the size of small Bratwursts, and combined with my "spunky" attitude, each break of thread  is called a a "gorilla break."
The good news is I've decided to tie NOTHING smaller than a size 22 for the remainder of my life on this planet, the bad news? I KNOW there is some Elk hair that needs to be stacked!

Good fishing!