Wild Northerner Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 44

HEADLINE: Working for grouse

BY JAMES HODGINS

For Wild Northerner

It is September and the first signs of fall have started to show. The leaves are starting to turn, the humidity is gone from our season-long heatwave and something inside me is giddy with anticipation. It is grouse season. I can't wait to step back into the bush smelling the morning crisp fall air, the crunch of dried vegetation below my feet and the sounds of the wilderness waking up to start their day. Last year, if you remember, we had some very humid days during the beginning of hunting season in the Sudbury area and it took awhile for the leaves to fall to the ground, opening up some clear lines of site through the bush. It was also hot. This heat made the grouse a little scarce on the roads and trails and when that happens I like to dig deep and push the bush to flush out those elusive bush chickens.

Working for grouse

It is September and the first signs of fall have started to show. The leaves are starting to turn, the humidity is gone from our season-long heatwave and something inside me is giddy with anticipation. It is grouse season. I can't wait to step back into the bush smelling the morning crisp fall air, the crunch of dried vegetation below my feet and the sounds of the wilderness waking up to start their day. Last year, if you remember, we had some very humid days during the beginning of hunting season in the Sudbury area and it took awhile for the leaves to fall to the ground, opening up some clear lines of site through the bush. It was also hot. This heat made the grouse a little scarce on the roads and trails and when that happens I like to dig deep and push the bush to flush out those elusive bush chickens.

BY JAMES HODGINS

For Wild Northerner