About Us

The Grouse Woods

Founded by our father’s vision to create private hunting grounds, The Grouse Woods at Red Gate Farm, formerly Hidden Meadows Farm, is a membership hunting and fishing club located in Temple, NH, supported by history and strengthened by the simplicity of hard work.

As a NH Licensed hunting preserve since 1987, our guests are accompanied by the best of hunting dogs, reliable companions that know how to track and keep time with your personal pace.

As for our bird covers, they have to be seen to be believed; more often than not, they’re mistaken as original features from Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazines.

Red Gate Farm

Our Dad, Martin Connolly, started hunting when he was eleven. Now in his seventies, he still follows his dogs as he followed his vision to start these private hunting grounds. A select few are open to our members on land that began as an old sheep pasture and matured to the forest we know as The Grouse Woods.

With his sons following in his footsteps, the Connolly family has restored the farmland to its early colonial aesthetic, situated adjacent to a contemporary working farm.

Owned and operated by the Connolly family, The Grouse Woods at Red Gate Farm represents family values and promotes good sportsmanship ensured by our commitment to gun safety procedures. We allow “walk-up” hunting exclusively; hunting parties are limited to 4 with a maximum of 2 loaded guns in the field at any given time.

In the spirit of family values, we often invite members to gather in our kitchen for coffee and conversation. We also have a clubhouse that individual groups can use to host large gatherings.

Responsibility for our Environment

We consider ourselves custodians of the farm and its surrounding environment. The Connolly family is committed to environmental responsibility.

Part of that responsibility involves raising game birds and native fish to support recreational hunting and fishing opportunities. In addition, we have increased the carrying capacity for native game, as well as non-native species on our land.

We continue to maintain logging and access roads, ensuring that they remain in good working condition to perform and attain our goals, while providing everyone access to the benefits and resources inherent in the land.

Walking these trails is like boarding a time machine. The work of several generations of farmers is unmistakable, reflected in the rocky ground and hinted at in wood decays, iron rust, and cellar holes — now homes to root systems for aged trees.

The Grouse Woods at Red Gate Farm is a time capsule surrounded by bogs, swamps, oak ridges, brambles, and weed-grown meadows. This terrain reveals what hunting used to be and how we think it still should be.

What will the Future Bring?

Anchored by the past, our family looks ahead to future plans for The Grouse Woods. We intend to introduce the following:

• A modernized, larger dog kennel to house hunting dogs for those members who do not own their own hunting companion
• A more spacious and functional area to gather for lunch or simply to sit and relax