# Upland game opener, Northern Sweden



## seww (Oct 29, 2017)

So tomorrow Saturday is the opening day for upland game over here in Sweden. For me, that means grouse. Black grouse and caipercaille are what me and my dog are after, starting in the morning.

We hiked out to our hunting cabin, almost 3 miles, and we're wet. Been raining the entire hike. Oh well, the stove is lit and when Im finished with my coffee, Im hitting our wood-burning sauna.
Wish us luck tomorrow boys!


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## taxidermist (Sep 11, 2007)

Sounds like a great time! Best of luck, and be safe. Send pics for sure.


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## seww (Oct 29, 2017)

So that was that.
Rainy and wet morning but we headed out. Doggy found some birds but none of them would tree for us. No luck.

Was a long morning hunt, about 5 hours before we came back to camp for lunch and to dry up a bit.
Ate and rested til dinner time, ate more and then we headed out again, different direction and other areas.

No luck now either. Saw a few but not one tree'd. Many tracks of moose but saw none.
Nice evening though, sun came out and the forest dried. 

We just got out of the sauna again, and now it's time to rest for another hunt in the morning!
Sorry no pics, bad weather so didn't take my phone out. Also nothing to capture...


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

You say "tree'd"...does this mean you won't/can't shoot them on the wing? A sauna sounds like a nice touch for a hunting cabin. Sweden to Utah is probably going to be a bit of a learning curve.


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## seww (Oct 29, 2017)

Just that I won't shoot them unless the dog tree them. It's one way of hunting here, the dog will find them on the ground and scare them up a tree and then he will sit there and bark. 
The bark will confuse them and alert me where he is and in what tree the bird sit.

And since these grouse have amazing eye-sight, you gotta be real sneaky to get within 50-30 yards to get a clear shot.
Very challenging hunt.

Got no luck yesterday either. The dog got one to tree but I think he was barking up the wrong tree though and I scared it.
Me and my uncle almost walked over 5 birds laying in the marsh.

And my phone is screwing with me, write more later..



BPturkeys said:


> You say "tree'd"...does this mean you won't/can't shoot them on the wing? A sauna sounds like a nice touch for a hunting cabin. Sweden to Utah is probably going to be a bit of a learning curve.


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## seww (Oct 29, 2017)

Well the first birdie is down for the season. 
This particular hunt is full of surprises.

Bundy, my dog, ran into this younger forest and found a few birds, one passed in front of me but never tree'd. He followed but went back. I heard him scare another one, could even hear the bird tree. They're big enough to make noise when they tree.
He started barking and between the trees I saw the black roster looking at him!

I did take a shot but it was too far and I missed. Lucky me the dumb bird didn't flinch. I sneaked closer as Bundy kept barking. Got close enough but couldn't see the tree. So I had to crawl for a bit to find an opening and I took another shot right in the chest and the bird fell down into the jaws of death. 🙂

Both me and Bundy are happy we got one, it's always the first one that's the tough one.
See if we get any more before we fly over to Utah.

Stupid phone wont let me add a pic. Ill figure it out.


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## Airborne (May 29, 2009)

Very cool story! I was bird hunting last year and stayed in an AirBNB that we shared with a guy from Sweden. We talked bird hunting and he described exactly what you are doing as the preferred method for hunting grouse in Sweden. He said his father had a couple of 'tree barker' dogs that were really good. Always interesting to hear how other enjoy the sport.


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## seww (Oct 29, 2017)

Nice! We're not that many in the country who enjoy this method, but it is fun!

Attached a pic of a happy bloody doggy!



Airborne said:


> Very cool story! I was bird hunting last year and stayed in an AirBNB that we shared with a guy from Sweden. We talked bird hunting and he described exactly what you are doing as the preferred method for hunting grouse in Sweden. He said his father had a couple of 'tree barker' dogs that were really good. Always interesting to hear how other enjoy the sport.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

seww said:


> Nice! We're not that many in the country who enjoy this method, but it is fun!
> 
> Attached a pic of a happy bloody doggy!


Way cool! I've got a buddy up here in Alaska whose wife surprised him with a West Siberian Laika pup last spring. We might have to try out this method of treeing grouse and see if it works on the spruce grouse up here! I doubt our ptarmigan would work as there aren't any trees on the tundra, but it'd be fun to give it a whirl anyways!


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## seww (Oct 29, 2017)

Nice! A friend of mine had a Laika for moose hunting up here. Many people hunt with off-leashed dogs here, dogs will find the moose and bark and confuse them til you can sneak upon them and shoot.

Nah ptarmigan will most likely not tree for any dog, they don't work the same way. Know some people will hunt ptarmigan in late February or March, on the snow, with pointers/setters or similar dogs.
Since ptarmigans chill up in the mountains where the snow is not so thick, but hard or not at all due to wind, the dogs can run without a problem.

But the Laika's do have that sense to tree grouse and other creatures so I bet you'll have a good time! Just bring a big gun in case the pupper finds something very big and brown... 
Going to be fun to let my dog off to see if he'll find some grouse in Utah, excited to see.



johnnycake said:


> Way cool! I've got a buddy up here in Alaska whose wife surprised him with a West Siberian Laika pup last spring. We might have to try out this method of treeing grouse and see if it works on the spruce grouse up here! I doubt our ptarmigan would work as there aren't any trees on the tundra, but it'd be fun to give it a whirl anyways!


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