A morning of classic grouse hawking

[Hatchero]

so here's the set up for this morning, yesterday Ed and i were going to go to one of our favorite hawking spots together--i would meet him there. that was the plan and the first casualty of a hawking excursion is usually the plan. my gyrkin was a little higher in condition than i would like so i flew the tiercel peales instead at a local spot. the gyrkin spent the night in the hood in the back of my truck in anticipation of flying at the crack of dawn. i got to the grouse flat at first light and got the telemetry hooked up on the bird and let the dog out about a mile from where the grouse should be, i do this so he can get run off a little excitement before we get into birds. it was clear and cold (9F) with a 10 to 15 mile per hour wind, not a problem for the gyr but the grouse are jumpy in the wind. found the setter on point right where they should be but the grouse busted wild (about 20 birds) and flew to another area. i knew where they would go but decided to keep going. The two track was good and frozen which is way better than the bottomless mud it was last weekend. i drove on and watched the dog cover a lot of ground, snow cover was only about three inches but splashed like sugar as the setter ran. after another mile or so we had another point. again, like last time, about 30 sage grouse busted wild but only flew a few hundred yards--now that's a slip. the gyrkin did not linger long on the fist , he took off on a long climbing outrun until i could hardly see him--one of those "is he ever going to turn" kind of deals. i started to work into the grouse to close the final distance. as i walked i noticed i had lost my dog, i turned around to see him behind me on point--looking right at me! not good, i must be in birds and my bird is high and way wide. i froze but that was the cue to skidoo for a large flock of partridge that I happend to blunder into the middle of--****!! away they went, a few hundred yards than over a hill. i spotted the gyrkin streaking accross the sky with that speed they reserve for tender morsels like partidge. the gyrkin angled over and stooped over the hill. i figured the huns had him beat by a mile so i waited for him to come back. and i waited. finaly i went looking for him. i came to the crest of the hill the greys went over and found a wide sparsely vegetated valley with a coyote running in on what was probably my bird. i fumbled with my holster with my gloved hands trying to actuate the release and get the .45 into action. the coyote saw me and headed back the way he came like the devil was in pursuit(i would try to catch up to him later with my rifle back at the truck). i finaly spotted my gyrkin out quite a ways on the ground--white gyrkin on snow can be hard to see. when i got to him he had the partridge but he was all slicked down and bug eyed--that coyote had gotton his attention. i guess i will have to leave those grouse for saturday. so much for a day of classic grouse hawking--at least it was scenic:roll:
Jim

[FalconMistress]

Well that was an eventfull read!
A partridge is still good quarry so well done:supz:
Better luck for the grouse next time:yawinkle:

[Mark Collins]

Great post Jim, good luck on saturday,cheers,mark.

[Hacker]

Jim, as sophie said an eventful day with a partridge to boot.
Also a wily old Coyote to deal with at a later date, more sport:yawinkle:

[Tim Laycock]

Always a good read Jim 8-)

[CanadaManada]

Nice story, Jim.
That coyote will need seeing to.

[IAmTheWeasel]

Nice story, Jim.
That coyote will need seeing to.
Amen!

[Hatchero]

Nice story, Jim.
That coyote will need seeing to.

i tried real hard to find that coyote yesterday and only managed to get my truck stuck in the snow and blow my predator call until the thing iced up. actually it got even better, my gyrkin was a little on the "high" side (actually a bit more than a little), i had a perfect point the weather was perfect the snow was perfect. after the fourth rouse and the fifth or sixth head scratch while my gyrkin lounged on the fist, the grouse decided to put a hill between us--of course the gyrkin was delighted by this. so i flew the grouse off the fist. flying sage grouse off the fist with a gyr is like trying to shoot a missle with an arrow--no chance. so no grouse no huns no coyotes, i guess it was better than staying home and having my wife dream up things for me to do.
Jim

[MitchellBrad]

i came to the crest of the hill the greys went over and found a wide sparsely vegetated valley with a coyote running in on what was probably my bird. i fumbled with my holster with my gloved hands trying to actuate the release and get the .45 into action. the coyote saw me and headed back the way he came like the devil was in pursuit(i would try to catch up to him later with my rifle back at the truck). i finaly spotted my gyrkin out quite a ways on the ground--white gyrkin on snow can be hard to see. when i got to him he had the partridge but he was all slicked down and bug eyed--that coyote had gotton his attention. i guess i will have to leave those grouse for saturday. so much for a day of classic grouse hawking--at least it was scenic:roll:
Jim

Great story Jim. Coyotes scare the **** out of me! gyrs scare teh **** out of huns;)

Years ago we were hawking chickens near Arnold Nebraska. Chris assured me he'd never seen his gyrkin take off there right when it went out of sight. 3 miles out on the prairie I'm complaining, "famous last words 'Never takes off' " Then we saw 3 coyotes! His setter took off after the coyotes so I figured the coyotes would eat the setter, the gyrkin was lost and I get to walk another 3 miles. Just then the gyrkin came in and the setter returned from exorcising the coyotes.

Again great story.

Brad

[Zingy]

Great stuff!!!

[Hatchero]

well i guess that day was just a bad luck day all around. part of the story i left out was that i was supposed to meet my business partner, Ed, and hawkin buddy out on the flat but i got antsy to do some coyote hunting so i left early. i knew where Ed would go hawkin and when time got critical i went somewhere else so i was sure to get a slip(that's what i get for thinkin). so after i get home i talk to ed and give him my tale of woe. Ed responds with his tale of woe that has him going on a big hike and loosing his setter and having to turn off his transmitters (magnet switch) so he can hear the transmitter on the dog rather than the ones on his fist. a long hike later he finds the dog on point and flies his tiercel GP hybrid. the bird takes a huge pitch(as usual) and the flush produces, what else, greys. big stoop over the hill. the partridge are sure to go to some deep cover on the other side of the hill. ed pulls out the telemetry and realizes that he forgot to turn the transmitters back on!!! ooops!. a bit of "field craft" and a lot of walking about he finds the bird cropped out on the hun and acting like he might bolt. so ed crawls up to the bird with his transmitter turn on device so no matter what happens he will at least have a signal. the bird actually steps up on the fist after that and he gets him back--what luck. so next is the gyrkin, ed had left the Honey Hole for the gyrkin and last light. a long hike and he finaly gets to the spot at which point he steps into a badger hole (more like a post hole man trap) and wedges his foot down about knee deep in the hole. i know how this works because i have done it more than a time or two. beside the excruciating calf cramps that come from having your foot jammed pointing up he had to dig through the frozen ground with his knife for quite some time to free himself. he was able to get free in time to hike back to the truck before it got completely dark. if i was more of an organized person and a little more superstitious (like ed is:)) i would mark that date in the calender and stay home on that day next year.
Jim

[MitchellBrad]

he steps into a badger hole (more like a post hole man trap) and wedges his foot down about knee deep in the hole. i know how this works because i have done it more than a time or two. beside the excruciating calf cramps that come from having your foot jammed pointing up he had to dig through the frozen ground with his knife for quite some time to free himself. he was able to get free in time to hike back to the truck before it got completely dark. if i was more of an organized person and a little more superstitious (like ed is:)) i would mark that date in the calender and stay home on that day next year.
Jim

I think Ed is going to get razzed next time I talk to him:-P Does Ed often volunteer himself for coyote bait??

[harrishawker1]

I truely enjoyed your post. :supz: