2014 Turkey – A Memorable Hunt

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2014 Turkey - A Memorable Hunt

Last year, I went turkey hunting for the first time and I had a great experience, so I couldn’t wait for this season to get underway and to get out and chase some gobblers.  If you haven’t read the post on last year’s turkey hunt, you can read about it here.

In anticipation of this hunting season, I reached out to landowners that surrounded the 40 acres that I have access to.  I was able to secure access to a parcel of land that was adjacent to the 40 and I was optimistic that this land would provide me with a better opportunity to connect on a mature tom.  The seasons in Minnesota are only five days long so you have to make the necessary preparations and be sure you can utilize each day to the fullest.   I wasn’t able to hunt two of the days as they landed on the Minnesota Walleye Opener, so I hunted the first day of the season and the third. [Read more...]

Survey Says: Good News Minnesota Grouse Hunters!

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photo 1With the release of the 2014 Ruffed grouse drumming survey by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, grouse hunters are buzzing with a bit of extra excitement today! While the drumming survey is only an indicator and in no way guarantees bird numbers this fall, it is a historical study and it has closely tracked Minnesota’s cyclical grouse population for decades. Regardless, the results of this year’s study are significant and certainly indicate the possibility that were are now on the upswing with respect to overall bird numbers. [Read more...]

Do You Name Your Favorite Grouse Coverts?

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhat’s in a name anyway? When it comes to some of our favorite grouse coverts, a name can represent a lot of things! It might be a clever nickname or it could be a cherished memory or a snapshot in time in the life of the covert or of the hunter that givith thy name. As a result of our recent venture into the spring drummer’s woods, detailed here, we’re considering naming that covert, “The Kingdom.” Regardless of what the name of a covert represents, our crew has always favored the use of nicknames when passing along hunting reports and the art of naming the coverts has become somewhat of a tradition in itself. [Read more...]

2014 Minnesota Walleye Opener

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2014 Minnesota Walleye Opener

With the exception of a few years, we always have a group that heads to Leech Lake for the Minnesota walleye opener.  Our family has a long history with the lake.  Since I have been going up, we have had groups as large as eight in one cabin and this year we were down to three: my grandpa, my dad, and me.  My grandpa has been going up to Leech Lake for opening fishing since the 1960s.  I love hearing his stories of driving up in a school bus that his relatives had converted into a RV.  They didn’t have paved roads in some areas and every once in a while, they had to get out of the bus, run alongside, and push to get through the mud.  Those were the good old days! [Read more...]

Search For The Grouse King, continued…

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Search For The Grouse King, continued…

It’s official, spring has FINALLY arrived in Northern Minnesota and the grouse have taken notice! This past weekend I took a trip up to the North country on a mission to locate and capture, via trail cam, the Spring King on display in the grouse woods. Unlike our snow-covered excursion in March, we are happy to report that this mission was a complete success and much more! [Read more...]

Preserving Your Upland Bird Trophies!

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Preserving Your Upland Bird Trophies!

After a successful day in the woods like the one described here, you might find yourself searching for additional ways to commemorate the hunt, other than a fine meal. For this week’s, post we are happy to feature our first guest at Northwood’R.com. Aaron Regier has kindly shared his intuitive and cost-effective method of preserving some of the beautiful upland bird trophies we are so fortunate to harvest. Some of Aaron’s pictures caught our eye and we had to find out just how he was creating these Northwoods works of art! While I will say that we are excited to test out the process at Northwoods’R this fall, Aaron is certainly the expert when it comes to the method so with that being said, we’re going to let him tell you all about it! [Read more...]

Trust Your Bird Dog!

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Trust Your Bird Dog!

If you’ve been following Northwoods’R at all through our brief history, you’ll know that my experience pursuing the Ruff with the help of a bird dog is limited. In case you haven’t been following us, you could learn more about my history as a grouse hunter and/or future endeavors with a bird dog by following the aforementioned links. Regardless, the story I want to share with you today is about a lesson I learned this past season in one of my, now accumulating, hunts with a fine cover dog. [Read more...]

Turkey Hunt

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Turkey Hunt

Last year I embarked on a new venture.  A friend of mine from work, Levi, is in love with turkey hunting and convinced me to go out. While he didn’t actually have to convince me, he gave me the nudge I needed to head out and chase gobblers. [Read more...]

Setting My Sights On A Setter

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ChloeIf you read My Confession To The King post, you’ll know that I have spent most of my days in the grouse woods without the companionship of a four-legged friend. Although I have enjoyed every day, right down to the last-minute, in pursuit of the Ruffs, I could not be more excited about bringing home my first bird dog this summer. I’m sure most dog owners can relate to the fact that right now I am filled with anticipation of the adventures and hunts that this little pup and I will share in the coming years. I understand fully that it will also be a journey into the unknown, as I attempt to train and raise the pup into the bird finder that I hope SHE can be! [Read more...]