Scherder's Premium English Setters

Grousin' Honse Maximus Michigan UP October 2017. Extraordinary dog on this bird.

Just got back from our annual grouse hunt in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The grouse population is up swinging in a hurry! The reports from the experts this summer predicted just a 20% increase and only in some places. Last year our flush per hour rate was only 1.10 per hour in 40 hrs of hunting. In only one year it jumped to 2.57 per hour in 36 hrs which I consider very good.

Here's my top pick from our litter Honse. Going into his second season he's already achieved perfection as a grouse dog. He pointed and held 28 birds during the 7 day hunt and has an uncanny knack of getting me the shots at these birds. His litter mate Harrison is still developing and will be good on grouse as time goes on. He's great on pheasants at this point. Overall between the two dogs I took 32 shots and hit 15 for a shooting percentage of .469 which proves the quality of the chances the dogs got for the gun.

I stay at Sportsman's Paradise Resort, F***h, Michigan. Paula and Ron Slagle phone 906-246-3430. The cabins and grounds are outstanding and picturesque sitting by Lake Norway. Best in grouse hunting on the UP with excellent fishing if you wish to do some. I'm sure they have some openings between now and the end of October.

Note: I use both a bell and a beeper while hunting the wild country of the U.P.

Weather is beautiful and cool enough for training in up north PA now. I've never seen two dogs more bird crazy than these two! Nor have I ever seen two male siblings get along so well.

Penn's woods is loaded with natural food for all wildlife this fall. The crop is bountiful with every berry, apple and wild grape imaginable available. It's a smorgasbord out there!

We flushed 5 grouse and a woodcock during the two hour session with 3 productive points.

PA Game Commission predicts this years grouse season to be the same as 2014 which was very low. My own prediction says it will be much better than last. Broods I've located of Grouse and Wild Turkey lately have averaged 5 to 6 birds which is good. I see an increase of 40 to 50% over last year. Well see how it goes! But this will only bring it up to average since '14 was so down.

This is one of the two female pups from last years litter. I wanted to keep her so bad but it just wasn't practical. She belongs to Laird Kroh of Canonsburg, PA. I named her Dixie Belle but Laird preferred Missy. One photo is at 8 months and the other at 11. I turned three buyers down in favor of Laird. He is a dedicated lover of pedigree dogs and offered her the best home and a life of riches and luxury. Laird adores this dog and keeps in touch periodically.