November 28,1991.  Jethro's Place. Temp - 60's with conditions hot,dry,calm. Morning. 

This covert we call "Jethro's" is very steep and rugged with steep promontory-like bluffs. It is mixed with hardwood points and old overgrown yellow poplar fields where hardy Appalachian folks had once tended corn.

There are grapevines galore and some "swags," or steep, almost vertical rock falls with a barrow at the bottom, are just a grapevine tangle for upwards of 300yds. The going is rough and then on top of that, parts of the covert had been logged just 2-3 years prior.

To navigate this terrain the highland gunner much be wearing stiff leather boots with lugged soles or airbobs. Something that fits snug and built on a heavy hiking boot last is best. You do a lot of up and down hill trekking to points and a good fitting leather boot is important.

The covert is in a stage of "rebirth" with the recent logging and with all the grapevines in trees and the root suckers shooting up bringing about new tree life. It's a constant battle just to get through the area with constant bending under vines and young trees. Even an occasional crawl is warranted.  On years when we are fortunate enough to have a good grape crop and moisture enough so they mature and don't dry up too early, then we often do find grouse in vines or trees with vines in them.

In these vast coverts the grouse are scattered and often can be passed over by even the most experienced of dogs so the highland gunner must not push through too fast or birds will be missed. Even when grouse feed on the ground in the covert it is not uncommon to have a grouse hear you and the dog drawing near only to hop up in a tree. Sometimes this gives young or inexperienced dogs trouble and they point where a grouse had been feeding just minutes ago. Thus you have an unproductive that others might mistake for a false point. I always encourage my dogs to move on before walking all the way to a point. If they move and bump a grouse it's just an opportunity to train. I simply put them back on point where the infraction occurred for a couple minutes then release forward. The good ones catch on quickly and it makes for a better dog, one that can be relied on to be steady and make few mistakes.

Many times dogs are cautioned by the handler into becoming unreliable as they are constantly being “whoaed” when there is no bird present.  This incessant warning is the sure sign of someone who doesn't understand the office of a class shooting dog, and steals from the dog the initiative, confidence, courage that differentiates the ham-and-egger from a true "grouse dog." By the way, training your dogs to trust themselves conserves the hunter’s energy as well by not having to frequently walk 100, 150 or even 250 yards or more to a lonely point only to find the grouse had already flown. It's a partnership between dog and gunner and the end result is the most important , a reliable dog that doesn't bump birds and one that can find the majority of the birds in a covert without constant hacking from his gunner partner.

Against the grain of many grouse dog handlers, I even encourage my dogs to self-relocate, that is determine for themselves whether or not the bird is on the move or has flown. The end results will be more rewarding, if nothing else because the dog is a true partner, working in concert with the gunner . Also let me add ,shooting over points, pulling the trigger only on birds the dog has handled correctly, is one of the most important steps to developing a true grouse dog.  This practice helps your young dog know more of your expectations, only makes the upland experience that much more enjoyable by only taking birds shot "according to Hoyle", and conserves our most precious resource, wild game, by being supremely selective about our shooting.  

My dog Bull hunted hard and covered everything. You would have little pockets or openings where you could see 75-100 yards , then the cover would close in. It was the type covert you needed a buddy to help you hunt. Many points you could not even flush for a shot because the bird would fly out the other side of the jungle of sassafras loggers had pushed over and pole timber mixed with grapevines and blackberry canes growing all around.

“Escaping” grouse are surely a very humbling experience and yet, in perspective, those Houdini birds maintain breeding stock for next season. This was all before anyone heard of West Nile and its effects on grouse, so though it was important then, it is absolutely vital now to leave "seed" birds for reproduction

This Thanksgiving Day morning was unseasonably warm and the birds seemed to be hanging in the darkest, dampest coves available, eating on grapes and greens, based on the crop contents of the one I did manage to kill. Some of the birds sat in trees and flushed as I passed by.  One point produced a double flush and two more points had a single bird each. Bull did his part. It is just a tough covert to hunt alone. 

We ended up finding 10 grouse and had 13 flushes with one ruff for the dinner table. The Thanksgiving holiday reminds us that very day is a blessing from God, and this morning was no exception.