2 months till Opener for the King

[Ben Lamb]

Greta hits the vet tomorrow for X-rays to make sure her MCL is still good, and see what the hell that lump on her front left ankle is. Plans are always changing, but the countdown begins. Sept 15 for MI opener. We'll be hitting some early season spots that generally produce doodles & partridge, the finding a cool lake to go jump in and recover before the drive back to the house.

I've found a bunch of new covers close to the house and am planning on hitting some more stuff to the east and south of me this year, as well as roosters in MT, and hopefully some sharpies as well. Might do a UP trip again, but time may be against me. Tick control is in full swing. Permethrin spray is acquired, a ton of picaridin lotion is in the laundry room, shells are in the ammo box & the little Greifelt is tanned, rested and ready for another year of fast action in the big woods.

Who's got big plans for opener?

 

[D_Walt]

Will kick off Dove Season on September 14 with my wife and I hosting our annual Dove hunt/fishing/skeet shooting bash/bbq for a few friends (and a bunch of kids). This year it will be fried catfish, hush puppies and fried potatoes on Friday night and briskets, ribs, sausage, beans, potato salad, peach cobbler and ice cream on Saturday night. Chorizo and egg tacos Saturday morning and chopped brisket and egg tacos Sunday.

I’ll be running our game camera deer population survey that TPWD requires starting the first week of August, 26 cameras running for two weeks, then have to break down observed buck (by age class)/doe & fawn population so the State biologist will give a harvest recommendation for the ranch. But first, I’m headed to Colorado tomorrow to catch some high country brookies and breath some mountain air.

Cameras are already ready to go.

 

[406dn]

I was out this morning, horse saddled as the sun came up, and ran my setter for an hour.

She had two finds on sharptails. There were lots of grasshoppers and pretty dry.

 

[hunter49]

Been putting the miles on with the Goldens every morning. Elk prep for me, pheasant prep for them. Had a couple cooler crisp mornings that just give a guy the itch for fall.

Can tell the oldest is ready to get after a few birds. Both of us are down a couple # from the long winter. Ha

 

[seeth07]

Holy crap, we are finally talking about hunting openers. Does this mean the annual offseason HT bickering is about to end?

 

[Nick87]

Thanks for starting this thread @Ben Lamb. Something hunting. I'm not an upland guy but in about 6 weeks I'll be hunting the dove opener. Haven't missed one since I was maybe 8 years old. Should be a good one for the first time all 3 boys will be along. Only one shooter but the others will be having fun no doubt. Ages 4 to 16. Been waiting for this a long time.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Thanks for starting this thread @Ben Lamb. Something hunting. I'm not an upland guy but in about 6 weeks I'll be hunting the dove opener. Haven't missed one since I was maybe 8 years old. Should be a good one for the first time all 3 boys will be along. Only one shooter but the others will be having fun no doubt. Ages 4 to 16. Been waiting for this a long time.

That's a Booner memory to be made for sure. Enjoy!

@seeth07 it is HUNT Talk after all.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Heading to Indiana for the dove opener on 1st September. Great way to knock the shooting rust off.
No specific plans to go out for Michigan's grouse opener but I will locally if the weather cooperates.
Hoping for a long weekend near the tip of the mit the last weekend in September.
Leaving for Gunflint Trail in MN on 5 Oct. Hoping to stop for a couple of days in western UP on the way home.
Depart for a week in North Maine Woods grouse hunting on 19th October.

Slumming it, I see.

Sounds like a great fall!

 

[brymoore]

Blue grouse is the first September bird I hunt. We’ll shoot the occasional ruff too.

We hunt Sage grouse late September which is a favorite too. Love hiking the blue seas of Sage brush.

My favorite bird to hunt is chukars once the weather cools. Chuk chuk chuk

 

[Bowmannate2000]

I told my self I'd get out for ruffed grouse here in MN last year... Never did. I'm going to set aside at least a few days this fall for it.

 

[homestead]

September will kick off early goose and dove. October 7-11 we’ll be in Maine after grouse and woodcock. Then it’s grouse, pheasants and waterfowl back home.

 

[homestead]

Can’t wait to see the pup on wild birds.

 

[CRJR45]

The one thing I truly miss about Michigan is walking with the dog in the woods . Pats and Woodies , hard to beat .

 

[Ben Lamb]

The one thing I truly miss about Michigan is walking with the dog in the woods . Pats and Woodies , hard to beat .

It is by far the most fun I've had in the woods in a long, long time.

Greta got a clean bill of health from the doc today, despite knocking over a plant and stress shedding everywhere. We'll go back in Sept for cytopoint & a blood panel to 100% rule out osteo-cancer, but the doc said she's ready to chase birds for season #7. We may do an x-ray if her right front wrist swelling doesn't go down, but her hips & back legs are in good shape.

She's been on birds weekly during our hikes by the house, so that part of it is still on point as well. Shaping up to be a banner year!

 

[jt13]

I'm kicking around a 5-6 day bird trip this year around Columbus Day. A few possibilities:

1) Grouse/woodcock in the U.P. of Michigan or N. Wisconsin.

2) Grouse/woodcock in central/north Maine.

2) Pheasants in North Dakota.

The grouse locations are about a 12-14 hr drive. The ND pheasant option is more like 20 hrs. Any input or suggestions are welcome.

 

[brymoore]

I'm kicking around a 5-6 day bird trip this year around Columbus Day. A few possibilities:

1) Grouse/woodcock in the U.P. of Michigan or N. Wisconsin.

2) Grouse/woodcock in central/north Maine.

2) Pheasants in North Dakota.

The grouse locations are about a 12-14 hr drive. The ND pheasant option is more like 20 hrs. Any input or suggestions are welcome.

I’ve done 1 and 2 - UP and Maine. I’d choose UP.

I’ve never done ND pheasants but it could be incredible under the right circumstances. It could be a big stocked bird hunt in some situations.

 

[cedahm]

Over the years, we've gone from wall tents to rental cabins, but core group is booked for CO and WY's 9/1 Dusky opener.

Could only swing 3 hunting days for the opener this year. Will hunt both states, and if populations remain at the very high levels they've been at the last two years, they might be short days. Almost had limits in both states last opening day.

The dog is currently a complete couch potato as work travel put an early end to our normally aggressive pheasant schedule in the winter, so he stopped hunting in early December. My better half has been gradually upping their daily walk mileage though so I'm hopeful he'll be ready for primetime by September.

 

[jt13]

I’ve never done ND pheasants but it could be incredible under the right circumstances. It could be a big stocked bird hunt in some situations.

A consideration is that most public land is closed to NRs for that week. It'd have to be private or reservation land. Makes the pheasant option less attractive at face value. Might need to do more digging

 

[jt13]

By Columbus Day a good portion of the woodcock could be gone from the UP. I've had years when the majority were gone by the 10th. Can't speak for Wisconsin.

I hunt for a week each year in the North Maine Woods starting the Monday after Columbus Day (between moose seasons). The leaves are mostly down to all down up there. Some spots of woodcock can be found.

My vote would be North Maine. I can hunt grouse 10 minutes from my door, an hour will put me in really good cover and in less than 4 hours I can have a dog on the ground in the UP and I still happily drive 20 hours to get to Allagash. The numbers are just that much better.

Well that's a pretty convincing argument from someone who's experienced all the options.

What's foliage like in North Maine during that time frame? Hunting mostly along roads or has it thinned out enough to get into the woods? I have only driven through Maine once, no hunting experience there.

 

[jt13]

It's thinned out to be able to hunt the woods. The first year I went was an early Columbus Day. Leaves were at peak color upon arrival and mostly down by the end of the week. All other years I've gone the leaves have been nearly to all down.

I've never been pheasant hunting outside of the small pockets here in Michigan so can't speak to that option.

I'll send you a PM with some specific Maine questions