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< Back to Spring Grouse page 1 The second day we started in a new area with more a little bit more open ground. A black grouse took to its wings when we came too close to it in the morning and half an hour later when we came to higher levels on the hill side the Irish setters with a lot of experience from the mountains, now and then marked the scent of grouse. They had learned that it is possible to hunt and pull their handlers on skiis at the same time. Our Foxy had not understood this yet and pulled Maud with the nose cut of. Springer, the wishy - washy spaniel, probably used her nose all the time but was experienced enough to understand that this trip was dedicated to the setters. It was not the first time she had been a spectator of setter-training and field trials. However, no dogs were let of the pulling line but they were allowed to flush a few birds under strickt controll.
Such a pity of course, but it is just a proof, that shooting with camera can be just as rewarding, or as in this case, dissapointing as with a shotgun. The positve side of the situation was the dog that behaved very well and we were very satisfied with that. 
With an elusive cackle and a courageous tip of the wing the handsome bird waved Good-Bye to us. The sight was actually more satisfying to us than if it had been shot dead with a well placed shot and fallen to the ground in a cloud of feathers. If you have seen so many lowland birds that they leave you cold and indifferent, this is the bird that will raise your heart rate and make your hands shake a little. Unfortuneatly most of the grouse are shot as more or less young chickens very early in the autum, when they still are dull in colors, lacking the grace and mystery of the fully grown bird. This time of the year the grouse is big game in a handy size package. A perfect action picture in the album of this elusive shadow of the mountains is worth just as much as a stuffed up lions head on the wall.
Later this day, as well as on the fourth and last day, we let Foxy run loose for very short periods, 30 seconds to 2 minutes, and the hard obedience training hade payed of. She hade narrowed her quest to a size that is usefull for normal mountain shooting. Some old Swedish mountaineers might think that she works too close now but that is very easy to cure. Just keep your mouth shut and your whistle in your pocket and in a few hours the dog will stray farther and farther until you dont have any idea of where it might be.....
The fifth day we drove back home and when I write this Foxy, our setter, is still a very calm dog, quite opposite to her behavior before we left for the mountains.
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The weather was very nice, with little wind and plenty of sun and although I have to admit that I lacked in stamina a bit more than desirable. However, the enchanting nature and the powerfull Irish setter I had borrowed kept me going for longer and more happyly than expected. To be really honest, I found it very difficult to handle the skiis, the dog pulling me, the camera and the, to me, very unusual light conditiones at the same time. Still I really enjoyed these days enourmosly and felt more or less like a child again. It was a real thrill, a wonderfull adventure that I will do again as soon as possible, despite of all the pain it caused to my untrained body. 
After a good nights sleep we climbed up to the hill side again the third day. The Irish dogs found more birds during the climb. They were different characters these two Irish bitches. The older one had a habit of creeping too close to the bird but was steady to flush. The younger one had an superb nose and found the birds very early and had a firm, steady point. But once it had flushed the bird it sometimes followed compleatly wild. So we had two different problems to solve during the days we had awailable. Since the older Irish bitch was more difficult to train we concentrated our efforts on the younger dog more or less. Her it has taken a good point about 30 meters from the bird and we disconnected the pulling line and encouraged the dog to close up the distance to the cock-grouse.
At command it flushed the bird and the result can be seen at this picture.There was a problem, no doubt about that. We decided that the dog from now on is only allowed to flush at the end of a long line so that it could be braked by the handler if neccessary. The dog was rather soft and we thought that this measure would teach it to steadyness by and by. Both these bitches are really loveable dogs, powerfull and well trained with good noses and with a moderate prey drive that makes them rather easy to control, quite contrary to our English setter bitch that has to be handled very firmly, if it is expected to fill the meat pot. 
Our Foxy missed a lot of good scent since she did not, to start with, understand how to pull the handler and hunt simultaneously. But with all these birds around her, she soon changed. Suddenly she kind of understood the art of walking and chewing gum at the same time. Only afew moments later, from the young Irish bitchs "Big Bang", she got scent in her nose and started to pull towards it. Maud followed the dog and making a big circle I manouvered myself in what I thought was a good position for a shot with the camera. Apparently the bird layed in a difficult part of the terrain, from a photografers point of wiev. It was only a strike of luck that brought me some 25 meters from and a few meters above the scene with the bird between me and the dog. But I had forgotten something. The common habit of the grouse is to escape downhill! When I gave the signal to Maud to make the dog to flush the bird I expected it to fly towards me, more or less. And this expected direction was not downhill. 
Maud was very happy over the dogs brave advance and steadyness to wing. Foxy developed well during these days and now we have to complement with some lowland training in order to make her to build a nice pattern and a moderately wide ranging on the crop fields
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