Partridge Country—A Northwoods Partridge Hunting Story

The culture of Partridge Hunting

Partridge Country is a cultural exploration of the traditions of ruffed grouse and woodcock hunting in northern New England without the use of dogs. Join Natural Born Hunter podcast host Will Bradley as he submerges himself into Partridge hunting as it is referred to by the locals. Will is able to submerge himself in the past times and traditions of local partridge hunting to better understand how traditions change from one region to the next.

“If you surround yourself with great people in a great place, you are going to have a great experience.” – Will Bradley

Many of us just call it ruffed grouse hunting, but partridge hunting is for some embedded into who they are. This is not about which way is better, but about celebrating the traditions of bird hunting no matter how different, unusual, or old they may be.

“I took special note of that colloquialism because partridge hunting is also what they call it in northern Wisconsin where I grew up hunting grouse. At least that was how my elders referred to it. Although where Vallee says pahtridge hunting with his New England accent, my Wisconsin grandfather emphasized the hard ‘r,’ with partridge. My family also didn’t hunt grouse with dogs. We walked them up just like Vallee does. But not because of any sense of disapproval for their use—I’d love to hunt with a dog sometime—but more because of simple practicality and circumstance. – Wide Open Spaces

Project Upland is a bird hunting initiative that promotes the future of upland bird hunting through videos, online blogs, and other media outlets. By capturing the essence of the grouse woods, it seeks to inspire a future generation of upland bird hunters in all sporting traditions. Whatever your game, this epic bird hunting video series tells your stories.