Rowdy and I went grouse hunting in the forest north of Suttle Lake and south of Jack Lake, on the eastern slope of the Cascades.  We saw lots of fresh elk, deer and bear tracks in the area in the morning.  Rowdy bumped a few blue grouse and a ruffed grouse that he didn't hold point for, so I didn't shoot it.  Then we met up with my dad, who was walking another aspen treeline with his two shorthairs, Katy and Vic, when we met up at the car, kenneled the dogs and looked at our map to find the next area we wanted to hunt.  As we looked up from the map, a hen blue grouse walked across the  dirt and gravel road 30 yards ahead and into some ferns on the forest floor, about 10 yards off the road.  We didn't want to be those "despicable" road hunters, but we figured it would be great for Rowdy, and it may be one of Katy's last birds, unfortunately, although she's expected to live a few more years.  So we got them both out of the car and left Vic, since 3 shorthairs seemed like a little too much distraction for Rowdy.  Rowdy and I went around some trees to get a place to shoot, should the bird flush right and my dad went in with Katy to take a left-going shot.  Kate locked up and since Rowdy and I were downwind of the bird and 10 yards away, he caught wind of it and started to move forward.  I quietly said whoooaa and he stopped.  My dad stepped in to flush the bird, which was right in front of Katy and it flushed right, I fired a shot and it fell down dead.  Rowdy saw the fall, but since it fell into thick cover, he lost his mark.  Katy got the the bird and retrieved it to my dad, but Rowdy immediately caught wind of where it had fallen and got really birdy.  My dad then gave the grouse back to me and I threw it a few yards ahead of me into a clearing for Rowdy.  I showed him the bird and threw it into some open cover for him and he picked it up, then set it back down, then kind of mouthed at it.  I think he was overwhelmed at the size of the grouse compared to the dove lol.  I walked over to him and when he picked it up again I said fetch and proceeded to take it from him.  I praised the heck out of him and we continued hunting, after I drew the bird and put it in the cooler.  In any case, he had a good time, although ranged far out of sight at times.  Fortunately he comes to the whistle, although I was trying not to blow it, unless I really felt I needed to.  He was definitely hunting this time, even more so than dove hunting, although he's still very much a puppy.  He bumped another grouse later in the day that he never saw or smelled, as he was running ahead, but the first season's all about him learning how to hunt, so it's to be expected.  Overall I was really happy with the exposure Rowdy got.  He was sore this morning, but seems to have fully recovered now, as he's been rough housing with my Roommate's lab all morning.  

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