I got out for a few hours mid morning today for my first attempt at Grouse. I saw a couple birds flush of the main road I was driving, but did not see any on the spur I hiked for about four miles. Since I forgot the dogs e-collar and my whistle at home, I kept the pup on a check cord to make sure he did not bolt after any game and disappear into the forest. He was just working the edges of the road and did not get "birdy" except for some tweety birds that were around.
Here is a shot of the road I was hunting (wet side obviously). It was lower elevation and fairly overgrown. My questions are is this the right type of cover and do I need to be working the dog well into the trees or just along the edges?
I plan to get out tomorrow at first light. Not sure if I will stay on the west side, or heading over Steven's pass and trying north of lake Wenatchee. Any additional pointers in terms of general areas to try would be greatly appreciated. I did do a bunch of scouting around Darrington last week, but did not see any grouse there, just a bunch of fresh Bear sign.
Thanks!
SD
