Chapter 10, October Summary and Analysis

October is the hunting season for the rough grouse in Adams County. The best time to hunt for the grouse is when the tamaracks turn smoky gold. They turn the right color when the northern frosts start and bring down the sparrows, woodcock and juncos. The narrator says that different hunts have different flavors. The sweetest hunts are those that are stolen by going to a place so deep in the wilderness where nobody has been or by stealing a hunt right under someone's nose. Not many hunters know that there is grouse in Adams county, and this pleases the narrator.

The tamaracks are the best indicator of when to go hunting. They grow in the swamps and in the upland springs. The narrator goes out with his dog, his lunch packed, and walks along enjoying the different birds...