doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com How many hunting seasons for you?

The late Havilah Babcock wrote a story entitled "Jaybirds go to Hell on Fridays"-- same as a Bluejay? Our 7 acre yard, heavily wooded with shade trees, hosts: Robins (Our State bird), Cardinals, Bluejays, mourning Doves, black birds, both blackwing and redwing variations, grackles, starlings and an occasional crow.

I have my grandchildren believing that there are 3 species of the dove: morning doves, afternoon doves and evening doves. Some day they'll find out that their Grandfather was "putting them on"> No big deal, as Michigan will get a legal season on doves when Hillary gives hubby Slick Willy a "Lewinski" in Central Park at High Noon.

Well, I'll just let my 50 yr. old grandson clean them for me.

I remember well you recounting that dove shoot with your Dad. I recall your saying that he placed yardage markers before he ever sat down to begin shooting.

SRH

Yup, me too. I'll probably long have been measured up for a box, but wouldn't mind it at all if I could carry my gun and two or three decoys out somewhere. I wouldn't care for a limit or not, I'd really enjoy folding one with cupped wings, that came in to my call. Then, my old grandson can come pick me up with some eco friendly golf cart and gather up all my gear.

Stan I watched him. He had not been hunting in several decades. Had to talk him into it. I think the Fox did most of the talking plus his grand kids helped. I put him in an area that would give him good left to right shots with few coming from behind him or few right at him on the end of the field. He sat there and watched the few birds moving for twenty minutes at least. He use to call this reading the field. Then he went and cut five or six tall weeds and placed them out in front of him to use as distance markers and also as marking point when he knocked down a bird. Then he went to work. Steady singles taken, then retrieved. I don't think he shot more than two birds before he retrieved them. In a little over an hour he was limited out. Like I said a limit in less than a box. Better than I have done many a day. If I live another fifty seasons I will not forget it. Gives me hope that I can shoot as long as I want to.

This is very nice topic. It inspired me to try hunting again this year. I'm going to find ole' Winchester 37 20ga to hunt with. Why? It was my first shotgun and being bad shot I'm not going to be able to shoot twice, therefore, I will not have to prepare and eat what I shot. Too much work, but I do want to get back into the wilderness. Thank you.

I now have a collection of hunting licenses going back to 1957 in Maryland and back to 1958 in Pennsylvania, 61 years by my count. Of course, that does not count Whammo, Daisy, and long bow victims at an earlier age.

So I recall, from my modest collection of Havilah Babcock's works- My favorites are "Tennessee" and "Slim Boggin's Mistake", but you can't go wrong with any of his stories.

Shot my first bird, a pintail, in 1955, so 63. Tagged along with my Dad and brother for 3-4 years before that.

Great story about the fox drive. Many Winters ago, a group wpuld meet Sunday AM early-for a breakfast/coffee meeting, to plan out which square sections of farm land we would drive, and who would be the "stand shooters"- My first time out, I could hear the sounds the drivers made, some banging on pots with hammer handles- a streak of red fur came running towards my stand, I swung my 12 A-5 ahead, like on a rabbit crossing, shot, and rolled the fox over twice.

This was when a prime Winter fox fur pelt might fetch upwards of $30.00, a fact I didn't know, as I am not a fur trapper. I had a heavy load of coppered 4's (homage to Nash Buckingham I might guess)- the fox was riddled, and the pelt was not worth much in that condition.

Since then, I have shot many fox and coyotes, mainly with either my Sako .243Win, or my Dad's older M70 30-06-- but I'll always remember that first one. RWTF

47 years with a real gun and at least 53 tagging along. Can't remember how old I was but I remember the first time I got to carry a bagged rooster, but it was huge and I was very honored to be entrusted with it.