doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - North Country trip 2022

After the planes, trains and automobiles component of getting here was done, we set about to get things in order. A modification to the fuse box energized the whole house and allowed for lights and some space heaters to improve the environment for human habituation, and...since a real electrician isn't available until later next week (to get us back to a full 220 at the box) we had to make some creative modifications to the basic utilities.



What we're up against...



Hot water again!

After a whole day spent cleaning up the endless mess, I set off for my reward. I was inspired by a visitor first...



He's pretty shameless...




Finally!

Pest!

Beautiful!

Ed: You're welcome.



Torture.

Dumb luck?

I was walking into a bright sun and the wind was tossing the trees, so I never heard it launch and only just saw the wing movement as it flew down the trail. The shot was instinctive and long (~30-yards & with the tube full of 8's, not the 6's). When it fell I was surprised, as the mount seemed awkward and uncertain. Saw just one other bird off the trail to my right (didn't hear it either) that beat me to the thick cover (Jack Pine) before I could even mount the gun. Tough sledding so-far up here this year, so every bird counts double it seems.

BrentD:

That is a mixed bag of rose hips and hawthornes along with my father-in-law's old 870, which I use as a truck gun on road birds. This year is gangbusters for all the berries and the grouse eat both of those (I was picking wild grapes earlier today too). Lots of the highbush cranberries, chokecherries, and even nannyberries out this year.





My buddy was back today as well...

BrentD: Riverbank Grape, eh? Thank you for that. Makes shockingly good grape jam. Unlike any other grape jam I've ever had. IMGUR is problematic tonight or I'd upload a shot of a handful of those berries you asked about. Another popular grouse food here is Grey dogwood, red stems on a viburnum-like bush with pearl-white berries.

Finally...got it.



I think the bigger multi-hue ones are the rosehips. We've never used the hawthornes before but they look so-similar to the rose-hips. I see both in bird crops here.



Pretty, eh?

James: Thank you, and to Craig also. I wanted to ask you how the Canadian side of the Lake-of-the-Woods faired in all the flooding?

Probably walked my last trail last night. Only flushed 1 bird and spent the rest of the afternoon dodging a number of other sports fans. Things are changing up here, more people and less lonely places than when I first ventured out to this locale some 20-plus years ago. Oh well....pulled the boat yesterday and have a few chores to do today before I depart tomorrow (mostly winterization and administrivia). It's looking like the house will be allright (somewhat worse for wear but still habitable) but... all the outbuildings are looking very dilapidated. Hauled lots of stuff to the dump and hit everything with Clorox (to stop the cryptosporidium and any black slime mold) so....we'll see how it all looks next spring. I'm driving my old Ford pickup truck back to Colorado for an overhaul and perhaps for a re-evaluation of it's next mission. My other hunting/utility vehicle up here (an '02 Trooper) is seemingly on it's last legs (transmission issues). It's always something, eh?





That darn bird...

Almost all the bright colors here are now gone, leaving a mostly mono-chomatic effect, and we've had big leaf-fall here for the past few days. Rain (& light snow) this morning will accelerate that significantly.

You're welcome Ed. I am missing my English 16 (ammo and questionable transport issues caused me to leave it behind this year). That is a Dickenson Estate (28 tubes on a .410 frame). Not a fine gun, but an adequate upland gun and very easy to carry (5 1/4 lbs).

BrentD: It is a mature bird, for sure. Very few young birds here this year. I've encountered only one or two (including the tame one here at the house). Poor nesting success this Spring is likely the culprit.

I should go berry picking more often...

Is that a house boat?

Finally!

The leaves are starting to thin out a bit and I'm finally seeing more birds. Still not many young birds showing up however.

https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/shrub/riverbank-grape

Overcast, grey and cold this AM. Good day to go home. Omaha here I come...

I'll never get used to this...



becoming this.



Vary hard to equate the two. It'll take me a few days to equilibrate. Neither world seems real when you're in the other.