September 15th is the grouse opener close to home. Teton and I have not missed this in 8 years as it is important to get some hunting under our belts before pheasant season comes. The highlight of the opener was a crafty ol, cock bird that had given us the slip last year a couple times as he was coyote wise from being pursued every day of his life. Teton began trailing him and I readied myself for the flush. I could tell Teton was right on the bird as he veered to the right and out from under a spruce tree the bird banked in classic form past my location. Too close to shoot I waited until the bird was flying on the straight away before shooting. Teton eagerly retrieved our prize after I pointed him in the right direction as he didn’t see the shot. This was a old bird as it had some mass and long tail and crown feathers. The fall colours made the evening a true gem.
