By Mike Roche

This column is being written at the Dream Catcher Lodge in the Village of Deposit, New York, located on the Delaware River. The dogs joined me in the Silverado for the four-hour drive on Monday, and we arrived to join Chris Standish and his son Christopher for a few days of grouse and woodcock hunting.

My relationship with the two of them began seven years ago when my friend Bruce Bennett asked me to guide two hunters for a couple of days at his camp in New York. Bruce is a strong supporter of the Ruffed Grouse Society and the American Woodcock Society, and he donates hunts to fundraising events across the northeast to raise money for the conservation work. During our introductions, Chris informed me that Christopher would soon be leaving for an extended deployment in Baharan, and he admitted that he was not a hunter, but more of a clay target shooter and this would be his first upland experience.

Arriving at the cover we were going to be hunting, the two took out the shotguns they would be using. One was much more suited for target shooting as it had a special stock which would make the quick mounting required when a grouse or woodcock burst from thick brush a challenge. My French Bittany Dinah was on top of her game, and she was soon locked up on point in the early successional growth commonly called popple or white poplar, which is a favored habitat for woodcock. It is, however, very thick, with dozens of stems per square yard and moving through areas where it is growing is hard enough without having to mount your shotgun and try to hit an elusive woodcock or grouse. The first woodcock escaped without a shot being fired as did the next couple of “timberdoodles.”

That led to a quick trip back to the truck. At my suggestion, my 20-gauge Ruger Red Label was substituted for the target shotgun and there was discussion of how to best approach a point in thick cover. My two shooting tips were presented. First, always walk in leading with your “off” foot. A right-handed shooter never lets right foot get ahead of his left, and a southpaw like Chris reverses the process. The second tip is to not look down, but rather keep your point of focus 10 feet or so above the ground. By doing so, your eyes do not have to refocus and that can make a big difference in the seconds that you have to acquire the target and make an accurate shot.

Immediately after resuming our hunt, things changed dramatically, and woodcock began to fall. It was obvious that the father/son team were enjoying the experience and wanted to know everything about upland bird hunting. By early afternoon, they both had a limit of three woodcock and the four of us – Chris, Christopher, Dinah and myself – were all smiles. The second day of hunting was even better as we were able to move some grouse with Chris making a great shot to bag his first ruffed grouse and thereby becoming a “grouse hunter.” He had come a long way from a guy attending a Ruffed Grouse Society Event which he thought might be a game supper.

As sometimes happens, Chris Standish and I really hit it off and became immediate friends. Originally from southeast Massachusetts, he returned to his home in Pennsylvania and immediately set out to acquire a bird dog. He looked up a grouse hunting guide and booked a hunt at Dream Catchers and has returned every year, inviting me to join him for this year’s hunt. He also embraced the bird hunting life, acquiring a well-bred English Setter “Fred Dog” and an Airstream trailer for he and Fred to travel and seek opportunities to hunt grouse and woodcock. He also has become a leading supporter of the work of RGS/AWS and the great conservation work they are involved in that benefits so many more wildlife species than just ruffed grouse and woodcock and following the simple principle of “Healthy Forests, Abundant Wildlife.”

Our first day afield began with meeting our guides – Rick Watson and Rick Afusco – and heading out to covers located on conservation land and owned by the State of New York. Christopher and I went with Rick Afusco and just as some snow flurries began, Tessie came to a stop to my left. As I was calling a “heads up” to Christopher, a brown-phase grouse took flight. At my shot, it wobbled and went down in the thick cover. Sending Tessie to retrieve by giving the “dead bird” command, it took a couple minutes for her to get to the spot, but she immediately got “birdy” but did not come up with the bird. After a thorough search, it appears the bird faked me out and ran off before taking flight again. A short time later, Christopher downed a woodcock that Tessie retrieved, and we were on the board!

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Tessie and Laney both had producing points, but no other birds came back to the cabin with us. Wednesday was similar with a number of points. Pappy, Chris’ second English setter, pointed a woodcock that fell to a load of 28-gauge #8’s and Chris made a spectacular shot on a fast-flying overhead grouse. So, as this column is being sent to the editor, we have one more day to hunt, but it is clear that Dream Catcher Lodge is a great place to enjoy hunting and fishing in the beautiful Catskills.

Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, counselor and director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.