Grouse & Woodcock News from the Northwoods
Observations and Insights by Ann Jandernoa, Northwind Enterprises, LLC
June 21, 2008
Hard to believe Spring is officially over for this year and we are now headed into Summer. As we do every spring, Skip and I have been busy visiting many of the known drumming sites in our area (Northern Region) where we had activity last Spring and found birds this past Fall. It is our feeling that we had a good winter survival. It is obvious many of last Fall's juveniles made it through the winter.
A couple weeks ago the WI DNR published the following table on their website.
Drums per stop (routes run) and % Change
|
Region* |
Drums/Stop 2007 |
Drums/Stop 2008 |
% Change |
|
Central |
0.95 (27) |
0.92 (27) |
-3% |
|
Northern |
1.48 (42) |
1.66 (42) |
+12% |
|
Southeast |
0.09 (30) |
0.12 (30) |
+33% |
|
Southwest |
0.46 (17) |
0.37 (16) |
-20% |
|
Statewide |
0.85 (116) |
0.91 (115) |
+7% |
* click on the following link to see a PDF file copy of the complete 2008 DNR survey which includes a map which shows the four regions: images\08finaldrum.pdf . As we have told you previously, please keep in mind that drumming counts are only one of several indicators which represent the presence of grouse.
Click on this link: Drumming Counts to display our comparative analysis of 2003 through 2008 counts for Northern Wisconsin.)
November 2007
Late September and into early mid October we started with warm weather and then the rain, thunderstorms and wind came along. I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to have a nice fall day…it took about two weeks for the weather to get back on track. Compared to last season, the number of birds is up and they are challenging as usual.
It's early November and the birds are now starting to regroup for next year and we are enjoying multiple flushes and sometimes up to 5 birds getting up over the course of working a small area. Diets are switching to more catkins and less green leaves of strawberry plants and tips of ferns due to the frost killing off the plants. I suspect in the next week or two I will start to find birds shifting to feeding on male aspen buds.
This year I saw a lot more trucks than the past couple of years hunting in the Park Falls area ….sadly I saw some of the same trucks pounding some of the same small cuts day after day…I imagine there is nothing left in some of the areas for seed for next year. I am happy with the number of birds I have found this year but find myself going in further than usual to get away from hunting pressure... a 3-4 miles brush busting trek in the morning and the same in the afternoon has been common.
Seems our birds in the Northwoods know how to run and to flush far out quite well on us hunters…even when we work at cutting off their exit routes and trying to corner them.. The balsams and tags are great areas for the birds to run and when they do flush they head to lower ground where the density of cover is greater. We hunt with our heads up and are always looking ahead…once in awhile we are surprised by a close flush, but typically they are out in front of us like they know the effective range of our shots. Last night, just at dusk, I got to watch a grouse cornered by our Northern Rain...they were staring each other eye to eye before the bird finally went up and rocketed over her…what a site to watch.
This season, on some of my hunts, I have seen more fresh wolf sign than in previous year…they are definitely in the Northwoods, as in Northern Michigan and Northern Minnesota, but we find that when we run our dogs with a bell and beeper the noise serves as a deterrent and helps keep the wolves at a distance. In every case where a hunter has told me they saw a wolf in close, the also told me that their dog(s) were not wearing a beeper or bell. The other morning I saw a wolf cross the road in front of me, I verified its tracks, and when I looked around I found additional tracks indicating a small pack had been in the area. Although I have only seen two wolves so far this fall, I am finding more wolf scat than last year. I strongly suggest a bell and beeper and keeping your dog(s) in close when you hunt. On a related note, if your dog "shuts down" in the middle of a hunt and comes to your side and does not want to leave….it can mean wolves are in the area…so pay attention to your dog and how he/she reacts. If this should happen, simply back track, return to your vehicle, and go hunt in another spot.
This season I have enjoyed finding many new drumming sites and at last count I am up to over 50 drumming sites that I have marked with my gps. I plan to spend a lot of time this coming spring doing drumming counts on the areas we conduct our guided hunts and checking out new areas to get an indicator of the population base for future guiding in the fall of 2008.
Today is November 5th and I am not guiding as the winds are gusting over 30mph and the snow and sleet is blowing sideways…my party of California has suggested we sit this one out. It is a good day to be in the house with our dogs curled up on the floor next to my desk, nice and warm and comfortable. I hope you all have had as nice a season thus far as we have but keep in mind, there is still a lot of good hunting to be done before the snow is really deep and it is bone chilling cold. I want to thank all those that booked with us this year and hope to see you again next year…we really enjoy seeing our old friends and making new friends each season. Oh yeah, I all most forgot, don't forget you can always come back this winter and join us for a Northwind Sled Dog Adventure...something you'll remember for the rest of your life. Click on Sled Dog Adventures for more information.
Take care…Ann
August 23, 2007
Summer is winding down. Fall is in the air. Already in our area we have seen some red maples, located along the edges of the swamps, that are starting to show their colors. The black birds are starting to gather in large groups and the woodpeckers are becoming more plentiful along the roads. In some of our fields I have already seen some bachelor groups of bucks, definitely a sign that fall is near. Ruffed Grouse season opens in just over 3 weeks and Woodcock the weekend after that.
We have had enough rain these past weeks to almost be considered "normal". Some say we are a little on the dry side, but so far we have had a great summer over all. If you drive 5 hours due south of us, however, there has been heavy rains and flooding these past few days. In the Northwoods, however, the forests are lush and the fiddle back ferns show very little stress. We have had some nice 60F degree weather already and it has even been down to the low 40s at night. I am looking forward to more of that type of weather so we can train dogs during the day, not just early in the morning and late in the evening.
Based on what what we are seeing and hearing,
we expect our bird population to be decent this fall. Reports from area
foresters and some of the bear hound guys, who have been in the woods training
their dogs, tell me they are seeing some nice broods, more than they have seen
in the last few years. In my opinion, this will be an excellent year to
break in a pup with bird numbers on the rise.
Skip and I have been working everyday with some of our client pups, as well as
the pups from our late January litter. Those of you that have hunted with
me over these past seasons know that my main guide dog is Bean. He turned
7 this summer and like most of us as we get a little older, he is starting to
slow down a bit so I will be working him this fall with one of his
granddaughters, Northern Aspen. The photo to the left shows Aspen about two
months ago locked up on a bird. She is 7 months old now, but by working
her with her grandpa these past weeks she is coming on fast and learning from
Bean how it is done. Last year Bean produced over 1200 flushes on Grouse
and Woodcock for our clients and those that have seen him work agree he is a
"once in a life time" dog. Based on what I have seen so far, however, I
believe little Aspen may just give her grandpa reason to be proud. She is
showing a lot of promise and she works the cover thoroughly like Bean. She's easy to
handle and wants to please. Along with apparently having her grandpa's
nose, she works close like Bean and pays attention to what she's doing as
well as to what I am doing when we are in the cover. She hunts for us, not
herself. Pretty mature for a 7 month old pup, but then reflect on who is
grandpa is. I look forward to her
continuing to develop into a great guide dog that our clients and me can rely on just like
her grandpa Bean.
I guess I got a little off the track talking about Bean and Aspen, but the point is, this fall in our area should offer lots of opportunities to find birds, if you know where to look, and to enjoy being outdoors in the Northwoods.
L