GROUSE AND APPLES
As a young kid, I always loved the story of Johnny Appleseed and the Disney cartoon on this American legend, especially the song:
Oh, the Lord is good to me
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need
Like the Sun and the rain and the Appleseed.
The Lord’s been good to me.
There was just something special about a man who felt it was his God-appointed calling to plant apple trees out on the frontier. And what’s not to love about apples? They are the quintessential fruit of Fall.
When I first started pursuing ruffies in Northern Idaho fifteen years ago, I never would have dreamed there would have been a connection between grouse and apples, but this was before I knew much about the rich history of ruffed grouse hunting. That fall, however, I repeatedly found grouse by an old apple tree near the crumbling cement foundation of a home long gone. I always thought that was a weird place for a ruffed grouse to be, given the fact that the nearest protective cover was about thirty yards away. However, the birds just could not resist the fruit of this tree even at the risk of their own safety (not from my poor shooting at the time, mind you). I soon learned to be on alert whenever we came across apple trees while hunting grouse.
I spy with my little eye . . .
As I later began to immerse myself in the literature of ruffed grouse hunting—especially from back east where the grand tradition began—I found that the books are replete with references to secret coverts consisting of abandoned homesteads that the forest has reclaimed, with rock walls and overgrown apple orchards that the ruffed grouse use for cover and food. Given my experience in Northern Idaho, I could relate to descriptions of such haunting, birdy places and desired to experience such coverts. I quickly realized that no matter where you hunt them, grouse and apples go together. Once I even met a grouse hunter from back east who has named all of his English setters after different kinds of apples, which I thought was very appropriate.
Ol’ Ruff.
Nowadays, I live in Southeastern Idaho and there are hardly any apple trees near the quakie-filled draws where I pursue ruffed grouse. However, for me, the connection still remains. As the apple is the quintessential fruit of this season, the ruffed grouse is the very essence of Fall: He is both beautiful and fleeting. Also, as the first hard frost comes, the apples around here take on crisp, sweetness that they did not have before. Likewise, hunting for Ol’ Ruff just gets better with onset of the cold. And lastly, I always carry a few apples in the pocket of my Filson game vest while I traverse the grouse woods. In fact, one of my favorite rituals is to take a seat on a downed tree with my smiling bird dogs beside me, to bask in the Indian summer sun, and to bite into a delicious homegrown apple. At such times, I’ve contemplated changing the words of the song to:
Oh, the Lord is good to me
And so I thank the Lord
For giving me the things I need
Like the Sun and the Ruff and the Appleseed.
The Lord’s been good to me.
The ruffed grouse is the very essence of Fall.
November grouse tracks.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of the followers of Upland Ways!
The birds are just the bonus!
Andy
