Another enjoyable day in the woods today with absolutely gorgeous weather. It's the last day of woodcock season and I didn't feel like raking leaves again. We only went out for a couple of hours to a nearby covert that gets absolutely pounded with hunting pressure but we still managed to find some birds.
Gunner found a couple of woodcock for me and he was nice and steady with rock solid points. Unfortunately one of them headed out over the water so I had to pass on the shot, since Gunner doesn't do water retrieves. But he ran really well for me and I could not have been more pleased with him.
I ran Chunk next and I swear he just keeps getting more and more fun to hunt behind. All of that Churchie Kennel training has certainly paid off for us. He managed to find two grouse which really surprised me because as I mentioned this place gets a lot of pressure. He was steady on both birds but unfortunately I missed them. On one of the misses I actually, really did have the sun in my eyes, I swear...
Gally did not make the trip today, she was enjoying some alone time.
She has been the top dog so far this season, so today we let the boys catch up a little. The rest of the season will be grouse only and it will be all hands on deck. Goodness but this stuff is addicting..
Enjoy your day,
Ken
Monday, November 14, 2016
Monday, October 31, 2016
Home Again
Another week up at the camp is in the books. I got some bird hunting in, a little bit of work done, and enjoyed some quiet nights reading by the fire. I spent one of the days on a run up to Baxter and saw a snow covered Katahdin, looking splendid and majestic.
The Setters continue to hunt really well for me. and I couldn't help but reflect on how it doesn't seem all that long ago that Laurie and I were working them on check-cords and introducing them to birds. Now they hunt at a comfortable range, are steady on their birds and just make for a really enjoyable hunt.
Chunk is Chunk, no other way to describe it. He's lovable, energetic and eager to please. He doesn't fuss, doesn't complain and is always ready to go. He is fun and easy to hunt with. All I need is a whistle and a gun and we're off.
Although we haven't been finding a great number of birds, we did find enough to keep things fun and interesting. The dogs get every bit of the credit for that. As usual my shooting could have been better, but I still managed to spray enough shot into the air to be successful.
As I started the drive for home, I hadn't gotten very far when four grouse flew across my path giving me the single digit salute. Oh well, I'll get them next year. The rest of this season will be spent hunting the home coverts and enjoying more of the outdoors and the dogs.
Enjoy your Autumn,
Ken
The Setters continue to hunt really well for me. and I couldn't help but reflect on how it doesn't seem all that long ago that Laurie and I were working them on check-cords and introducing them to birds. Now they hunt at a comfortable range, are steady on their birds and just make for a really enjoyable hunt.
Chunk is Chunk, no other way to describe it. He's lovable, energetic and eager to please. He doesn't fuss, doesn't complain and is always ready to go. He is fun and easy to hunt with. All I need is a whistle and a gun and we're off.
Although we haven't been finding a great number of birds, we did find enough to keep things fun and interesting. The dogs get every bit of the credit for that. As usual my shooting could have been better, but I still managed to spray enough shot into the air to be successful.
As I started the drive for home, I hadn't gotten very far when four grouse flew across my path giving me the single digit salute. Oh well, I'll get them next year. The rest of this season will be spent hunting the home coverts and enjoying more of the outdoors and the dogs.
Enjoy your Autumn,
Ken
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Report From Camp - Week One
I just got back from a fun filled week of bird hunting up at the camp. The bird numbers weren't great but the dogs found enough each day to keep things interesting. I was especially pleased with how well the Setters were doing, considering that I hadn't worked them at all during the off season with the exception of some light conditioning. Gunner and Gally were nice and steady on their birds and provided me with several shot opportunities. Chunk did his part during his runs and was steady as well on his finds. It was really satisfying to see all of the hard work and training we had done all year payoff now in the woods. I want to give a big shout out to Steve Church, Lori and Brice Guile and everyone at Churchie Kennel & Gundog Training for their help all year.
Heat was a factor we had to endure all week and limited us to mostly hunting during the morning hours. All of the birds we found were woodcock with the exception of a partridge that was waiting for us back at the camp, sunning himself on our dock. I spent a couple of afternoons picking away at the culvert in the road which the beavers have dammed up. I managed to get a little water flowing through it but we're going to have some serious flooding issues next Spring.
The highlight of the week was an invitation Chunk and I received to do some training with friend and fellow bird dog enthusiast, Vern Knapp, who lives nearby. We had two fun filled evenings there along with Vern's wife Chris and friends Sheryl and Jimmy Mayo as we ran Chunk on pheasants. I had a great time and learned some things as well. My heartfelt thanks go out to the Knapp's and Mayo's for giving up their time to work with me.
The week was capped off hunting with Vern as we checked out a covert I had visited the previous day. I got to hunt behind his dog Briley, an impressive Springer, who really worked hard trying to find birds for us. We managed to find some woodcock, off the beaten path, but in the end it was the heat that won the day. It was the first time I ever recall riding home from hunting with the air conditioner blowing...
Every morning the dogs would wake me around 5:00 -5:30 to start the day, so when Saturday morning found me having to wake them up around 6:30, I knew they were played out and it was time to head home. So I packed up, loaded up, locked up and bid farewell to the camp. I'll be home for a few days to hunt the local coverts, then I'll spend a few days up in Pittsburgh and then it will be right back at the camp, to pick up where we left off.
Enjoy your Autumn,
Ken Belanger
Heat was a factor we had to endure all week and limited us to mostly hunting during the morning hours. All of the birds we found were woodcock with the exception of a partridge that was waiting for us back at the camp, sunning himself on our dock. I spent a couple of afternoons picking away at the culvert in the road which the beavers have dammed up. I managed to get a little water flowing through it but we're going to have some serious flooding issues next Spring.
The highlight of the week was an invitation Chunk and I received to do some training with friend and fellow bird dog enthusiast, Vern Knapp, who lives nearby. We had two fun filled evenings there along with Vern's wife Chris and friends Sheryl and Jimmy Mayo as we ran Chunk on pheasants. I had a great time and learned some things as well. My heartfelt thanks go out to the Knapp's and Mayo's for giving up their time to work with me.
The week was capped off hunting with Vern as we checked out a covert I had visited the previous day. I got to hunt behind his dog Briley, an impressive Springer, who really worked hard trying to find birds for us. We managed to find some woodcock, off the beaten path, but in the end it was the heat that won the day. It was the first time I ever recall riding home from hunting with the air conditioner blowing...
Every morning the dogs would wake me around 5:00 -5:30 to start the day, so when Saturday morning found me having to wake them up around 6:30, I knew they were played out and it was time to head home. So I packed up, loaded up, locked up and bid farewell to the camp. I'll be home for a few days to hunt the local coverts, then I'll spend a few days up in Pittsburgh and then it will be right back at the camp, to pick up where we left off.
Enjoy your Autumn,
Ken Belanger
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Survived My First Field Trial
This past weekend I had the opportunity to run Chunk in the Patriot Sporting Spaniel Club's (my home club) field trial which was held in Granville, MA. I thought our club did a great job putting this event together and we were blessed with two days of beautiful weather. The grounds were great and we had a lot of people pitching in to help with all aspects of the event. Kudos especially to Lori and Brice Guile who worked so hard to put this event on for us. Gerron and Laurie were there as well and really worked their butts off helping out.
We also had a wonderful turnout with folks coming from all over the country. There were lots of great dogs on display and I got to see some truly exceptional performances. We had twenty-nine entries on Saturday and twenty-three on Sunday, which was about twice as many entries as we had last year. We also had some really great judges who had the difficult task of winnowing down a large field of dogs to a manageable third series and placements.
Lori & Brice, the only time they sat down all weekend
I went into Saturday with no expectations whatsoever. It was our first trial and up until that point we had never run a brace before, not even in training. My goal was to keep Chunk on our side of the course and try to finish the first series; not lofty goals by any stretch. I needn't have worried though because he worked to the guns just like he has in our training sessions and paid no attention to what was going on next to us. He found his birds, made his retrieves, honored when needed and I was really pleased with his run.
The second series went pretty much like the first, with the exception of a sucker bird Chunk encountered on his second retrieve. He hupped to the flush, I called him in, set him up on a "back" and sent him. He ran straight out, found the dead bird and completed the retrieve. Again, I was really pleased with his run but unfortunately we were not called back to the third series.
I hustled back to the pavilion where our evening Social was taking place. A couple of friends of mine, Dave Shaw & Dave Orlomoski, were meeting me there to help out with the evening's entertainment. We were billed as "Def Spaniel". The Social was a great time, with lots of good food and drink and even included a make your own ice cream sundae bar for dessert, complete with lots of toppings. A good time was had by all. It was quite late by the time we were done picking up and when I got back to the hotel I was beat. Unfortunately I was too wired and never slept a wink.
"Def Spaniel" warming up for the main event, notice the uniforms
Gerron & Pat Cutler cuttin' a rug
Sunday was another beautiful day but not a very good one for Chunk and I. He started out running well, just like the day before. A bird was flushed on the other course which Chunk honored and then I cast him off again. We were working along a side hill and he flushed a bird on the downhill coming back toward us. The bird stayed low following the contour which kept him in Chunk's line of sight which proved to be too tempting for him and resulted in a "delayed" hup. The bird was a flyaway so he got a good long look at it. I called Chunk in, the judge said to keep going, and like the rookie I am, I cast him right back into the flyaway. He fired across the other course after the bird, I called him back but by then it was too late, game over. Oh well, live and learn...
Overall, I found the trial to be a lot of fun and a great learning experience. I got to see lots of really great dog work and I got to see what I need to work on for next year. I feel fortunate to have met so many nice people at this event and look forward to seeing them at future trials. There are no better people than dog people. I can't wait for next year.
Gerron & I at the Social
N.B. Just realized I don't have pictures of any of the dogs at the trial. How'd that happen???
We also had a wonderful turnout with folks coming from all over the country. There were lots of great dogs on display and I got to see some truly exceptional performances. We had twenty-nine entries on Saturday and twenty-three on Sunday, which was about twice as many entries as we had last year. We also had some really great judges who had the difficult task of winnowing down a large field of dogs to a manageable third series and placements.
I went into Saturday with no expectations whatsoever. It was our first trial and up until that point we had never run a brace before, not even in training. My goal was to keep Chunk on our side of the course and try to finish the first series; not lofty goals by any stretch. I needn't have worried though because he worked to the guns just like he has in our training sessions and paid no attention to what was going on next to us. He found his birds, made his retrieves, honored when needed and I was really pleased with his run.
The second series went pretty much like the first, with the exception of a sucker bird Chunk encountered on his second retrieve. He hupped to the flush, I called him in, set him up on a "back" and sent him. He ran straight out, found the dead bird and completed the retrieve. Again, I was really pleased with his run but unfortunately we were not called back to the third series.
I hustled back to the pavilion where our evening Social was taking place. A couple of friends of mine, Dave Shaw & Dave Orlomoski, were meeting me there to help out with the evening's entertainment. We were billed as "Def Spaniel". The Social was a great time, with lots of good food and drink and even included a make your own ice cream sundae bar for dessert, complete with lots of toppings. A good time was had by all. It was quite late by the time we were done picking up and when I got back to the hotel I was beat. Unfortunately I was too wired and never slept a wink.
Sunday was another beautiful day but not a very good one for Chunk and I. He started out running well, just like the day before. A bird was flushed on the other course which Chunk honored and then I cast him off again. We were working along a side hill and he flushed a bird on the downhill coming back toward us. The bird stayed low following the contour which kept him in Chunk's line of sight which proved to be too tempting for him and resulted in a "delayed" hup. The bird was a flyaway so he got a good long look at it. I called Chunk in, the judge said to keep going, and like the rookie I am, I cast him right back into the flyaway. He fired across the other course after the bird, I called him back but by then it was too late, game over. Oh well, live and learn...
Overall, I found the trial to be a lot of fun and a great learning experience. I got to see lots of really great dog work and I got to see what I need to work on for next year. I feel fortunate to have met so many nice people at this event and look forward to seeing them at future trials. There are no better people than dog people. I can't wait for next year.
N.B. Just realized I don't have pictures of any of the dogs at the trial. How'd that happen???
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Piper Mountain - November 4, 2015
Journal Entry from a hike Chunk & I did last fall:
Decided to hike a local mountain today since it was absolutely beautiful outside. Took Chunk along with me and it turns out he's a great mountain dog. We followed the Red Trail up and back which starts on Carriage Rd.
Decided to hike a local mountain today since it was absolutely beautiful outside. Took Chunk along with me and it turns out he's a great mountain dog. We followed the Red Trail up and back which starts on Carriage Rd.
Here is a link for trail info for anybody wanting to give this a try. Well worth it.
And here are a few pics of us on Piper Mountain.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Ken Chimes In On The Rest Room Issue
Have we become such a nanny state that we need the Govt. to tell us which restrooms to use? Is this not something we can decide for ourselves?
It wasn't that long ago that if a place had a restroom, there was one. And it was outside. Everybody used it, no hassles.
Fast forward to the era of indoor plumbing. Restrooms were inside and at some point one bathroom wasn't enough. I'm not sure if it was because gals didn't want to share because guys are gross (we are), or if it's because guys didn't want to share because gals take so long (you do). But at some point it was decided that we needed a separate restroom for each gender.
Which brings us to today, where for some reason we've become so reliant upon Big Brother to do all of our thinking for us that we can't seem to settle this one simple act for ourselves.
Guys, who among us has never "stood guard" outside the men's room so our dates could use it because the line to the ladies room was so freakin' long.
Ladies, when is the last time you went to the ladies room alone? Never. You go in groups. And what happened to a guy that was caught using the ladies room? You either harassed the hell out of him until he left or you all left until he was done. Then you harassed him while he walked out.
Mom's, who among you has never taken your little boy into the ladies room with you?
My point is, we've all seen circumstances where the "wrong" gendered person was not in their designated rest room but we managed to work it out and the world didn't come to an end.
In a time when our Govt. is involving itself in every aspect of our lives, this certainly should be one area we can manage on our own....
It wasn't that long ago that if a place had a restroom, there was one. And it was outside. Everybody used it, no hassles.
Fast forward to the era of indoor plumbing. Restrooms were inside and at some point one bathroom wasn't enough. I'm not sure if it was because gals didn't want to share because guys are gross (we are), or if it's because guys didn't want to share because gals take so long (you do). But at some point it was decided that we needed a separate restroom for each gender.
Which brings us to today, where for some reason we've become so reliant upon Big Brother to do all of our thinking for us that we can't seem to settle this one simple act for ourselves.
Guys, who among us has never "stood guard" outside the men's room so our dates could use it because the line to the ladies room was so freakin' long.
Ladies, when is the last time you went to the ladies room alone? Never. You go in groups. And what happened to a guy that was caught using the ladies room? You either harassed the hell out of him until he left or you all left until he was done. Then you harassed him while he walked out.
Mom's, who among you has never taken your little boy into the ladies room with you?
My point is, we've all seen circumstances where the "wrong" gendered person was not in their designated rest room but we managed to work it out and the world didn't come to an end.
In a time when our Govt. is involving itself in every aspect of our lives, this certainly should be one area we can manage on our own....
Whiteface Mountain - Belknap Mountain Range - May 10, 2016
This morning's episode of Chunk & I finds your intrepid explorers on the Piper/Whiteface Trail of the Belknap Mountain Range. This is another well maintained, well marked trail that makes a gradual ascent to Piper and Whiteface Mountains.
Beginning of the trail
We couldn't have asked for better weather with bright sun, a bluebird sky and just enough breeze to slow the blackflies down a bit. This section is a footpath trail that we were able to follow with very little difficulty.
This kiosk marks the official beginning to the trail
We poked our way along taking time to enjoy some of the sites along the way. I found this abandoned camp to be interesting. I'm sure there is a story behind it.
It wasn't long before we had a decision to make. Do we head for Piper or go to Whiteface.
Blue Trail for Whiteface, Green for Piper
The decision was a tough one because Piper Mountain is beautiful and the Whiteface Cliffs are in that direction, but since we had done Piper last fall we decided to stay on the blue trail for the summit of Whiteface Mountain with views of the cliffs. In all fairness to Chunk, I think he wanted to do both, but seeing as I was on the business end of the leash....
From this point on, the trail is open to ATV use, which means ruts, mudholes, and lots of loose rock which can make for tricky footing in places. I'm not anti-ATV and I'm glad they have a place to ride, but it does mean that hikers have to be a little more careful on this section of the trail.
It wasn't long before we made our way to the summit. Here are some views from atop. I can't believe I didn't get a shot of the Cliffs...
We took some time to enjoy the views, have some water and take a couple of selfies.
And exchange a kiss.
Thanks for reading and following along.
Here is a link in case anyone wants to give this hike a try.
Pine Mountain - May 6, 2016
This morning's hike found me in our old stomping grounds, just up the road a bit from our old house.
Photo 1 is a shot of Straightback Mountain. I've written before about many of the fun times we've had there.
Photo 2 shows Avery Hill in the foreground, Durrell Mountain to it's eleven o'clock, and next door to where we live now, and three bumps over way in the distance, dressed in blue is Mount Kearsarge.
Photo 3 is looking down on Alton Bay's Echo Point and Black Point.
Not in the picture but behind me is the site of many deer hunts, some successful, some not, but all of them fun.
To get to the old house from here, turn about 204 degrees, and walk about three and half miles.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
First Ascent Of The Season: Mount Rowe
Today was the kind of day I love; temps on the coolish side, mid forties, overcast, grey and drizzly. I enjoy being out in this weather as I find the conditions bracing and the people scarce. So it was the kind of day that I thought would be ideal for Chunk & I to head for our local mountains. Today's summit of choice, Mount Rowe.
Mount Rowe is part of the Belknap Range, located next to Gunstock Mountain and has a big radio tower perched on top. There are a few trails that can get you to the top and the one we chose was "The Blue Trail", better known coincidentally enough as the Mount Rowe Trail.
Map at the beginning of the trail.
The trail starts out behind the Gilford Elementary School and follows the Nature Trail across the foot bridge and into the woods. Once in the woods the two trails separate, Red markers for the Nature Trail, Blue for Mount Rowe.
Starting out on The Blue Trail
The trail is well maintained by the Belknap Range Trail Tenders and is really well marked. It is very easy to follow, and has plenty along the way to hold one's interest. So it was that Chunk & I embarked on this trail to see what it would have in store for us. We hadn't gone very far before we came to the location of the old Benjamin Weeks Mountain House. Only the cellar holes exist now, there are two of them, and we stopped for a photo op.
Chunk Sitting between the two cellar holes
We stayed long enough to read the sign, look at the holes and then we were on our way again. We hadn't gone too much further when to my surprise a rabbit (snowshoe hare) took off in front of us. I quickly hupped (sit) Chunk and he complied but I'm sure he thought I was crazy. He wanted that rascally rabbit really bad. I gave it time to get away then heeled Chunk until we were well clear of the area.
Further up the trail are a series of switch-backs which help with the elevation. We followed them until we came upon what looked to be picnic area, with a fire pit which Gerron would LOVE, and a couple of "stand around" tables with views.
We continued on the switch-backs until we came to the "Ridge Trail", with white markers, which lead to the summit. The rain was starting to pick up a little but not so much as to hinder our climb. I had to watch my footing on the rocks but Chunk didn't have any problem.
The Earth Scope Plate Boundary Observation/GPS Station
When we reached the summit we didn't stay long as the rain and wind had picked up and it was spitting snow. We moved up the trail to get a look at the communications tower since we were there.
Very ugly but great reception
I did manage to get a shot of Chunk at the end of the trail.
Here are some views from the Summit. You can see the Gunstock Mountain Welcome Center down below and part of the mountain itself with some snow left on top.
And of course, yours truly
But like I said we didn't linger long up there. I don't tend to hang around the summits much anyway, maybe long enough to have some water and then be on our way. I tend to subscribe to G.K. Chesterton's Father Brown character, where he says, "One sees great things from the valley, only small things from the peak". So after a few quick pics we were on our way down. Chunk & I deliberated on which trail to take back and decided that all things considered we should return the way we came. Back to the Blue Trail it was then but the surprises weren't over.
While we were headed down, we came to an area where Chunk started acting VERY "birdy". A rather large turkey started running along the forest floor and Chunk wanted to go after it soooooo bad. But I hupped him until the turkey was out of sight then walked him at heel to me until I was confident that it would no longer be a concern.
I will admit, that all in all I was really pleased with Chunk's manners on both the rabbit and the turkey, not to mention throughout the entire hike. Eventually we made it back to the car without further excitement and headed for home. It was a wonderful hike and a great day.
Here is a link to Mount Rowe Trail Info:
Mount Rowe Trail Info
Here is a link to Mount Rowe Trail Info:
Mount Rowe Trail Info
Enjoy,
Ken
Friday, April 1, 2016
The Local Hills - Wish I'd Kept A Journal
Photo courtesy of Franklinsites.com
It's too bad I've never kept a journal though because several years ago we used to find ourselves in some of those hills quite a bit, especially around the backside of Straightback Mountain. It would be nice to know how many I've done. We lived nearby so we were there pretty often. We'd go up to pick blueberries in late summer, go for the scenery during foliage time and of course hunt later in the fall. There was one hunt in particular during which Ben and I must have knocked off at least three of those peaks while tracking a couple of deer in a decent amount of snow. Which reminds me of another time when a light snow turned into a serious whiteout blizzard just as we got to the top and found ourselves scrambling down to where we could see and start hunting again.
Then there was the day when Laurie's dad and I went up to poke around and we were welcomed by a flock of snow buntings. I'd never seen so many at one time and I've seen very few since. Then as we were starting to head down we met a couple of moose hunters who hadn't had any luck at all and this was the last day of their season. They asked if we'd seen any sign, we told them about a fresh set of tracks we'd come across, showed them where the moose was headed, directed them to the tracks and wished them luck.
On one of the blueberry forays, myself and a buddy of mine hiked up sans blueberry rakes and proceeded to try to fill the containers we each brought. The only problem was that wild blueberries are like candy and we were eating more than saving. By the time we were tired of picking, our containers looked pretty measly so we took what we gathered and gave them to another picker up there who was happy to have them and we headed for home.
But like I mentioned earlier, I never wrote down dates, times and such, I rarely even took any pictures. So I guess I'll start over and hike some of those hills again, not so much for the patch, but for the visit, the views and to jog some memories. If I decide to complete all twelve maybe I'll fill out a form, maybe even one for Chunk since I intend to take him with me. More than likely though, I'll hit the ones I like, skip the ones I have no interest in (the peaks with all the people) and probably call it close enough. We'll see...
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