BottleCapKing
Elite Member
So, I have done a ton of research in on particular town that has lead me to find (and I do not joke or exaggerate) approximately two dozen cellar holes and foundations. Many of them have no real public access and require several miles of hiking to get to them. They are on an old road that is apparently privately owned. By chance, I ran into the guy that owns the land (about 2400 acres). He said if you can find your way there, you can hunt.
I wasn't the only hunter there either. I saw at least three bird hunters there. Good thing I remembered to wear my "don't shoot me" orange hat and vest. Some of these guys were really good and made absolutely no noise in their passing.
I did some hunting there before, but found the land across the road from it more interesting. I am guessing there was either another home there or a barn/stables. I have pulled buttons from there previous and yesterday was no exception. I pulled a lead button - lead? I have found a lead button before. In addition a large tombac and a cuff button. I also pulled a large flat wat-zit that looks to be some sort of decorative piece and appears to have been at one point gilt.
The best part of the hunt came on a logging road. I was standing looking into the trees to discern whether some stones I saw was the remnants of a filled foundation or just random stones in a pile when I hear something moving in the brush to my left. I figured it was a squirrel or some such. But I was wrong. It was a bird. A biggish bird. It walked right towards me. It was a Ruffed Grouse. It stopped about six feet in front of me and lied down and well, groused at me. I watched it for a little bit, and proceeded on my way down the road. I stopped about 30 feet down and looked back to see how the bird was doing, and to my surprise, it was scurrying down the road behind me. So, I stopped and watched.
It walked right up to me and did some more grousing. It was standing about 2-3 feet from me and walking around me for a bit and stopped and was just looking up at me. I waited a few minutes and walked further down the road. And, so too did my new friend.
After about a half-hour of walking and stopping so Ruffy could catch up, I found a log to it on. There were other logs behind me, and once Ruffy caught up with me, it perched on a log right behind me. I sat there for another half hour or so, and so too did Ruffy. I wish I had by phone out the whole time, because Ruffy decided to perch on my detector shaft for a bit so it could continue to grouse at me. I didn't want to make any sudden motions that Ruffy might have considered un-neighborly. I did eventually manage to slowly extract my phone from my pocket and get a picture of Ruffy when it once again perched on a log behind my head. The picture was taken at about 2 feet.
I didn't find any old coins, but I did find a new friend. It was a unique experience for me. Nothing like this has ever happened to me out in the wild (though, I did have a black cat follow me around while hunting a park one night. It would follow me while searching, and lie down when I retrieved a target). Up until this point, I have never seen a Grouse in the wild. I have seen pheasant. I have seen quail. But this is my first grouse.
I got a good chuckle thinking that there were three hunters out there, roaming around looking for Grouse, and here I had one hanging out with me. But, today is a new day and I hope that Ruffy is alive and well. Ruffy seems to be a smart bird that knows the difference between hunters, and forest pirates.
All in all, best hunt ever.
I wasn't the only hunter there either. I saw at least three bird hunters there. Good thing I remembered to wear my "don't shoot me" orange hat and vest. Some of these guys were really good and made absolutely no noise in their passing.
I did some hunting there before, but found the land across the road from it more interesting. I am guessing there was either another home there or a barn/stables. I have pulled buttons from there previous and yesterday was no exception. I pulled a lead button - lead? I have found a lead button before. In addition a large tombac and a cuff button. I also pulled a large flat wat-zit that looks to be some sort of decorative piece and appears to have been at one point gilt.
The best part of the hunt came on a logging road. I was standing looking into the trees to discern whether some stones I saw was the remnants of a filled foundation or just random stones in a pile when I hear something moving in the brush to my left. I figured it was a squirrel or some such. But I was wrong. It was a bird. A biggish bird. It walked right towards me. It was a Ruffed Grouse. It stopped about six feet in front of me and lied down and well, groused at me. I watched it for a little bit, and proceeded on my way down the road. I stopped about 30 feet down and looked back to see how the bird was doing, and to my surprise, it was scurrying down the road behind me. So, I stopped and watched.
It walked right up to me and did some more grousing. It was standing about 2-3 feet from me and walking around me for a bit and stopped and was just looking up at me. I waited a few minutes and walked further down the road. And, so too did my new friend.
After about a half-hour of walking and stopping so Ruffy could catch up, I found a log to it on. There were other logs behind me, and once Ruffy caught up with me, it perched on a log right behind me. I sat there for another half hour or so, and so too did Ruffy. I wish I had by phone out the whole time, because Ruffy decided to perch on my detector shaft for a bit so it could continue to grouse at me. I didn't want to make any sudden motions that Ruffy might have considered un-neighborly. I did eventually manage to slowly extract my phone from my pocket and get a picture of Ruffy when it once again perched on a log behind my head. The picture was taken at about 2 feet.
I didn't find any old coins, but I did find a new friend. It was a unique experience for me. Nothing like this has ever happened to me out in the wild (though, I did have a black cat follow me around while hunting a park one night. It would follow me while searching, and lie down when I retrieved a target). Up until this point, I have never seen a Grouse in the wild. I have seen pheasant. I have seen quail. But this is my first grouse.
I got a good chuckle thinking that there were three hunters out there, roaming around looking for Grouse, and here I had one hanging out with me. But, today is a new day and I hope that Ruffy is alive and well. Ruffy seems to be a smart bird that knows the difference between hunters, and forest pirates.
All in all, best hunt ever.
