Lots of vegetation in the woods.  I saw two deer but no grouse.  Winston only got mildly birdy once.  I may have to burn gas and drive the roads.

-MD

I had considered trying to organize another Grouse hunt GT this year, but we've had such a poor Summer at the bog due to the weather I can't afford to take any time off if the weathers good, and work is available.

The past two years a few of us had been able to get together during the first weekend in October.

CA, if your planing a trip up this Fall let me know, I may, or may not be able to join you. But even if I can't, I've got a pretty good idea where your headed in the woods

CA, I really can't commit to any time in advance this year.

At the bog due to the possible weather interference it's a 7 day a week commitment, if the sun is  shining, we're making hay. The past 2 years we've had good enough weather that it wasn't an issue for me to ask for time off in advance. Not so this year, we lost the better part of our prime time season, and as yet do not have enough peat to meet the orders that we have.

As a result I feel obligated to be on the bog on any day that I can. Not just obligation to the company, but obligation to my own bottom line (I still want that wheeler of yours, and I couldn't afford to buy that Ruger I had posted about in the firearms forum which wound up going for a measly $433.00. Rugers site is asking 679.00 NIB, and that revolver was like new) During the time of our season when I wanted to be putting in 60+ hour weeks I couldn't get 40 hours in.

So as things go this Fall I have to stay committed to what has to be done, and sadly this year Grouse hunting has to take a back seat to obligation.  But let me know if/when you come up anyway. If nothing else maybe I can squeeze out enough time for a quick meet and greet if I can't make the hunt.

BTW, I don't know if you've applied for a wolf tag or not, but the area we Grouse hunt in there at the pit is also an excellent wolf area, and I've really only shown you a small part of the overall area during our Grouse hunts, so let me know if you've applied for a tag.

Jumped four and got one. The vegetation is still pretty thick.

Niemz,

Good for you. 

Winston flushed one Sunday, but I never saw it.

-MD

Lunkerdog, we are heading up to Ely Friday night after work to spend the weekend with our daughter, then head home sometime Sunday afternoon.  I could give you a call when we head out, and work out a quick meet & greet, or at least see what works.  Even though we will be in some good grouse territory, I am not planning on getting any hunting in this weekend.  My daughter's boyfriend is one of the coaches for the VCC football team, so we will watch the game Saturday, and also get a chance to meet his parents.  So Saturday will be busy with all of that.  Sunday will be a little bit of visiting, then travelling home. 

I still have the wheeler waiting for you.    I did put a carb kit in it this spring and had it running, but I haven't had a chance to start it again, since Jean's surgery.   Right now it is in the garage, being used as a fishing rod rack.   

Hope you can get caught up in the bog.  Sounds like it has been a crazy summer for you too.  Fortunately deer season is coming soon and hopefully we can take a breather for a few days.

CA

i think we should have a quick meet and greet in October, even if it is for half a day. i had a lot of fun meeting you guys in person last year.

Niemz, I would be interested in meeting at the usual place on the 7th, either for the day, or part of it.  I think I would be pushing things a bit if I tried to come up on the 6th and make it back in time for that wedding. 

Took my first shot of the season Tuesday and missed.    Went out today and had two flush.  I tried circling around to see if I could flush them again not luck.  Walked the loop, came home a different way than normal.  My wife asked me if I had taken the training collar off Winston.  Get a drink of water, head back into the woods, and backtrack.  I left Winston at home.  I was inspecting an area where Winston had been sniffing in vegetation and heard a rustle.  I saw tail feathers.  I could not see the head trough the vegetation but I was using a 12ga with target loads so I fired.  First grouse of the season.

i will be in Cook the weekend of the 7th, how about the 14th?

Posted By Mark_D on 26 Sep 2012 08:09 PM
Took my first shot of the season Tuesday and missed.    Went out today and had two flush.  I tried circling around to see if I could flush them again not luck.  Walked the loop, came home a different way than normal.  My wife asked me if I had taken the training collar off Winston.  Get a drink of water, head back into the woods, and backtrack.  I left Winston at home.  I was inspecting an area where Winston had been sniffing in vegetation and heard a rustle.  I saw tail feathers.  I could not see the head trough the vegetation but I was using a 12ga with target loads so I fired.  First grouse of the season.

When I got home Thursday my wife had taken Winston for a walk.  I took the shotgun and went looking for the training collar.  I did not find it or see any birds.  Of course my wife and Winston flushed a couple.

Mark, I got two birds this week, and never fired a shot... Heck, I haven't even bought a license yet!!!

Believe it or not, Monday evening I was driving home from work on CTY Road 133 and had a bird fly right into the side of my jeep. If that wasn't crazy enough, yesterday morning when I was driving to work on 133 I had another bird bounce off of the windshield as it was flying across the road.

I got to wondering if they weren't actually intentionally flying at the jeep in the Fall territorial grab of the young birds.

-LD,

I grew up in the LP of Michigan.  When birds started having that type of behavior we said they were drunk from fermented wild grapes.  How many Mountain Ash trees are there on that road?

-MD

Mark, you may be right. I don't think that there's a lot of mountain ash, but I'm sure that there's a lot of high bush cranberry.

fermented crab apples will get them sauced pretty good too.  My in-laws used to be cheaply entertained watching the grouse fall out of the crab apple tree at the house in International Falls.

Winston is a very happy dog today. 

-MD

lunkerdog, had I knowen the bog was where you worked I may have taken the chance of getting yeld at and road on in to say hi. Sat at the entrance for a while on opener and had lunch break. I was doing a ride for the locale atv club. Half wondered if the groupe of hunters we saw west of there was NAH members or not.
That 94 blazer the young man is driving was my sons, hope it treats him as good as it did my son.

Trip, they would have frowned about a wheeler on the bog. The dry peat is flammable, and wheeler exhausts are notorious fire starters.

Your son must have treated that Blazer a lot better then the current owner does for it to have lasted this long. I don't imagine that it will hold up too much longer judging by the way it's being treated these days.

I hunted that old grade for the first time last Fall. I managed to find one covey of birds not too far NW of the bog.

Yah, I know the dangers of a wheeler in that stuff and it is another reason I would not ride in there. Hope when you are hunting the trail you are on the wheeler, The CO was out looking for folks driving their trucks on the trail that day. At least the one from lHibbing was. Luckily for the guy's we saw the CO was going west instead of east.
Hope you gets caught up so you get out and do some hunting

So far I've hunted it on foot. I'll eventually check it out more in depth with the wheeler.

Also, if we get enough snow this Winter I want to take a ride out to Devils Island to check it out. The grandfather of a friend at work was one of the guys who built the cabin that's out there back in the 50's.

I'm not sure if the original structure is still there, as I understand it, the DNR has taken control of the property and uses the building as a warming shack for snowmobiler's.

Niemz, I am planning on making a trip to Duluth next Saturday to set up stands.  Might be some time to do a get together later in the day.  Unfortunately on Sunday I have to be home for some other stuff.  This fall is not looking to good for me to get in much bird hunting.   

Lunkderdog, I sent you a PM earlier today.

I am busy Saturday afternoon and evening. Deer season is coming too fast, i am scrambling to get setup in Cook. Maybe another weekend?

Lunker, where does that first cty. road west of the bog come out at? Been meaning to ride down it some day to find out just so I would have a better idea of where a person is at in case of trouble.

Trip, the first road to the Northwest is cty road # 52. It doesn't run West of the trail. To the East it will take you to HWY #5 (Toivola) and eventually to HWY #7 (Kelsey) and to HWY #53 (Cotton).

The first road to the Southeast is HWY #5 which will take you North to Toivola, and eventually to HWY #37, and South to HWY # 133.

Finally got out in the woods today after muzzle loader season.  We are going to have a dalmatian Christmas this year with the brown spots being larger than the snow.  Winston got all excited when I rack a shell into the shot gun.  Went into the deer ex-closure and found deer sign all over the place.  After leaving the ex-closure I headed north.  We flushed a doe and fawn but no grouse.  I did find a wolf print on the snowshoe trail.  I now know that I am not the only one using that trail to hunt deer.

-MD