We started the morning with two of our really good grouse covers — the Secret Cover and the No Name Cover — and ran Booker’s two shooting dogs in them. They both got some really good bird work as we moved more than a dozen with Spot and and a half dozen more with Shine. Then it was time to work the derbies and we had heard there were flight birds in along the river. We started with LJ and he found a bout a half dozen and we killed two as well as having a couple grouse. The we ran Joe McCarl’s dog Mo that he left with Tony for the Hunting season and we went to the 100 Bird Cover. The first time we went in this cover many years ago when Prime Rate was a derby we hit a flight of woodcock that was unbelievable. The dog must of had 15 to 20 finds and on everyone there were multiple birds as well as birds walked up getting to him. We’ve never hit it quite like that since but it still has it’s days and today was one of them. Mo had double digit finds and we killed a couple for him as well as a couple more grouse. Then it was Abby in Dusty Roads and we moved another half dozen woodcock and killed two for her. Then we ran Ginger in the Cemetery Cover and she pointed five and we shot 3 to limit out for the day. We walked up a couple more on the way out. We still had Trip to run so we came back to the house and she had five grouse and a couple more woodcock. Her first find was super as she went on point a 160 yards ahead of us and had three grouse pinned under some apple trees. The final tally for the day was 42 woodcock and 26 grouse. Tonight I’m going to fillet the woodcock breasts, pan sear them, and make a bourbon reduction sauce. Good shooting and good eating.