1st grouse hunt

[Tinkhamtown]

Just a note, I went up grouse hunting on Thursday last got at my camping spot by the Poplar river bridge at 2:30 AM Thursday. Started hunting around noon. My nice new ATV rack broke on the first bumpy trail I ATVed on. Dogs didn’t get hurt as the rack and kennel tipped on it side hanging off the back of the ATV. I was close to the camper so I finished breaking off the rack bungeed it on the back of ATV and ran the dogs back to the camped. Half an hour later and with the kennel jury-rigged on to the back of ATV with ratchet straps we were back on the hunt. It was hot with lots of leaves still on the trees-brush so I rode ATV a lot around 20 miles just checking out the area for grouse and going after them when I saw them. By night I had seen 8 grouse shot at five and got three with Max having a nice tracking job, flush, and retrieve. Good memory and he has earned his dog food for the next year. Willie wilted fast in the heat and just ended walking straight in front of me. The gnats, mosquitoes, and flies were so bad they chased me out of the woods on the last hunt of the day. Next day I scratched all my bites, fished caught one nice northern and lost it when I tried to hoist it up to the bridge, old line broke. Went for evening hunt and missed the only bird I seen. Saturday at 7 AM I let the dogs out to air and stood guard with loaded shotgun buck shot just in case of wolves (I didn’t dare let them out in the dark). It was hot, raining and the bugs were super bad. Forecast was for rain on Sunday and later in the week so I cut my hunt short and came home. Just no fun! I will be going back up October 10th, hope the leave will be down and the bugs gone.

Tink