1999 Hunting Journal

4 September 1999


This is our first entry in the 1999 Hunting Journal - I hope to have many more like it in the future.

Myself and Steve Parsons along with our dogs went to an area near Eatonville that I have hunted. After 2 hours of fruitless hunting on the high ridges - a real lung strainer for me - I'm more out of shape than I had thought.

We decided to hunt the lowlands along a creek. We had worked down a hill - deep primevel forest and Dancer locked up in a pretty point with Steve's young dog Lucky backing nicely - I waited until Steve was in position to shoot and walked in kicking brush trying to flush the grouse - no birds. Dancer and Lucky were released and we worked up in the hills a little farther up near a railroad trestle.

Lucky - Flash pointed briefly and the sound of a departing grouse was heard and the flashing of the bird disappearing through the trees, I worked up a little farther and at the departing flush Lucky had frozen and as I did so another bird left the cedar tree. I snap shot at the departing grouse and missed.

I marked the direction the bird had went and released the dogs. Up on the railroad trestle near a cedar both Dancer and Lucky locked up in point, Dancer broke as a grouse ran out while Lucky remained staunch on point as Steve kicked around attempting to flush the grouse, unable to do so. As night was quickly falling Steve and I decided to go home. It was a nice hunt even if we didn't get a bird - I was especially gratified to see Lucky - a dog I trained and sold to Steve do so well on his first wild bird hunt. Steve should have many gratifying hunts with Lucky.


September 6, 1999


Daniel and I went to the North Fork of Ahtanum Creek to see if we could get any grouse. We found a likely looking spot ad decided to work up a creek to see if any ruffs were about. I had unloaded the dogs, and gotten both the guns out but were still unloaded when Shadow stuck his nose in a small spruce tree and a ruffed thundered out and away - all the while I had that stupid look on my face.

We decided to work up a creek - my son Daniel worked up the road as the country was brushy and hard for him to walk in. I worked up the creek and the dogs were working well ahead - Dancer (the setter) was working in his usual slashing manner and Shadow (the lab) in his usual oportunistic style of hunting and together they moved some grouse out of the small trees. Evidently, 3 or 4 of them flew into a large spruce tree near Daniel and he fired as one hopped off the tree and took to flight. It was a small ruffed ( this years hatch) and Daniel and I were both very proud.

Daniel had become a grouse hunter and although we tried in vain to locate more grouse opportunities it was not to be and we went home with Daniel's first grouse and no other opportunity.


September 8, 1999


I went up to the N Fork of Ahtanum creek with Dancer on a hunt and decided to work an area that I had not worked before. Dancer was working in a vigorous manner and was unable to find any birds for quite some time - after about 1 hour of hunting Dancer locked up near some small douglas fir and spruce trees. I waded into the almost armpit high trees and worked and kicked around - well lo and behold a ruffed flushed and flew straight away - I fired at the departing grouse destroying the tops of several of the young trees in the process and also managed to connect with the grouse.

After about a ten minute search Dancer finally came up with the grouse. I had only connected with a few pellets - breaking the wing tip and although unable to fly the grouse led Dancer on a merry chase over stumps around bushes and finally under a log with a large yellow jacket nest - Dancer was finally able to bring the bird to bag - and fortunately was able to leave the nest undisturbed and himself and master unstung.

During the process of this hunt we worked seeps, creek bottoms, douglas fir, black cottonwood, aspen and spruce groves. It seems this and the other grouse I have killed or my son has killed all like the very young and I suppose tender shoots of the young fir and spruce trees.

September 16, 1999

I had to get away and although only had a short period of time decided to hunt the S. Fork of Ahtanum, well to make a long story short we hunted for about 1 hour and got skunked.

September 18, 1999

I had offered to take one of my buddies hunting on the N. Fork but he declined so I called my good buddy Jarin.

We arrived at the appointed place at about 10 am in the morning, it was warm and beautiful a little breeze the sound of the rushing water of the creek was refreshing. We started up an old logging road and climbed to the top of a hill overlooking a narrow valley with a nice spring fed rivulet in the middle of it with black cottonwood, fir trees and bracken fern. We hunted down this narrow valley but were unable to get a productive point - however, there had been grouse here as my reliable setter went on point a few times. The valley intersected with a small logging skid row and we moved up the the road we walked a short ways - maybe 50 yds and Jarin and I decided to work up over a small knoll.

As we got to an area that was relatively flat and somewhat open Shadow (my lab) flushed a big blue grouse from a spruce tree - Jarin fired and missed. I fired twice as the grouse curled right to left - whenever I had a window to shoot through the trees and missed. I watched where the bird had went and we tried unsuccessfully for the next 20 or 30 minutes to re-flush the bird - hoping for decent shots. We decided to work up the skid road a bit and were just about to move down off the skid road into another small seep when Dancer (my setter) went on point about 100 yds up the road, we hustled to the area and since near where he was pointing was a small row of fir trees Jarin stayed on the road and I moved up the side of the road to the left of the fir trees - I worked in about 10 yds when a nice big ruff flushed straight away. My little AyA 20 ga came up nicely and I rolled the ruff with one shot, Shadow made the retrieve.

Since it was about 1 pm in the afternoon we decided to walk to the car and have lunch. I had a nice hot meal ready to eat (MRE) and we enjoyed the sounds of the creek and talked about the hunt. We had decided to take the left fork of the road in the afternoon.

After lunch we headed up the road and climbed and climbed. We found a great looking spot with elk sign, rubs, and wallows and it also looked grousey.

First we worked up hill and although Dancer had 1 unproductive point he was working well and we turned downhill into some thick stuff hoping to break into a more open area down the hill.

Boy was that stuff thick - it seemed we were in the thick stuff forever and although the dogs flushed one bird the trees were so thick there was no opportunity for a shot.

We were amazed at the amount of elk sign though and when we finally did break into an open area I watched a few cows run out in front of the dogs

- just then I heard Jarin running and , Saying "Oh God, Holy God Keith they're huge."

I ran up the hill only to find a breathless hunting partner - evidently we had pushed out a 5 pt bull elk and a 2 pt . Since the area was wonderful looking habitat for grouse we decided to work it in a circular manner hoping to get some shots at grouse. As we were hunting we could hear the big bull bugling in fact, we heard him run down the hill and grunt and bugle at us from about 100 yds. We decided that if he wanted that mountain that bad we would vacate. We worked down the skid row back the the left fork of the logging roadand a few hundred yards more Dancer went on point.

Jarin worked up and a young ruffed flushed he fired and winged the bird - Shadow ran it down and made the retrieve - we heard another ruff flush from behind us on the downhill side of the road - since Jarin's grouse was young I felt there were probably more I sent the dogs down across the road and into some black cottonwoods - Shadow pushed another young ruff right at me - he crossed my right shoulder I turned and just before he disappeared through the trees I fired (at 15 yds) and hit the ruff hard.

Dancer retrieved the bird and we continued up the hill. About 300 yds down the road Dancer was getting birdy so I crossed the road and headed uphill behind Dancer.

At the base of a large douglas fir tree Dancer went on point - Jarin was behind me and to my right and I worked up over the slash pile at the base of the tree. I lost my footing and fell cursing on my knees - of course the grouse flushed - another missed opportunity.

We got back up on the road and decided since the birds were hanging near the roads we would too. Another few hundred yards we went, a nice spruce flushed on the opposite side of the road from the dogs - Jarin fired twice and killed a nice spruce grouse - man, was I envious he shucked that 870 of his so fast I couldn't even get one shot off before the grouse was down.

We decided to work the area that I had killed the ruff earlier and were rewarded - Dancer went on point, and shortly as we were moving up fast the grouse flushed - Jarin fired -missed- I fired the bird folded - a microsecond later Jarin fired again. Dancer made the retrieve a nice spruce - since we had been hunting hard all day we were tuckered and called it quits. We had bagged 3 ruffs and 2 spruce grouse - 1 bird shy of our 2 man limit. We had seen some great dog work, and witnessed the beauty of the mountains and majesty of elk. It was a hunt I will long remember.



September 26, 1999

Steve and I met early for the drive over to Ahtanum Creek to hunt grouse. We hunted for hours and we did not move a grouse - we were priveleged to behold the breathtaking beauty of the wild Cascades.

October 2, 1999

Steve and I met in Sunnyside for the opening weekend of partridge hunting. I eagerly anticipated a great hunt with Dancer and Lucky. We hunted the Horseheaven Hills for some time. We were able only to get a wildly flushing covey of chukar - Steve was unable to connect and I connected with a very long shot.

Not wanting the day to end on such a disappointing note. Steve and I decided to hunt the Oak Creek WRA above the breathtaking beauty of the Tieton and Naches River canyons. We began by working a nice draw and were rewarded by the sight of a fat coyote running along the base of the ridge near the Naches River. We continued up the gully and over a flat near the top of the ridge. We noticed the dogs were getting birdy and were gratified to see Steve's dog Lucky establish a nice point with Dancer backing. The birds were evidently moving because the dogs relocated with Dancer taking the lead and Lucky backing - I moved forward quickly and the huns exploded into the air - I rolled one bird with my first shot and missed the second. Steve missed his shots.

We worked down in the direction that the birds had flown and worked back over the top of the ridge. Shortly, we found Dancer locked up in an intense point and as Steve moved forward the single hun flushed much to our surprise and chagrin we missed all 4 times. We returned to the car and went home another nice hunt under our belts.

October 3, 1999

Whispering Wings in Autumn - turn a young man's fancy to the brillant hues of fall and the thundering wings of grouse. Once in a while a great dog comes along - Dancer is my latest. Today we went down south to the Olympic Penisula and the haunts of my youth. Working the folds and forests of Rabbit Creek, brought back many memories of my youth and the wonders of grouse hunting I discovered accompanying my father. Instead of my dad's shorthairs and wirehairs it was a beautiful setter slashing across the seeps swamps, wallows and groves of alder, vine maple, and fir trees in front of me.

As I walked along the dry creek bed, I could almost hear my father's footsteps near and my mind drifted back to that autumn long ago as my father taught me where to look for grouse and how to read the dog's movements to indicate where grouse have been and finally how to approach a dog on point.
All those lessons were remembered as my brilliant little setter went on point, I approached and as I did I noticed the sun light was gently filtered through the tops of the alders, I approached from in front and slightly right of Dancer, I could see the bird twenty feet in front of him frozen near a old cedar stump - at my approach the grouse flushed and crossed right to left in front - my little twenty bore sounded like a magnum rifle as the report of the shot - echoed off the trees and creek bed - the ruffed folded neatly and landed in a large area of devil's clubs - Shadow paid them no mind as he eagerly went and retrieved the bird proudly to hand.

This was repeated 4 more times tonight - Dancer produced 5 grouse for the gun and I got two of them - it wasn't my shooting it was the damned thick cover of the Penisula.

What made this special and makes Dancer (in my opinion) a great and special dog is that this weekend we hunted chukar and huns in the high hills and mountains above the Yakima River valley, where it is pretty important to have a savvy and relatively big going dog.
Dancer produced and we had several productive points over him on huns yesterday and then without missing a beat he shifted gears and hunted to the gun in thick heavy cover and gave me the opportunity to shoot ruffs today.
Two difficult and very different types of terrain yet this game little setter performed brilliantly and enthusiastically all day on both days - I'm very happy to own such a wonderful little dog - he's pretty to look at too.
The brilliant hues of autumn and a beautiful setter make me feel alive, and make me realize how blessed I actually am.


October 9-10, 1999

Opening weekend of ducks and pheasants found me in a duck blind with a couple of good friends. Saturday morning I managed to scratch down 6 ducks for Shadow to retrieve.
The evening hunt found Jarin, Steve and I following Dancer and Lucky up and down the chukar hills of my hometown. We hunted hard but were unable to get any birds they were moving and flushing way ahead of the dogs.
Sunday morning found me in the duck blind again with Oly and Stan, we had a decent hunt I scratched down 5 more ducks and we pulled up early and went home. On the way home, I decided to hunt near Oak Creek with a friend. Scott and I moved up along the base of a plateau and were rewarded with an intense point near some scrub oak. I moved into the brush and a large covey of quail erupted, I fired once missed and connected with my second shot, Scott fired and killed two birds with 3 shots.
We moved up the plateau in the direction the birds had taken. Again near a large bunch of sagebrush, Dancer's effort was rewarded, an intense point a flush and another large covey of quail erupted into the clear blue sky I fired twice and missed, Scott rolled one. We moved up the plateau and shortly we found Dancer on point again. Scott moved in and a covey of about 10 huns flushed. I fired once at one bird that rolled to my left and connected, another bird flushed straight away from me and I rolled it, a double. Scott fired 3 times killing 2 birds. We watched the birds glide into a deep gully and we followed them. Halfway down the gully Dancer went on point again, Scott walked in and a large covey of quail flushed, Scott fired and rolled a nice cock rolling to his left and followed up on a quail rolling to his right but missed. I managed to scratch down a late flushing single.
We continued towards the direction that the huns and now quail had went. At the bottom of the gully, Dancer was on point again. A slight breeze was wafting up the gully and Dancer's long hair was blowing in the breeze. I moved left and Scott right the large combined covey of quail and huns flushed into the air, I fired twice at a hun screaming down the gully and rolled it, I watched Scott make a great shot on a rapidly rising hun. Shadow retrieved two birds and Dancer retrieved mine. Scott, had lined up two with one shot.
We then moved up the hill across another plateau and into another gully with lots of scrub brush in it. We moved up and Shadow flushed a pair of chukar, Scott fired twice and killed one, I fired at another and killed it. Shadow and Dancer retrieved both birds.
We decided to keep moving up the gully and near the top of the gully near a rock outcropping Dancer pointed, we moved quickly up the hill and as we neared Dancer silhouetted against the sky a covey of 30 chukar exploded all around us I fired once at a straightaway bird flying uphill and it crumpled I turned 90 degrees and rolled another with my second barrel, I was so engrossed in my own shooting that I didn't see Scott make a triple with his auto. Dancer and Shadow shared the retrieving duties returning with 5 chukar.
To make a long story short - we ended up with a combined bag of 10 chukar, 8 huns and 6 valley quail. It was a wonderful hunt with my friend Scott scoring a triple and a couple of doubles and I managed a double on huns and chukar. My shooting was up and down, I would miss easy shots and connect with harder ones - go figure.

October 17, 1999

Well, I decided to go to Shelton/Matlock area to hunt grouse. All I managed to get was sore feet, and a hurt back. I hate hunting vine maple!!!!!!! I did see about 5 deer and a herd of 15 elk though.

October 21, 1999

Today, my boss told me I could leave early and since I was in withdrawal from hunting. I decided to load up my great little setter Dancer and hunt the Eatonville area. The day was a beautiful and balmy late October day, the leaves of the trees were brilliant in their fall colors. I was working up an old railroad trestle and I saw a great looking area of aspen, cottonwoods with buttercups. I hied Dancer on into the cover and promptly lost track of him in the thick cover, I found him well hidden in some brush next to the river.

I moved in and a grouse thundered out the other side of the cover, I fired twice in futility riddling the brush with 7.5s. Dancer just gave me a forlorn look flipped his head and was off in search of more grouse, way down the river about 1 hr later Dancer went on point near a large spruce tree. I moved in and the grouse made the mistake of running into my pattern at about 15 yds - Dancer retrieved to hand and I was happy to have had such great work from him.
About 500 yds down river, I found Dancer on point in the midst of vine maple and devil's clubs - I dutifully moved in and the grouse thundered away without me firing a shot - good dog work again. I'm going to have to get Dancer a beeper collar I keep losing him in the thick cover on this side of the state.
I found a small seep feeding into the river and worked up through the heavy cover, I found Dancer on point, I remember thinking "I wish I had a camera!" Dancer was on point in classic grouse cover, the colors of the white trunks of the trees brilliantly contrasting the oranges and yellows of their leaves. Dancer was locked up solid on a bird and the leaves rustled under my feet as I moved in, the grouse thundered up and away towering and trying to put as many trees and branches between it and me - he succeeded and I saluted him with both barrels in vain tribute to his brilliance.
I moved down the seep into some heavy vine maples near a small wonderful looking creek, Dancer rewarded my efforts with another brilliant point. I walked up and the grouse flushed, I snapped off a shot before it disappeared into cover, and shortly was rewarded with Dancer delivering the bird to hand.

Shadow's HomePage
Shadow's Photo Album

Email: ladyaseret@earthlink.net