Hitting the road tomorrow. Have some painful goodbyes to make first, but there will be grouse waiting for me afterwards. Hope I still remember how to do it all. I sure will miss all the mask wearing and the traffic here....not. I pray that 2 weeks of walking in the northwoods buys me a little peace and perhaps...some clarity. Some fresh walleye and bacon-wrapped grouse breasts would be nice as well.
Safe trip. Great year to social distance in the woods.
Safe travels, and no more surprise early season snow dustings.
Safe travels. Keep us posted on the birds
it would be wonderful if you were to send us old timers some pictures with clues as to where you are...be safe and be happy...
I don't plan on social distancing from the grouse this year! Best wishes for a safe and rewarding trip Lloyd.
Karl
Have a safe trip, Lloyd. It has been unseasonably cold up there this week, might cut some leaves earlier then normal, and, of course, the bugs are history.
Grouse season doesn’t open until the 19th. If I make it up, it will be later, rather than sooner.
Be well.
Best,
Ted
i did look it up...interesting bit of boundary gerrymandering...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Angleas the canadian border is closed, looks like the only way to get there is to fly in?
if you cant get there, try north of ash lake...
Ed: Boats should work ok as well. You now have some sense of the region (FWIW: I buy all my groceries in Warroad). I've never tried the Kabetogama Forest, or Koochaching either but... I'd bet both are pretty darn good.
I think there is a speed boat taxi running across the lake. Heard that on NPR. Interesting location that has been made very isolated this year due to Covid and the border being closed. Locals need tourists who struggle to get there. So water taxi came into use. Take hour plus to get there that way.
Again safe trip and spend a little extra to help the locals. Their economy is based on tourist vacationing, fishing, hunters and ice fishing in the winter time. None of which are likely to bring in many people or money this year if you can not drive there.
Minnesota 2020 grouse season doesn’t open until September 19, ed. The northern third of the state has had a hard freeze already (darn global warming!) and it should be putting the leaves and brush on the ground, skipping the step of pretty fall colors.
I’ve never had a bad day fishing on Lake of the Woods, a tough time holding lunch down here and there, when it is windy, but, always excellent fishing.
There may be more 27’ Sport Craft boats on LOW then anywhere else in the world.
Best,
Ted
Just waked in the door here, coming back from a funeral in Stillwater today. Supposed to be 29 degrees F here tonight (80 yesterday in the Cities!). Tomorrow... I believe I'm going to put on my Russell's and go for a long walk (a little scouting before the opener). The weather looks pretty stunning up here for the next week. I've got the luxury of time now (unfettered sweet-time!) and lots of 16-gauge shells, Grousmas is almost upon us.
There may be more 27’ Sport Craft boats on LOW then anywhere else in the world.
Best,
Ted
Bwahahaha!
Russell birdshooters and RST-- not too shabby, Sir. RWTF
luv dem sheep skin slippers...
gon looks english?
ed: 'tis
from about 10-years ago...
Mr. Fox: The Russells have been something of an adventure. My first pair was wonderful until my feet grew (in mid-life!) and they no longer fit right (size 13 to now 14). I lent them to another family member but kept track of them. They should now fit my son (if he'll have them). I'll clean them up and oil them first and see if they still look as good as they used to.
what a wonderful day that must have been...tell us more about it...
and tell us more about the gun pictured above...
good luck tomorrow...
ed: Sadly, that was a period of rather-poor memory for me as I was suffering then from untreated Lyme's (it went undiagnosed for over 10-years, I was lucky to survive it). I refer to it now as my "grey period" as I more-remember the "macro" and not much of the "micro". Lots of the smaller details elude me now. I'm sure it was like many of the wonderful days spent up here walking these trails, and there have been quite a few now. The gun is one that I've pictured here several times, a brummy boxlock ejector, one of a pair made in 1905. It was likely made in the trade and then labeled and sold by William Richards out of their Preston shop. I like it because it fits me like a natural extension of my body (cast 1/8th on, drop of 1 1/2 & 2 1/2, LOP 14 3/4 over a horn plate, w/a diamond grip & 28-tubes) and... it weighs exactly 5lbs14 unloaded. Choked essentially IC and Mod, I'd prefer a bit more choke in the left tube but...oh well. If I need to reach out a bit I load it with RST No. 5s. It's in proof for 2 3/4-inch shells, but I only use 2 1/2s to help preserve that old wood and that rather slim wrist.
It's really a fairly-plain gun and something of a workhorse but..it suits me and my needs.
I know 16s are becoming a bit obscure and perhaps... even obsolete, but this one seems to work very well for me on ruffies up here. Largely because of it's ease of carry and quickness to mount, I've had lots of very good days in the grouse woods.
Picture-rich, I know....but you did ask.
do you hunt with a dog or doggies now?
what about then?
ed: No doggie up here, just me. Like dogs immensely, have one that could have been decent (had I been healthy enough to get her trained). Have hunted behind some truly exceptional examples and hope to again some day. Dogs up here are a mixed bag, they can both help and hurt, hard to explain otherwise.
Hey Lloyd, try again with another pup some time. If it's half way decent, they help, plus all they want to do is please. My best field memories are great dog work on single tough birds rather than hunts with big bags.
Good luck today Lloyd, it is grousemas! I used to hunt Koochiching have a friend that owns some land in Birchdale. But have moved to the East for the last decade or so. I leave the 4th and head up the Gunflint trail for most of the month of October. Staying in a cabin I'm getting too old for the living out of a tent thing.
For a long time I wore Grand Slam Sheep hunters with extra toe cap because that is what always wore out first. Had Russell build them 2" taller for wet areas.
But as degenerative arthritis has set into my ankles and other joints need more support and have gone to Crispi boots I have quite a few pairs now and wear them everyday. 3 years ago guarding a tub of Cheddite 16 ga. hulls I picked up at the Sweet 16 shoot for a song.
Of course for killing grouse I use purple shells because grouse prefer to be shot with 16 ga. shells. In purple.
Will take three 16 ga. guns with me and this year, my main gun will be another FAIR a basic Iside SxS. For some reason I seem to shoot it lights out. Hard to argue with that reasoning.
Prefer hunting with a dog myself but I understand exactly what you said. And understand it. But still am a fan of Tollers and grouse.
Took his sister in this summer on a rehome, they are 6 years old. She has never tasted feathers in her mouth until she came to me. Going to be an interesting year...
Again, good luck and enjoy your time in the woods with that great looking 16!
Lloyd, I always love the pics you post. It’s home turf. Have a great time.
Mike, have a great fall season. Give my best to Steve and take care brother.
Wishing I was with you both but the damn border remains closed.
James
Cold Iron: Thankyou! Grousmas finally got here.
Thanks James, you know the game up here better than most. Get a boat and come on down, I'll meet you at the dock. Screw the Covid stuff.
For Ronnie...
Minnesota infinity...
Hunted all day (dark to dark), got 3. Lots of sports fans out and about. The conga-lines of the 4-wheelers gets a bit old. Too-many people not working these days.
ed: You've created a monster....more pix:
Early morning walk yesterday.
Grouse food (known locally as "high-bush cranberries"). You can make jam (and even booze) from them. They smell like dirty sneakers when you walk by them.
The 1905 version of plastic or...what a horn butt looks like on my 16.
They may smell like sneakers but the jam sure is good. We had a bunch growing on our property growing up and my brothers and I would pick them for my mom to jam out of. Along with plums and crab apples. About the only fruit that grows there. LOL
I live now about 2 miles from where, at age 14, I first picked what I think of as real fruit off a tree, warmed by the autumn sun and ate it. It was a pear and it was so wondrous to me, I can still taste it.
wonderful pictures...
thanks again...
more, more...
you are in heaven...
and finding a bird now and then is a blessing...
Years ago, friends looked at a lot with a view from McKinley to Augustine volcano from high on the hillside above Anchorage. They turned the lot down as something smelled dead on it. It later sold for multiples of their asking price. Cranberries were the culprit.
ed: I do actually have to remind myself of that reality every so-often here. My cell phone works most of the time now, as does my laptop, so the "real" world intrudes way-more than it used to. The only time it finally slips away and leaves me with my gun and the view in front of me is when I'm about a half-mile in and the cover starts to look very birdy...
After a storm here about 5-years ago. I'm surprised that there is another car in the shot. The paved roads here are long, straight, and mostly empty.
This was in the front yard at the house here, about 5-years ago as well.
This was off of the deck here, last Friday evening (grousmas eve). It's seldom this nice here, but every once in a while...
Another good day.
Shocking numbers of grouselouse on these birds anymore. They used to be uncommon, then occasional, then every bird had one. Now...every bird has two plus. Not sure how that affects them, but I can't imagine that it's beneficial. The sprucie my buddy shot was loaded with them.
Last walk. There were birds at the next opening.
Headed home tomorrow.
Boy that looks like the old days. I sure do miss them and that country.
sad to hear about the lice infestation...like gilda said, its always something...
looks like you had wonderful weather...
thanks for all of the great images...
safe home...
The road home...
Hard to leave, but other things require attention now.
