Thread: Wood grouse hunting with rifle and dog

Originally Posted by Moutere

It looks a bit like a ptarmigan.

The female is very much the same, but size is several times bigger.

Originally Posted by Barefoot

What is the breed of the dog?

Finnish spitz

Originally Posted by Ground Control

I'm a bit confused , does the dog " tree " the bird and then you shoot it ?
What do you use to shoot it , rimfire or Centerfire .
Beautiful scenery , but it looks bloody cold judging by the amount of clothing you guys are wearing .

Ken

Cold hasn't started yet, but yes compared to NZ it is cold here (67 North, way above the artic circle).

Nothing to feel confused about, I think this form of hunting is rather rare outside Scandinavia. Usually the birds feed on ground until the snow cover is too deep. The dog will run around and scent the birds which will be spooked. Usually the birds will take flight to nearest suitable tree and perhaps move two-three times and then hunker down and hide. The dog will hear the birds, give a few test barks and this often lures out a sound or movement from the bird. When the dog sees or hears the bird he will start barking in earnest at the tree the bird is in.

When we hear that solid barking we camo up and start the approach. The final is usually very low crawl, moving if possible in a straight line towards the tree (no sideways movement, easy to spot) and glassing every 0,5 to 1 meter until contact or a spooked bird.
It is a VERY rewarding hunt as the odds are definitively against you - moving against a hidden target in a superior position compared to yourself.
On this hunt we had contact with birds many times, made 5-6 (?) approaches, I missed three times (loose picatinny rail) and the dog owner shot the last one.