The Grouse Hunt

Tomorrow I will travel to the north woods for the annual grouse hunt with my friends.  Often when I tell someone that I am going on a grouse hunt, I receive a humorous look and response that suggests the grouse hunt is viewed similarly to the snipe hunt.  Other than both the Common Snipe and Ruffed Grouse are real birds, there is no similarity. 

The Ruffed Grouse is a tasty small game bird that can be either plentiful in numbers or scarce, depending on the approximate ten year cycle that causes their population to fluctuate.  Regardless of the population, they are difficult to hunt due to their flight pattern and thick habitat they reside in.   The grouse hunt is actually 10% hunting and 90% male bonding.

Our hunt began in the mid-1970s with a core group of friends from grade school and high school.   Many people have dropped in and out over the past 35+ years, but the core group remains intact.  Our group now includes our adult children and for one year, included some daughters. 

The hunt happens every year in late October and involves camping in some of the most pristine forest in the north.  Our general proximity hasn’t changed, and we have stayed at the current location for over 20 years.  This spot sits 50 feet above a small waterfall and rapids, on a picturesque river that is featured in a regional beer commercial.  To access this spot, you must drive your truck off the paved road for more than two miles.  We have many stories about stuck four wheel drive vehicles.

The hunt lasts four days and includes a routine of cooking, beer drinking, listening to football games and repeating the same stories over and over, while sitting around a bonfire until 3:00 a.m.  It never gets old.  In 35 years, I have missed the grouse hunt only twice.  My youngest son, and his best friend who is like a son to me, will be there.

When the hunt first began, food was not important to the group.  Peanut butter sandwiches were normal fare.  A number of years ago, I cooked a whole pig, which the group enjoyed.  I don’t want to suggest that this was a turning point, but great food has been cooked and served since.  Two years ago, my son prepared a chef inspired meal, under the light of gas lamps in a cooking tent.  People sat in chairs around the tent watching him cook.  It reminded me of the Iron Chef Kitchen Stadium on TV, except located in the forest.

Since I will be moving to Taiwan to join my Fiancée, I have suggested this may be my last grouse hunt.  She does not like to hear about “last” anything, but I think that is reality.  I will savor this last hunt with my friends and family, but I am looking forward to joining my Fiancée soon.  I have always said that I want to live my life without any regrets, and so far I can truthfully say that.  I won’t regret ending my grouse hunts, and I will tell the many stories from these hunts, for the rest of my life.