James McKew

I needed to get away from it all.

On Saturday, I did something different. I decided to go grouse hunting. No dog, no companions, just me, the reliable Ford F150, and the trusted Winchester Model 12 shotgun.

During archery deer season, while carrying my Bowtech archery bow loaded with Gold Tip arrows, I had spied grouse resting in dark timber through the crystal-clear lenses of my Bushnell binoculars.

But that was in September, with the weather still hot. Today, the air was dry and warm in the sun, yet cold in the shade, a perfect first day of November, high on the mountains outside Meeker, Colorado.

First stop was a walk down a game trail to look at the kill site of a mule deer I shot in September. To my surprise, I found no sign of the carcass. Nothing, not even a hair, bone fragment, or the remnants of the Grim Reaper 100-grain broadhead I used.

After that, it was time for the grouse hunt. My Danner Pronghorn boots kept me upright and protected my ankles from twists as I hiked the ridgelines. I revisited locations I had previously marked in the HuntStand app on my iPhone. The hike in and back took a total of three hours, and I saw no birds.

At sunset, I left the high country and drove down toward Meeker, then slept in my truck at Rio Blanco Lake, a fishing, camping, and day-use area that is a Colorado State Wildlife Area.

I was expecting to use my Shakespeare rod and reel and cast a Panther Martin lure for trout, but the water around the shore was very weedy, so I passed. Instead, I made breakfast using my Optimus stove with MSR fuel tank. This is a wonderful backpacking stove, and in minutes, I was enjoying a delicious meal of eggs, bacon, and potatoes in the freeze-dried Mountain House meal packet before starting for home.

Uneventful, yes, but a nice chance for a product shout-out, and to lure corporate sponsors to my small and orphaned blog site!

Happy hunting.