#356 | What Grouse Hunting Is Really About with Andy Wayment

Idaho Grouse Fever author Andy Wayment joins Nick to talk about bird dogs, grouse literature, favorite shotguns, and what keeps a life of grouse hunting meaningful.

Andy returns to the podcast with two new projects: Idaho Grouse Fever: An Obsession for All Things Grouse and Breaking Cover, a monthly podcast focused on upland literature and tradition. He explains why his latest book reaches across all five of Idaho's grouse species and mixes hunting stories with classic writing, sporting art, shotguns, named coverts, and the friendships built around them.

I was halfway through the book when we recorded, and what kept standing out was Andy's attention to everything surrounding the bird in hand. We talk about Rainy's growth into a seasoned grouse dog, what Aki learned by hunting alongside her, and what I hope Hazel might pick up from Rose this fall. Andy also takes us into the mystery behind Corey Ford's The Road to Tinkhamtown, including the clues that suggest its fictional covert was rooted in a real place.

The conversation closes with broken and lost Ruger Red Labels, a first ruffed grouse double with a 16-gauge side-by-side, the beauty of Idaho's Franklin grouse, and Andy's belief that the highs and lows are what make progress in the grouse woods feel earned.

Chapters

00:00 Keeping grouse hunting honest 01:44 Andy Wayment returns to the Birdshot Podcast 02:44 Breaking Cover and the books behind upland hunting 09:35 Counting down to Idaho's grouse opener 11:36 A new setter, an older dog, and another season 13:27 How Rainy became a seasoned grouse dog 20:21 Teaching a golden retriever to hunt grouse 24:27 What a young dog can learn from an older dog 29:09 Why Andy wrote Idaho Grouse Fever 31:39 Tinkhamtown, Sleepy Hollow, and grouse-country fiction 33:32 Ross Young and Jay Dowd bring the book to life 38:41 Searching for the real Tinkhamtown 45:08 What grouse hunting becomes over time 48:17 Lost guns, Ruger Red Labels, and shotgun fit 53:37 Andy's first ruffed grouse double 1:01:21 Why Franklin grouse stand out in Idaho 1:04:36 Named coverts and the places hunters remember 1:05:36 Where to find Idaho Grouse Fever

Questions from the episode

What is Idaho Grouse Fever about?

Idaho Grouse Fever: An Obsession for All Things Grouse collects Andy Wayment's stories about hunting all five of Idaho's grouse species. The book also reaches into bird dogs, sporting literature, shotguns, art, named coverts, mistakes, and friendships. Andy describes it as a book for people who think about grouse hunting eight days a week.

Why does grouse hunting become about more than finding birds?

The hunt grows to include everything surrounding the bird: companionship with dogs, time with friends, the history of a place, and the search itself. Andy says the highs and lows make successful moments sweeter because growth comes through both. Nick adds that if grouse hunting were easy, much of the fun would disappear.

Can a golden retriever that is not from hunting stock learn to hunt grouse?

Andy's golden retriever Aki did. She first learned by hunting alongside Rainy, watching for the pointing dog's bell to go quiet, and racing in to find birds. Over time, Aki became more independent, worked mostly within about 30 yards, flushed birds in range, and developed into the retriever Andy trusts most with a bird.

What is Tinkhamtown, and why does it matter to grouse hunters?

The Road to Tinkhamtown is Corey Ford's classic fictional grouse story. Andy found clues in an unedited version of the story and in writing by Ford's hunting companions that suggest the covert drew from a real place. That turns the story into something close to a treasure hunt for the grouse hunter's ideal cover.

Which shotguns does Andy Wayment hunt with?

Andy rotates am