"Swingman" wrote in message
...


Envy you the upland game shooting. The closest we have here to that
experience is Bob White quail in the Gulf Coast area. I used to load hay
bales for a neighbor farmer, all day in the hot summer sun, in exchange for
for the privilege of being able to hunt his acreage during quail season. I
grew up devouring the old "Field and Stream" mags and dreamed many a night
of pheasant and grouse hunting.

It is fun for sure... and it's not about the numbers it's about the
experience. Habitat has become an issue as development and maturation of the
forests has cut the number of birds. When I was a kid wild pheasants and
grouse could be found in our large yard at times. Now my parents have
turkey.... which is an outgrowth of the maturation.

Regarding habitat I've gotten involved with the Ruffed Grouse Society as
treasurer of the Mid-Hudson chapter and my son Jesse is the secretary--the
youngest officer in RGS history. We had our inaugural fund raising banquet a
few weeks ago and had 73 participants. We've had discussions with the state
department of environmental conservation and NYC watershed folks and both
have indicated they would allow us to develop habitat on their lands.
Things are looking up!

We get a chance at quail on one piece of state forest preserve land. It is
stocked a couple times per year... don't think I've ever gotten more than 3
or 4 in a season though. It is a good place for stocked pheasants and the
woodcock flights keep things interesting. Ruffed grouse are the toughest to
find.... and kept secret!