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Top photo and video by AJ DeRosa in support of Ruffed Grouse Society
I really enjoy taking people are there first Upland Hunts. This one was Katherine and meagan's first woodcock hunt January 2022.
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Virginie and Al's Woodcock Hunt after Christmas near Richmond. His first hunt, with Loki, Nova and Diesel.
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Jun first Woodcock Hunt and we found a bear!
Virginia woodcock with Bill Heindl
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I don't guide much. USUALLY, only RGS Banquet fund raiser hunts. W/ Nova & Kona
WV one of my favorite places to upland hunt
Blessed to have Matt Smith, Cort Grubb and Josh Vance as friends! These are always amazing trips with some 40+ bird days.
Maine Late october 2021 Hunting Trip with Darrel, Baxter and Bruce
Link to Summary of UP Hunting Trip oct 2021 by Justin Madron
CEB-US Nationals Milaca MN April 21-24, 2021
Diesel takes CAG and Otto RCAG on last day of field trials in GUN.
We were very blessed on the last day to have the best two runs of 31 dogs in the GUN Class at CEB-US Nationals in Milaca MN, April 2021. It was windy and the birds were running. Diesel had an fantastic run and worked the field for his first CAG from the honorable Sherry Neisar, which was his only placement in the three days of National Trials. He had stylish points and was rock steady with a great retrieve to hand. Otto was consistent all week. He received RCAG two days of the trials and a Pass with Excellence the other day. I was proud of him on the last day as he worked a lot of field consistently running hard and taking direction to find a bird. He had a stylish point on a small hill and when the bird flushed he was blocked by the gunner and could not see the bird fall. He was steady to me walking over tapping him on the head to release him. He went to the bottom of the hill where he thought the bird had fallen. It was a good 30 yards further up in the corn. He started casting out by himself until he scented the bird and as he always does made his dad proud with a fantastic retrieve to hand. I am proud of both these dogs that I have breed by myself.
What Is a French Brittany? I assume if you have made it here you know something about Epagneul Bretons.
They have an innate desire to please, both in the home and in the field. The best description is devil in the field and angel in the house.
“French Brittany's are the original Brittany Spaniel from the Brittany Region in northwest France. The Epagneul Breton (EB), a close working bird dog, calm yet energetic, with a fantastic nose and uncanny bird sense. The EB is quick and fiercely intelligent, a combination of sweet disposition and reckless courage. French Brittany's are gun dogs of high intelligence, uncanny bird sense, with natural hunting and retrieving ability, are affectionate and loyal and who are always anxious to please. EB's are the smallest pointer.
Our EB's hunt perfectly for a walking hunter and check back with their human hunting partners. They are smart enough to match range in front of the foot hunter, to terrain and amount of wild birds they are searching for. French Brittany hunt for you if they have a good relationship with their owner. French Brittany will put in a whole day's hunt, no matter the weather or cover, their energy seemingly bottomless, yet ease calmly right into the home without disrupting the household. The French Brittany is compact in stature and eats the food equivalent to a 27-42 pound dog female to male.” We are truly blessed to have them in our upland lives.
“French Brittany's are the original Brittany Spaniel from the Brittany Region in northwest France. The Epagneul Breton (EB), a close working bird dog, calm yet energetic, with a fantastic nose and uncanny bird sense. The EB is quick and fiercely intelligent, a combination of sweet disposition and reckless courage. French Brittany's are gun dogs of high intelligence, uncanny bird sense, with natural hunting and retrieving ability, are affectionate and loyal and who are always anxious to please. EB's are the smallest pointer.
Our EB's hunt perfectly for a walking hunter and check back with their human hunting partners. They are smart enough to match range in front of the foot hunter, to terrain and amount of wild birds they are searching for. French Brittany hunt for you if they have a good relationship with their owner. French Brittany will put in a whole day's hunt, no matter the weather or cover, their energy seemingly bottomless, yet ease calmly right into the home without disrupting the household. The French Brittany is compact in stature and eats the food equivalent to a 27-42 pound dog female to male.” We are truly blessed to have them in our upland lives.
James River Chapter RGS Banquet woodcock hunt
I volunteer guided for Jan 22nd, 2021 and we hunted private and public land. We had 21 flushes, 16 points and the gentleman were blessed to harvest 5 gorgeous woodcock. For two of them it was their first WC. Please see testimonial tab, for Marks comments on the hunt. Filmed by John Feasel of Arrowhead Productions from RVA. Insta @arrowhead_outdoorstv
Its alwas nice hunting thANksgiving weekend within an hour Of rVa! Nice poinTs today by nova, otto and kona. 16 woodcock flushes and i was blessed to shoot my limit.
Last weekend of October and first couple weekends of November 2019 hunting with new upland hunters and old friends at James River Chapter of ruffed grouse society camp at bill heindl's cabin in monterey Virginia where RGS was started.
Above photo is Joe Madron on his first ever upland hunt. Skylar pointed the woodcock and Joe shot it on the flush. It landed across the creek and Kona retrieved the bird to hand.
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2012 French Alps trip with Dominique Pozo, taken by Chip Hidinger.
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14 year old's first upland hunt he shot a grouse over a Kona point. He is spoiled for life.
Justin Madron and Kona with a grouse shot over a Kona point in the Mong, WV.
Kona over two grouse shot over his points.
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Bill Hendl is 78 and can still walk and loves to hunt grouse. Great job Bill on day 3 of grouse camp 2019 getting it done.
This would have been my limit on Woodcock today, but I chose to use the camera instead. Great photo of Kona on point with Skylar and Otto backing. I tried to find the bird on the ground for a photo as I had seen Otto's pointed bird, but I flushed it. May it migrate and produce baby woodcock and more points in the future.
pure Michigan grouse camp 2019 and first trip to up.
Grouse camp in Pure Michigan we averaged 15 miles walked per day and just over 15 flushes per day. We hunted GEM's and any other prime cuts of Aspen 9-16 years old. Northwind Maps, Garmin Alpha 100 and OnX Hunt App were well worth the price of admission, as the rewards were just!
Otto on a PA grouse and pheasant trip the weekend before Christmas 2019.
Above is my favorite grouse fan of 2019-2020 Season. All above photos with the exception of the Dominque Pozo photo taken in the 2019-2020 season. For living in Richmond Virginia on the East coast we were very blessed!
Late February 2019 Hunt with Cort, myself and Justin. 4 pointed birds harvested!
Wonderful results from a nice February 2019 Appalachia’s Ruffed Grouse hunt. We were blessed to harvest 4 King of the Gamebirds over two points by almost 12 month old Otto and 2 points from three year old Kona. Plus Kona pointed a turkey hidden in the bushes. I am blessed to have hunted with good friends Cort Grubb who has one of Skylar’s pups Ophelia from last years litter (Otto’s sister) and Justin Madron who harvested his first Ruffed Grouse over a point by my French Brittany’s. We have burned so much boot leather this season that I was so blessed to harvest two Ruffed Grouse in two days made me very happy. Many days in the Appalachian Mountains is more like hiking with a shotgun and man’s best friend.
A very well written blog by fellow James River chapter member Robb Moore on this seasons woodcock in Virginia. Robb’s blog is called: “A Man and His Birddog.”
Click on button below.
A 2018-2019 season in the books (American woodcock)
By way of after-report, Lincoln and I wrapped up our American…
December2018 - Youtube video shot by John Feasel @jfeaz, @wildliveao
The ablove photo made the CEB-US Facebook cover twice in 218. I took with my iPhone in WV on a weekend we flushed 36 and 40 birds (mixed bag of Woodcock and Ruffed Grouse).
Below is Kona after a day where he again pointed most of the birds. |
EB Upland hunting is what I live for. Oct 1st through end of February I am chasing upland birds with my EB's. In 2018, I hunted every weekend, accept Christmas, Thanksgiving and my wife's birthday. The dogs and I hunted MT, WV, VA and PA.
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Montana October 2018 hunt with my brother TJ Hidinger and Fred Overby.
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To the left Cort Grubb, myself and Justin Madron with 4 Ruffed Grouse (RG) 2nd to last weekend in Feb of 2019. Two RG were pointed by Otto (who was under 1 year old) and two RG's were pointed by Koan, the furthest we found 94 yards from us and held until we walked in and flushed it. Above, Justin Madron, myself and Robb Moore last weekend of VA Woodcock and we each got one, but Justin made one heck of a water retrieve across a river by walking on a log.
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2017 in pursuit of Ruffed Grouse
First red phase Ruffed Grouse taken October 2017. Thank you Linda O. This will be the first bird I ever have mounted. 13 months later this is the memory that came back and hangs in my home office!
Often hunting is "just a walk in the woods with friends and good dogs." Labor Day weekend November 2017 in West Virginia with Josh Legg and Jenni his liver tri color French Brittany. Kona is the orange and white dog.
Veterans Day we paused at a cemetery for a WV veteran that gave his life for his country in WW1 in France.
Mearns Quail Hunting Arizona - what a day with antar, lola and jamary. please see our bird hunting pages for more photos!
LATEST EXPEDITIONS
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Our Dogs
Currently we have 6 French Brittany's. Lola (Black and White female) deceased TAN Antar (Orange and White roan male) French Import deceased CH Jamari (black and white roan female) French Import CH Lord (orange and white male) French Import call name Kona TAN Male CH TAN GUN Lacie (orange and white female) call name Skylar Female CH Nova Sur le Delavan TAN Female Otto Von Guten Bois du Soliel TAN Male Petrol Bois du Soliel (Diesel) Tri Color Male 
Puppies
Please see our puppy page for announcements for this springs Top Flight breeding of all Champion EB's. All of our dogs are registered through the UKC with the CEB-US Breed Club and AKC. |
About Us
Chip Mearns Quail Hunting in southern Arizona 2015 with Lola, Antar and Jamari |
Bois du Soleil on Hunting Springs Farm is a small family run kennel who's primary mission is to enjoy our passion of upland bird hunting with bird dogs since 2003 with Epagnuel Bretons. This includes having the best dogs from some of the best French Bloodlines of Epagneul Bretons (French Brittany's). We have gone to France several times and are proud to consider Dominique & Pat as well as Virginie and Emelyne Pozo as family friends.
OUR GOALHunting is about traditions and time with family and friends. Grouse Camp 2016 |
