Hunt Overview
Date: October 14, 2026
Locations: Nashwauk, MN & Deer River, MN (Itasca County Public Lands / Chippewa National Forest region)
Target Species: Ruffed Grouse & American Woodcock
Dogs: Sweep (pointing dog) & Tasha (14-year-old veteran pointing dog)
Morning Session: Hitting the Trails North of Nashwauk
We returned to a few tried-and-true spots north of Nashwauk, Minnesota, hoping to bag our first ruffed grouse of the day. With Sweep well-rested after a few days off, she got the first call.
When we arrived at the trailhead, an ATV hunter's truck and trailer were already parked. Sure enough, shortly after releasing Sweep, we crossed paths with the rider. He mentioned a slow morning, noting he hadn't seen any grouse yet and that overall numbers felt low in the area this season.
Working the Cover Lines
We pushed past the main trail onto a smaller, quieter side spur.
First Encounter: A quick woodcock point, but the bird held too tight and flushed without offering a clean shooting lane.
First Harvest: A bit farther down the trail, Sweep locked up on a second woodcock. This time, I connected, dropping the bird cleanly. Unfortunately, a ruffed grouse flushed at the sound of the shot, but thick cover kept it hidden from view.
Dog Work Highlights: Sweep did an exceptional job tracking down the downed woodcock, finding it much closer than expected. Finding fallen birds she didn’t directly watch drop has been about a 50/50 split for her, so this was a great win.
We pushed deeper into uncharted territory for this specific run. We flushed one more woodcock without a shot opportunity, and worked our back to the main trail empty-handed on grouse. Back on the main artery, Sweep bumped a single grouse—forgivable given the tricky tailwind working against her nose.
Back at the truck, a second ATV trailer pulled up looking for the first hunter (reminding us just how sketchy cell reception can be in the deep Itasca County woods). After loading Sweep into her kennel, we shifted gears toward Deer River.
Afternoon Session: Deer River Woodcock and Senior Dog Adventures
For the afternoon hunt, we headed near our place close to Deer River, MN. After a successful run there last week featuring plenty of woodcock contacts, the primary goal was getting my 14-year-old pointing dog, Tasha, on some solid points.
Quick Success: Within the first five minutes, Tasha delivered a textbook point on a woodcock. I connected on the flush, adding another bird to the bag.
Pushing Deeper: We worked the trail further than our previous outing, managing a wild flush from a ruffed grouse. With zero wind in the timber, it was no surprise Tasha didn't catch scent in time to establish a point.
The Senior Dog Challenge: On the return trek, Tasha went on point. My Garmin tracking watch initially showed her just 35 yards into the thick brush, but quickly ticked up to 100, then 150 yards. Dealing with a nearly deaf senior dog makes redirection tough. I tapped the vibrate mode on her collar to turn her around, but she pushed out to 300 yards. Navigating the heavy cover quickly, I managed to break back onto the trail. She had closed to 70 yards but veered the wrong way. After another chase reaching 250 yards, she finally turned, trotted back like nothing happened, and got leashed up for the walk back. Despite her age and range mishap, lasting a full hour of strong hunting in heavy cover is incredible for a 14-year-old dog.
Post-Hunt Recovery
The next morning brought wet, gloomy weather, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Both Sweep and Tasha were limping slightly from the previous day's mileage, so giving the hard-working hunting dogs a mandatory rest day was an easy call that didn't waste any prime hunting weather.
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