#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 Tinkham Town, 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 Tinkham Town, Sleepy Hollow, and grouse-country fiction
33:32 Ross Young and Jay Dowd bring the book to life
38:41 Searching for the real Tinkham Town
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 Tinkham Town, and why does it matter to grouse hunters?

The Road to Tinkham Town 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 among a Ruger Red Label 12 gauge, a Ruger Red Label 28 gauge with a straight grip, and a 16-gauge TriStar Bristol side-by-side. Fit and confidence determine which gun he carries. The Bristol produced his first ruffed grouse double, while the lighter Red Label 28 remains his go-to grouse gun.

What is the Breaking Cover podcast about?

Breaking Cover is a monthly conversation about upland hunting books and literary tradition. Andy co-hosts it with Matt Millbauer. Their first episode covered Pheasants of the Mind by Datus C. Proper and Pheasant Hunter's Harvest by Steve Grooms, with later episodes planned around other writers and seasonal themes.

Where can listeners find Idaho Grouse Fever?

Andy says the book is available through Amazon, while signed copies can be ordered through his Upland Ways website. Use the Birdshot affiliate link below to buy the book on Amazon, or order a signed copy directly from Andy.

Connect with Andy Wayment

Upland Ways: https://uplandways.com/
Buy Idaho Grouse Fever on Amazon (affiliate link): https://amzn.to/4quFd8K
Signed copies of Idaho Grouse Fever: https://uplandways.com/2026/05/05/preorder-a-signed-copy-of-idaho-grouse-fever-an-obsession-for-all-things-grouse/

Breaking Cover on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-cover/id6789762324

Listen and follow

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/17EVUDJPwR2iJggzhLYil7
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/birdshot-podcast/id1288308609
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@birdshot.podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birdshot.podcast/
Website: https://www.birdshotpodcast.com/

Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by Upland Gun Company, Final Rise, and Irish Setter Boots.

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