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Despite being exotic to North America, the  ring-necked pheasant  has supplanted our native gamebirds as the most popular species to hunt among the  upland hunting  populace. Pheasants are abundant,  meaty , found over a large range, and just so darn charismatic. Even the most ardent  quail  or  grouse  lover must admit few birds can match the beauty and sheer excitement at the flush of a wild roo...

Depending on how you choose to look at it, my very first day in the  Maine grouse woods  with Lincoln was either an embarrassment of riches, or just an embarrassment. I had only bagged one ruffed grouse before that trip, the precious end result of miles and miles of hiking in the rough  West Virginia  mountains a few hours from our home. While I took great pride in the challenge, I decided that we...

Most people associate  American woodcock  with the Northwoods. However, they are common throughout the entire eastern half of the United States over the course of their fall and spring migrations.  During the  woodcock migration , these plump, bug-eyed brown birds utilize very similar habitat types across each state, albeit habitat that is comprised of very different species of trees and shrubs ac...

Brittanies are the fulfillment of a French dream to build a better bird dog. I am sure that if those old  braconniers  from  La Bretagne  could see the breed today, they would be thrilled to know that Brittanies have conquered the world. I’ve seen Brittanies in European trials. I’ve shot roosters and  ruffed grouse  over Sporty, Bandit, and Buster, three tremendous Brittanies owned by a good frien...

Field goldens typify these traits and more. For instance, field goldens have all the affection of a show golden, but with the sky-watching, duck-loving, cold-water-plunging nature of a lab. Field goldens don’t lumber. They glide like a  German Shorthair . Their thick necks and brawny shoulders taper down into sleek frames like that of a cheetah. Unlike a show golden’s flat white coat, field golden...

Have you ever returned to a quail hunting spot later in the season and failed to find the birds that provided such a great hunt just weeks before? Whether it’s a public wildlife area, a  Walk-In Hunting Area  (WIHA) in  Kansas , or any other type of publicly accessible property in whatever state, there are definitely strategies that hunters should consider, especially when pursuing  bobwhite quail...

Perhaps no upland game bird embodies the ruggedness of western hunting better than the  chukar . They inhabit the wild, mountainous terrain that defines the vast wilderness of the Great Basin, the high desert, and the inland northwest—places where water is scarce and survival depends on adaptation to the harsh environment. Because of the physical challenges associated with reaching chukar habitat,...

Thousands of hunters venture afield across the Midwest on the opening weekend of pheasant season. Opening weekend is a tradition, and regardless of the state agency’s pheasant population reports, hunters head out in pursuit of wily roosters. Although, in the case of opening weekend, plenty of roosters have yet to reach the status of “wily.”  The fact that early season roosters have yet to be educa...

We sat on the tailgate of my pickup overlooking a cover we had just hunted on a late October day as the sunset. The whistling sound of woodcock wings began while the sky still held mute signs of the sun hidden behind the mountains. We counted the birds with excitement. One after another, a tangle of “there is another” and “here comes two” was complemented by big smiles. It did not take long to deb...

One of the most important things I have found while navigating the wilderness with a toddler in tow is involving them in the activity. No, this doesn’t mean having your toddler go and retrieve birds for you. Instead, it means something as simple as listening to different songbirds while hunting and asking, “Did you hear that?” or identifying different trees,  mushrooms , or animals.  I often find...

What makes an ideal grouse gun, or what Gene Hill would call “a gun of specialist function?” Does action type matter? What about gauge? How does the environment play into it? How has the modernization of gun-making changed grouse guns? How different is a grouse gun from a clays gun? How different is a gun built for  ruffed grouse hunting  versus shotguns used for other wild game? While I don’t hav...

Birds primarily rely on sight and sound to evade predators. We know that  ruffed grouse are far more jumpy in high winds  because their hearing is impaired. Living in dense cover has heightened their dependence on sound. In my opinion, their sense of hearing is often greater than sight. When we factor in  transgenerational stress inheritance , we gain insight into sound’s profound impact on ruffed...

If I could smell a bird, walk effortlessly through thick brush, and cover ten times as much ground as the average human,  Woodcock hunting  would be a breeze. If I had a dog which could do all these things, Woodcock hunting would be even more of a breeze. Unfortunately I can’t smell birds, I’m a slow walker, and I don’t have a dog. The problem is that I’ve grown increasingly fond of hunting  Ameri...

One of the most constantly changing topics in the field of veterinary medicine is flea and  tick prevention  for dogs. Hunting dogs are some of the most exposed and susceptible victims to ectoparasites such as ticks, fleas, mites and other insects. Every year, it is important to purchase preventative products for your dog and to ask your veterinarian what new products are available.  In this artic...

Generally speaking, grassland grouse are not the most adaptable critters. Both prairie chicken species need large expanses of grassland, while  sage grouse must have large expanses of sagebrush  to thrive. The one exception to this rule is the  sharp-tailed grouse .  While generally considered a grassland species, sharpies range from the  shrub-scrub grasslands in Wisconsin  through the vast prair...

During my childhood in southern  New Hampshire , kids competed to shoot a limit of “pa’tridge,” my brother and myself included. I admit, I lost just about every time to my older brother. However, we thought shooting the limit was a good idea. After all, it was the 80s. These birds gave an air of boundless existence. Hunting the droves of  ruffed grouse  in the Berkshires of  Massachusetts  when ou...

Sage-grouse need large, connected, and  mostly treeless  swaths of sagebrush to survive. Without this, sage-grouse cease to exist. It’s that simple. Sage-grouse are what scientists and biologists call a sagebrush obligate species. You can’t have sage-grouse without sage. Sage-grouse occupy western sagebrush ( Artemisia  sp.) prairies of  California ,  Nevada ,  Oregon ,  Washington ,  Idaho ,  Uta...

Each September, an inexplicable reverence stirs within me as I patiently await the chance to roam Wyoming’s boundless public lands in pursuit of the bird that holds my heart—the iconic  sage grouse . There’s something almost spiritual about stepping into the vast sea of sagebrush and feeling the landscape’s timeless pull.  For many hunters, pursuing these majestic birds is a rare, once-in-a-lifeti...

Recently, the states of  Nebraska  and  South Dakota  have been getting most of the attention from hunters seeking to pursue  greater prairie-chickens . This makes a lot of sense, given the good population of birds in these states and the abundance of publicly accessible land available to hunt. However,  Kansas  has long been a leader in greater prairie-chicken harvest and continues to provide exc...

It was late September, the  Minnesotan  air was cool, and  Ruffed Grouse  were on my mind. We had just thrown our hunting gear in the back of the pickup, ready to head out for a day of chasing dogs through grouse cover, when my cell phone began to vibrate. Normally, I would let it go to voicemail. However, having only just walked out of the camp, my fiancée calling would have meaning. “A grouse ju...

Spruce grouse are not often–if ever–regarded as the  King of the Uplands . They suffer a perception forced upon them by those of us accustomed to pursuing  ruffed grouse ,  ring-necked pheasants ,  sharp-tailed grouse ,  chukar , or any of the various  quail species  that inhabit our countrysides. They are renowned for their dim-wittedness, weak flush, and poor culinary experience. They’ve even ea...

Clapper rails don’t sing. They cackle. It’s a guttural call emanating from somewhere deep within each tiny bird that reverberates with enough force to trigger a cascade. Once one rail calls, every rail within earshot erupts into its own chorus. The cacophony sends a ripple through the salt marsh and shatters its peaceful silence like glass.  Today, however, there is no peace, and there is no silen...

To bird dog aficionados, names like Elhew Snakefoot, Count Noble, Shadowoaks Bo, and Manitoba Rap are well known. But to the average person, the names of dogs in our hall of fame mean absolutely nothing at all. But there are a few dogs from  hunting breeds  that have achieved fame beyond the bird dog world. Let’s have a look at some of the most celebrated among them.  Read more at projectupland.co...

September 1 is one of the most popular hunting dates in the United States. In many states, it’s the opening day of dove season, which is the start of upland hunting for many wing shooting enthusiasts.  The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) sets a range of dates, season lengths, and bag limits that states can choose from to harvest doves. Depending on each state’s latitude, there are...

Is it a fuzzy face infatuation that pulls at your heartstrings? Or is it that your dog is a bird-finding machine? For most, it’s probably a combination of the two. When deciding to breed or not to breed, be honest with your motivations. That adorable face comes with heavy liabilities and responsibilities. Unfortunately, the fact that you’re in love with your dog doesn’t necessarily mean it has the...