The walls of my friend Dave’s cabin are lined with notes about past hunts.

There are so many things to do when fall rolls around. There are just not enough hours in the day, days in the month, or months in the season. Still, I managed to set aside a couple of days for some woodcock and grouse hunting up north.  

It has become an annual trip to head to Moose Junction, Wis., for this bird event. Moose Junction is pretty much fly over land on your way to Lake Superior unless you’re bear hunting, snowmobiling or wing shooting. Regardless, it’s a quiet place where life moves at a different pace. A 12-month year could easily be replaced by a four-season calendar: fishing, hunting, snowmobiling and spring.  

For this outing I was the guest of a high school classmate and friend, Dave, along with his loyal and gifted Small Munsterlander bird dog named Falco. I have hunted and fished with Dave and Falco before and they both have my admiration and respect. Falco is around two years old but is as seasoned a hunting dog as I have ever been around  He even has that “what’s up with that” look when you miss a bird. When you connect, his boundless energy and enthusiastic retrieves are a treat to witness.  

Dave’s cabin is slightly off the beaten path so if you don’t pay close attention, you’re almost guaranteed to miss the turnoff. The grass driveway leads to a shack that looks like it was transported from a southern swamp, whiskey still and all. The gaps in the boards cobbled together to make the walls make it impossible to sleep late. The cold either keeps you up or the morning sun wakes you up as soon it appears in the eastern sky. But you know what? The place is terrific and I enjoy every second that I am there. From rehashing the day’s hunt to talking about the old days, spending time in this place is a simple pleasure.  

The interior walls of the cabin also serve as a running history of the place and those who have stayed there. For example, a scribbled note on the wall told me that years ago Becky and Greg got engaged on their way to Bayfield. Dave J. bagged a 275-pound bear in 1998, and Steve shot a 158-pound, eight-point buck with his bow at 4:10 p.m. in 1999.

But enough about the awesome cabin, birds were the cause for my reunion with Dave and Falco. When it comes to woodcock and grouse, I’m not a huge threat to them. Oh sure, I’ve bagged a few in my life but unless you do this on a regular basis it’s a humbling sport. Only minutes into the hunt I was reminded how dang hard it was to hit those whirling, darting, miniature targets. A woodcock leapt into the air, directly overhead, and bolted so quickly to safety that I was left with my gun tangled in the underbrush. I had a smile on my face because of how ridiculously fast it all happened and just how far behind the action I was from actually getting a shot off.    

As the day and the hunt wore one, we tried to alternate shooting opportunities. If you have ever hunted like that you know that it seldom works out mathematically. One person always seems to be in the right spot (my friend Dave) and the other guy is always behind a pine tree at the wrong time (me). I never bagged a bird but it was a thrill to watch Dave and Falco do their thing.    

After a couple of days of hunting it was time to head south towards home, but I couldn’t leave without leaving my mark on the cabin wall:   

Dave Beck  

Woodcock Hunt  

10/17/23   0-3  

10/18/23   0-3  

Didn’t get enough Dave this week? Visit “Outdoor Trails and Tales with Dave Beck” on Facebook for photos and video of Dave’s adventures. You can share your own photos and video with him there as well, or by emailing him at dave@piercecountyjournal.news Also, check out OTT content on Instagram @thepiercecountyjournal