Looking at the forecast and paying attention to the weather can give you a significant advantage. This is why finding days of optimal temperatures can often produce incredible results. When the temperature during the day is barely above freezing for a couple of weeks and it warms up to 47-55 degrees for a few days, that is the window of opportunity.
Basically, look for weather anomalies. Warmer weather is going to get those grouse out and about. Thus making them easier for the dogs to find and for you to shoot. I had exactly this happen in November of 2021, creating some of the most memorable grouse hunting I have ever had. In two and a half days between my dad and myself, we were able to put 16 grouse on the tailgate. We moved birds on every walk and had excellent shooting opportunities. The best way to make sure this time of year is the most productive for a bird hunter is to really hunt hard and often when the weather allows. The window of opportunity is small so being properly equiped allows for a more enjoyable and effective hunting season. Early in the morning getting the dogs ready and heading out the woods the temperatures are usually in the low 30s and often drop below freezing. Making the first walk of the morning just as enjoyable as the last is what PYKE Gear has allowed me to do. My favorite pant throughout the whole season is the Tongass pant. Shedding water, drying fast, and allowing maximum range of motion I use the Tongass pant from September through February on all my hunting trips. One thing that I do in particular while grouse hunting when the leaves are down is pairing a Kiowa shirt with a Tongass pullover. This allows me to be warm on the first couple of walks of the day and then I shed the layer once it warms up. Often I'll end up leaving the pullover on all day because of wind and low temps. For guys who are getting after it and busting brush, I would definitely recommend a pair of versatile pants such as the Tongass pant as well as the Kiowa and Tongass pullovers. ]]>Leading up to Cinco de Mayo, I had been planning to do barbacoa tacos and made the decision to try using some sharp-tailed grouse that I had in the freezer. Barbacoa is one of my favorite ways to prepare whole muscle red meat. These birds were from our Pyke trip to North Dakota hunting with Tyler Webster, last season.
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Within the past 5 months, we have jumped on the instant pot pressure cooker(in our case the Ninja Foodi) fad and have used it to cook just about everything. Barbacoa beef seemed like an obvious choice for the pot, but given the rich red meat of the sharp-tails, I figured they could also be good prepared in this method. I was not wrong. It turned out fantastic, so I figured I would share my method and recipe so you too could try your hand at home made barbacoa. I will admit, I am not an exact measurements kind of chef, so a lot of the prep work can be adjusted to your liking, but this will serve as a general outline for the recipe.
Here is what you will need:
The Process
-Combine all of the above ingredients except the meat in to a sauce pan on the stove, and simmer on low-med heat covered for about 1/2 hour or until all the vegetables are soft. Remove from heat and let cool for a while. Once cool enough, pour contents into a food processor or blender and blend to fairly smooth. Don't liquify.
-This step is optional, but I like to do it with any whole muscle meat that I cook in the pressure cooker. Heat up a pan on the stove on high heat and add a couple rounds of oil. Season the pieces of meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cumin. Both sides, don't be stingy. Sear the meat on all sides to form a nice brown crust, but don't let the meat cook much beyond the surface layer. Keep the heat high and this shouldn't be a problem.
-Coat the bottom of your pressure cooker with a little of the sauce mixture, then place the seared meat in a single layer in the cooker. Once the meat is in place, pour the rest of the sauce over top of the meat and make sure all the meat is coated and surrounded. As you would with brazing, leave a little of the meat exposed above the surface of the sauce. The Ninja we use is a 6.5qt pot, so I added just a splash more beef stock to make sure there was enough liquid for the pressure cooking. You may need to adjust for the size of your pot. Wild game tends to be pretty lean, so you can add a pad of butter or 2 to introduce a fat to the mix.
-Set your pressure cooker to high and cook time to at least 30 minutes. Place the lid and begin the cooking process. Once the pressure time is done, allow the cooker to do a natural release. 13-18 minutes. You want it to retain as much liquid as possible.
-Once the pressure cooker has released, remove the meat to a large bowl and pull it apart with a couple fo forks. Scoop out some of the remaining sauce and pour it over the shredded meat but don't drown it. Stir to combine.
How you eat your barbacoa is really up to you. The meat is extremely tender and full of flavor. I prefer tacos or nachos, but you can eat it straight out of the bowl if you choose. For my meal yesterday, I also cooked some beef for the non-game eaters in my family. Honestly, I thought the sharp-tail grouse had better flavor than the beef. I had mine in corn tortillas with chopped red onion, cilantro, and a slice of avocado. A little spritz of lime and its the perfect taco. We also did a seasoned black bean and rice side dish.
This barbacoa recipe can be used with pretty much any whole muscle red meat. I am sure it would be great with goose or other water fowl. Again, you can adjust the ingredients to your liking and spice level.
Be sure to comment below and let us know how you enjoyed your barbacoa.
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Below are four tips that will help you stay warm, dry and comfortable while hunting in cold weather.
DON’T OVERLOOK YOUR SOCKS
WEAR SYNTHETIC PANTS WHEN HUNTING UPLAND BIRD
WEAR SEVERAL LAYERS
DON’T FORGET THE BEANIE
Success in the field when upland hunting begins with being comfortable from head to toe. If you are comfortable you will hunt harder, longer, and likely have more birds to show for it.
]]>by Tracy Breen
It is the dream of every adult hunter that their kids will turn into hunters. The problem is many of today’s kids are not hunting at all, even when they are raised in hunting families. Video games, sports and a variety of other activities are contributing to the low hunter recruitment. What can we do as adults to reverse this trend? We can introduce kids and young adults to small game hunting and upland bird hunting at a young age and make hunting fun for them. Below are a few reasons why small game and upland hunting is the perfect hunting sport for kids. Kids don’t like to sit still which is one reason many kids hate big game hunting: they don’t like sitting still and waiting patiently for hours at a time. Let’s face it: sitting still for hours on end is like sitting quietly at the doctor’s office. No one likes to do it.
MAKE IT EXCITING
Kids like video games because they are fast-paced. When I introduced my oldest son to hunting, I was well aware that hunting was competing with video games. If I wanted hunting to win the competition, I had to make it exciting. Small game hunting can be lots of fun. When introducing a kid to small game hunting or upland bird hunting, make sure you take them to your best spot. Heck, start them out at a pheasant preserve if you have to. If you want your kids to get into hunting, they must be successful or hunting will likely be considered boring and they will walk away from it.
BRING A DOG
The first time you take a kid upland hunting, make sure a decent hunting dog is along for the hunt. If you don’t own one, go hunting with someone who does. Why do most of us who upland hunt enjoy it so much? Because we get to take Fido with us. Most kids love dogs and they will love watching Fido do his thing. If you own the dog you will be hunting over, the experience will be even better.
HAVE A PARTY
Bring lots of food with you and have a tailgate party. Food makes everything more fun! Grilling hotdogs and eating snacks is something every kid enjoys. The first few times a kid goes hunting, it has to truly be a memorable experience. A tailgate party in the woods is hard to beat.
TAKE A ROAD TRIP
If you have the time and the money, take your kid on an out-of-town hunting trip. My oldest son’s first few hunting trips were out of state. These types of trips are fun to plan and fun for kids because they are going to a place they have never been. One of the reasons travel sports like baseball and hockey are so popular is because kids and adults enjoy traveling. Families often build their schedule around sporting events. If a kid is going to get into hunting, it too must be a priority. Make going on an out-of-town hunting trip a priority with your kids when they are young.
LEAVE THE BIG GUN AT HOME
One reason many kids walk away from hunting is because of a bad hunting experience. Often these bad experiences are the result of using a gun that doesn’t fit them or using a 12 gauge or 20 gauge gun long before they are ready for it. If your old single shot kicks like a mule, don’t let Johnny use it his first season in the woods. Get him a gun that fits him and doesn’t kick much. According to Adam Ziegler from Backridge Ammunition, one gun that is often overlooked by adults that makes a great first shotgun for a kid is a 28 gauge. “A 28-gauge is a great starter gun. Most 28-gauge guns offer screw-in chokes, a variety of different load options and are in many cases offer better down range accuracy than a 20 gauge and a .410,” Ziegler noted. “The larger shell size means more pellets and more kills than a .410. Best of all, a 28-gauge doesn’t kick much harder than a .410.” Making sure your kid has a positive experience with guns is necessary. Introduce them to guns months or even years before they go hunting for the first time.
STAY POSITIVE
Another bad experience many kids have while hunting is being reprimanded for being loud, walking too fast or too slow. Above all else, make sure when introducing a kid to hunting they are allowed to laugh, be loud and run around. This is the beautiful thing about small game and upland hunting; if they spook a bird or two, no big deal. There will be other opportunities. It isn’t like deer hunting where one or two opportunities is all they will get over the course of a season.
MAKE TIME FOR KIDS
I have hunted turkeys and other big game in over thirty states. I love hunting with my bow. However, when it is time to introduce someone to hunting, especially kids, I prefer teaching them how to hunt upland game first. It is fast-paced, making mistakes isn’t the end of the world, and it doesn’t have to cost a small fortune. The key to success it making sure you set time aside to introduce your kids to hunting and making sure their success in the field is important. When I hunt with my kids, I often leave my own gun at home so they get in on all the action. My oldest son is hooked on all things hunting. One of the main reasons is because I started him on upland game and squirrels. For him, shooting small game was like video games. It was and is always exciting for him. When we go hunting, it is all about him. He is the priority. Do you want to raise kids that love the outdoors and hunting? Introduce them to upland hunting when they are young and they will walk away from the video games every time you ask them to hunt.
]]>With an ever-increasing number of outdoor sportsmen utilizing social media, even the people you have never met face to face have become more familiar than many people you see every day. We now live in a world where “tweet-ups” and “insta-meets” are commonplace, especially among business professionals, aspiring photographers, and budding entrepreneurs. There is no reason why those of us that engage in social outdoor activities such as grouse hunting can’t also take part in putting faces to account names.
Since I joined the Instagram world five years ago as @sportdogphoto, I have been following quite a few grouse and woodcock aficionados who also love to share their passion through captured moments posted to a timeline. One of those happened to be a guy who exemplifies what if means to be an upland sportsman, despite his online moniker, @upland_lowlife(Jay). He had orchestrated this particular meet-up, as a couple of other guys from out of state had planned to also be in town this particular weekend. I too, had been trying to find a time to hit the woods with Jay for a while, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
I met up with Jay as his Northern Michigan cabin on a Saturday evening, where we were also joined that night by his friends @Smallmouthgrouse(Carson). Jay and Carson had been hunting and fishing buddy’s for a while, so there was some familiarity already there. That night we were also accompanied by one half of the @theNorthwoodsR crew. Garrett, who along with his buddy Nick, are a couple of guys from Minnesota who have teamed up to share stories of their dogs, deer, and grouse adventures via their blog, www.NorthwoodsR.com. That evening as we gathered around the campfire and nursing a few drinks, online handles took on a face and profile pictures morphed into personas. We swapped tales and stories in a way that only old friends could have after years of being apart.
The following morning as we sat around the breakfast table preparing for the day’s hunt, we were joined by a couple more guys from the Insta-world. @the__royal__flush(Sam) drove all the way from New York to try his hand at a few Michigan grouse. A far cry from the coverts he is used to hunting back home, the aspen and young forest habitats of the mitten offered a promising prospect for finding a few elusive birds. The second half of the NorthwoodsR crew, Nick, also rolled in that morning. Nick is probably better known for his latest gig as the voice of the Project Upland Podcast. Nick was also on the tail end of his RGS grouse camp tour, and had seen quite a few new places in the days leading up to this.
As the morning grew brighter, and the coffee began to kick in, we all laced up our boots and packed up the trucks ready for a day in the woods of mid-Michigan. The evening prior, we all walked into that little backwoods cabin merely an online name preceded by an ampersand. By the time we headed into the field that morning, friendships had formed that will last far beyond the glowing screens that brought us together.
Don't be afraid to make friends online, but be sure to meet up with them once in a while. You never know where those friendships will take you.
Adapted from an Article originally posted in Ruffed Grouse Society Magazine
]]>One of the easiest things you can do to help keep your dogs healthy and strong while traveling is making sure they are always hydrated. Don’t rely on finding water while in the woods or at a rest area. Pack your own water. “I always bring my own water with me so I know they are always getting fresh, clean water,” said Brent Pike, owner of Pyke Gear.
PACK WATER
Many hunters bring a little bit of water with them when they are hunting, but often it isn’t enough. Dogs often run many miles when hunting and need to be rehydrated often. Packing water when traveling and hiking in the woods is crucial. In 2003, roughly 100 dogs died on opening weekend of pheasant season in South Dakota. Most of the dogs died from heat-related problems. One way to make sure your dog is staying hydrated is to use a product called Hydrate & Recover from K9Athlete. Mix the liver-flavored powder with water. Some dogs don’t like to drink; the liver flavor greatly increases the odds of a dog drinking their water. The product has electrolytes and contains l-glutamine for sustained mental energy. It delivers L-glutathione to support proper cellular respiration. The product was developed to encourage increased fluid intake to prevent dehydration and protect kidneys. In addition, the product contains LEUCINE which is a branch chain amino acid. Keeping a dog hydrated is a must and is often overlooked by hunters.
AVOID THE REST AREA
One thing that Brent Pike avoids when hunting is rest areas. “Everyone with a dog stops at rest areas. As a result, disease, fleas and worms are common place. Instead, stop in the woods or at a dead end road when you and your dog need to stop. Avoid rest areas.” Pike advised.
ENDOSORB CAN SAVE THE DAY
Diarrhea is something many dogs have when traveling. In some cases it is a minor inconvenience, but in some cases it can be a serious problem. When Pike travels, he always has some Endosorb (Kaopectate for dogs) from his vet. “The moment my dogs start to show signs of a loose stool, I give them this. It really can be a life saver.” Pike added.
CONTACT A LOCAL VET AHEAD OF TIME
When traveling, make sure you have contact info for a local veterinarian and an emergency veterinarian. “I always do research before leaving home and make sure I know exactly where a vet or two are located. If I have a problem with a dog, I am prepared,” Pike noted.
PACK A BAG
Bird hunters who travel a lot each fall typically have a dog bag with medicine, flea and tick spray, bandages, extra dog vests and a variety of other things that may come in handy if a dog is injured or has a problem. Every hunter should have a first aid kit of some type for their dog.
The goal when hunting with a dog is to have lots of fun, but things can quickly go wrong. Think ahead and be prepared for the worst, so if something bad happens it is a bump in the road, not the end of the trail for Fido.