2009 Utah Grouse Opener

Finally, hunting season is here. Hallelujah!

Last week was opening day for the Utah upland game season. My brother, his son and I headed to central Utah with blue grouse on our mind. We had a great time and came home with 8 birds. Not bad for our first hunt of the year.

The weather and scenery were beautiful. The dogs worked hard and the birds were somewhat plentiful. Had a very good time. I was happy to see my nephew get into some birds.

The only downer of the trip was an injury to my brothers 5 year old German Shorthair Callie. Within the first hour she had to be crated for the day. She suffered a small gash on her chest. Must have ran into some sharp deadfall. The 2 pups had to take over for the day and did just fine. We washed and treated Callie’s wound with EMT gel and it looked like it was going to be OK. A week later she has only a small scab were we were worried that she was going to need stitches. EMT gel is good stuff, I highly recommend it to anyone who takes animals into the back country.


A bright spot is my young Pudelpointer Hazel. She is doing great. We still need to work on her steadiness on point but her desire and ability to find birds is amazing. This dog is birdy, birdy, birdy, almost to a fault. But, if I knock a bird down its almost guaranteed that it will end up in the bag. Her personality is great and she is a pleasure to hunt with. I love this dog.