Hey all, as in years past, thought I'd start this thread for this years season.

Please stay on topic, be kind, no personal insults or snarky comments. Let's just have fun here and enjoy all the posts.

Wishing you all a very successful and especially safe season!

So, let's see all those great pictures.

Best Regards

Greg

Greg,
Thanks for initiating it again! Busy planning my season. Grousemas starts up here in 12 days.
Best wishes for a great season to everyone!
Karl

I drew a marginal hunt spot on opening day, Saturday, and only downed 12. On Monday I secured a more successful spot and was able to go down 11 in the morning hunt only. I alternated between the boss 12 bore side-by-side and OU. Let’s see some more dove hunt pictures!

I can't ID the cigar, a Cohiba perhaps? But if I could have one and only side-by-side sidelock doublegun, it would be your Boss as shown. "Thous shall not covet" rings true, My 1912 mfg. L.C. Smith 4E is about as close "bit no cigar" to the Boss, so I can settle with the "Elsie"-only half-way to your success, we don't have a legal dove season here- in the early Canada goose season, with field shell decoys in cut winter wheat fields near farm ponds, so far I have not pulled in any Canadas to date, but boy howdy, doves and barn pigeons. I love to shoot the legal year around pigeons, but NOT with steel or bismuth loads. RWTF

Owen, tell us about the Boss O/U

Looks tasty! What is the wine?----Matt

A great experience with my lovely W&E 28 ga, B&P fibre wad shells and wood pigeons. 7 shells for three birds. Enough birds for cooking them. Sorry, I had problems with the first picture and deleted the first post.





The wine is a great Spanish Mauro. Thanks!

Nice work campero! Monday’s results below with the o/u. It is choked Mod/XF which actually worked out OK as most of my shots were long.

Hey all, today was NoDak's Grouse and Hun opener. It was a nice day weather wise, a bit of a wind, but not too terrible. My son Jim and I went to a friends ranch where we start out the season every year. It was a good opener. It took me a couple hours to limit. Jim was just shy of his by one. We each got a double out of a covey rise. I got a single prior to that. Raina (who's going to be 10 this year) did a good job as usual. We got into birds right off the bat, but for some reason they were spooky and wouldn't hold point. Out of the 5 we got only one was an older bird, the rest were young ones. A good sign. Always a great day when I'm out with my boy'. They are my best hunting partners, bar none.

I used my 16b John Wilkes today. This is my opening day gun for grouse



Raina with the days bag. Jim used his 20ga AyA Matador III



We'll see what tomorrow brings!

Greg

Greg,
Looks like you had a very good start to your season, here's hoping for a great season for all!
Karl

Parker DHE two gauge set, today with the 32" set in 20 gauge. The 32" set of 16 ga. barrels will get used during the late season. RST 20 ga. LITE shells. Chokes F and F.

Edited to add picture.

Custom Lefever 20 ga. , engraved with a sharptail grouse motif. On a windy last day, I enjoyed my custom gun by Sam Welch and Dennis Potter.

Hey all, went out after Mass today, solo (it does pay to go to Church, BTW). Hunted a spot by the house, and I limited in about 50 minutes. Should have gotten a double on the first group we got up, but alas not. Did double on the next group. These birds (all young) held very well for Addie. Addie did a great job, quartered great and very staunch points. She's a natural!

Used my 16b Hellis today



And the hero of the day, Addie!



Best,

Greg

Stan,

Every time you post a picture of that Parker gun at work, I ask myself 'What could have I been thinking' back then? But it pleases me knowing you are getting a lot of enjoyment out of both sets of those 32" tubes. You and yours stay well and keep at it, Amigo.


Rob

Nice outing on doves this afternoon. Went back to one of my 20 ga. Fabbri doubles...... Shooting was good, New migrants on a crisp North Wind....first real nice weather day of the season. I took the first 14 with one barrel..... pushed the limits a bit on the 15th, and had to settle for one miss.....

Hey all, went out by myself today. Went back up to where we hunted on Saturday. Took Addie again, it was Raina's turn to go, but she was limping a bit, so I want her to heal up. Anyway, was able to limit within an hour. The birds I got were all singles, and young birds. It was a good day away from work!

I used my 16b Charles Boswell



Addie



And a view of the area I hunted, they like to hang around that woodlot



Best,

Greg

Greg, I am amazed at your ability to switch guns every outing and still shoot so well. A tip of the hat and I wish I could do that. Mark

I cheated a little...

Nice Rubberhead! Which country were you in? That looks like a Hartman's zebra. My son and I took one in Namibia. We want to go back so badly too!

Thanks Mark for the very kind words!

Heck, I really don't think to much about it. I just grab one and go from there. Guess I'm just lucky I can shoot them at all!

Thanks again!

Stay well my friend

Greg

Thanks for noticing. I hunted the Limpopo region of South Africa. It's a Burchell's Zebra. We looked at a lot of zebra before finding a good stallion. I was lucky that he didn't have a lot of shadow stripes. This is a better look.

Pretty gun Stan. Yourbrsponse….just little verbose though.

Thanks, Buzz. She's fun.

BTW, how would you have worded the post to be less "verbose"? Maybe this is a learning opportunity for me.

I will definitely keep at it, as long as I can put one foot in front of the other. What a wonderful gun you allowed me to enjoy. It is just a prize.

I hope that, when I begin to disseminate my double guns, I am able to place them in the hands of those who will appreciate and use them as much as I do yours. Blessings on you, my brother.

Greg, that's a nice pic of the countryside where you hunt. I had wondered what it looked like, having never been to N. Dakota. How long before frost kills all the green grass? And, do you hunt public lands, or private?

Thanks SH for the kind words! Well, as far as frost goes, just depends. Two years ago we had 17" of snow on Pheasant Opener (Oct 12 or so) a few years back in was 80 above on Deer Opener (Nov 7). Really no time table. Whenever we get a hard freeze. The last couple years we had droughts, grass was always brown. This year was good for rain.

As far as hunting goes, I mainly hunt private land. We live in a small farm town (about 40 people in town, doesn't include farmers/ranchers). Everyone knows everyone. The town has a school, bar and Church. I love it here!!!! Next move I'll ever make is to the Church and then the graveyard.

Thanks again!

Best Regards!

Greg

Stan, your posts are fine- no "verbosity" that I can detect, and besides, it is perfectly fine to extol the fine shooting qualities of that dual gauge DHE- rare I should think with 32" F&F choking. Since the frame accepts both 16 and 20 gauge barrel sets, is it a No. 1 frame, or a No. O size? RWTF

Since gjw didn’t invite me I had to go on my own. Shot these Sage grouse with my twist action Darne

A close up of the action.

It is a #1 frame gun, Francis.

Always a smarta$$, jolly joker!

I thought you were on the Dark Continent.

So......where did get Sage Hen's?

Stay well you old pirate!

Greg

Hey all, went out today after Mass, couldn't go yesterday, we got some much needed rain (all day). Anyway, was able to limit in less than a couple hours. Two were singles and one was in a big bunch. Adddie did well again! She's a natural!

Used my 16ga FN today, still don't know the model, it was made in 1945 however.



And......Addie!



Best,

Greg

Greg:

Whatever FN model it might be, it's certainly a nice gun. And it looks like you know how to use it.

Rem

Very nice gun. Poor pup looks like she wants to get back to work.

I went out today for the first time this season. I did manage one Franklin grouse rooster.


_________
TC

Thanks so much for the very kind words!

Best,

Greg

Beautiful picture, Tim!

I was teasing Stan. There appeared to be 4 of the same photos and text. Sorry for not clarifying.

Hey all, went out early today before the wind picked up. Good thing I did. Was able to limit in about 1 1/2 hours. Got a double, then got a single out of a covey that got up kind of wild. Wasn't sure I hit the last one, but over the hill came Addie with it! The wind picked up to about 20 mph by the time I shot the last one. Good day!

I used my 16ga Uggie 1030 today



And.....of course Addie!



This weekend is our duck opener, hope to have some pictures of that to post.

Best,

Greg

Greg,

You sure have the nicest collection of shotguns. I really enjoy your hunting pictures, always great to see. I like the Uggie 1030 with the Woodward claw fences. Good stuff.

Tim

Thanks so much for your very kind words, they are much appreciated!

To be honest I think my pictures are kinda boring.

Anyone have any suggestions on taking better pictures, like backgrounds etc

Thanks again

Greg

gjw: Where's the Blanch?

Start out by looking out over the north sea, and then wait for a pheasant to jump up on the garden wall.

Dove season got off with a bang. Two great hunts in the first week. Now sort of in a holding pattern with deer hunting and various projects until quail season comes in.

Second hunt . . .

Hey Lloyd, she'll be coming out during pheasant season

Best

Greg

Greg,
I would recommend making mental note of the kinds of pics you like.
Then, take a minute and read an article or two about composition.
Compare what you read with what you like.
The rest is volume.

I like this one.

Frank’s dogs are very photogenic. They look right at the lense.

We had a fabulous 8 gun shoot yesterday. It didn't take long to get out of the field. I hadn't shot my Ithaca M37 28 ga. in many seasons. I dusted it off this season and haven't reached for another gun. 28" barrel, IC screw-in, #7.5 3/4 oz. Win AA HS. Gil

Balancing a dog biscuit on top of the camera helps to establish that attentive gaze.

Hey all, well, today was No Dak's Waterfowl opener. Not great, but we did manage a few. Almost all Bluewings, didn't see a lot of big ducks, just the Susie. We hunted the place we scouted last weekend. There were plenty of birds then, but today, not that many today. We did find a small pothole that had a lot birds on it, going to try that tomorrow. My son Jim made a nice double first thing this morning. I got a scotch double, which surprise the heck out of me. The goose pictured is a shared kill, Jim and I both doubled on it, so it's in both pictures.

Jim's birds. He was using a Zabala Brittany



My birds. I used my CZ Hammer Classic, nice gun BTW



Till tomorrow!

Greg

Last minute shoot this afternoon. I received a text at 12 noon that I was invited, and to be there at 2:30 pm. Okay. I arrived late, everyone else was on the field and already shooting, but I chose a spot in a corner, by a hay bale. Tough choice. Bad location until about 5:00 pm, when the birds started moving my way. I did the best I could with the DHE Parker 32" 20 ga. and RST no. 8 Lites. Ended the day shooting down a limit.



Sweet Caroline ........... good times never felt so good.

Hey all, today was day two of our opener for waterfowl. It sucked!!! Hunting wise that it. It was one of those bluebird days. Not a cloud in the sky, and nothing flying! Even at the break of day. We saw few birds and no one else shooting. I was able to shot a spoonbill and my son Jim dropped a Pintail (which was lost in the bulrushes). The only bright spot was being out with my son!

Here's the days bag



Best,

Greg

Hey all, my son Jim and I switched gears today from duck hunting to do a little grouse hunting. It was a good day. Jim was the hot gun and was able to limit in about 1/2 hour. He got a nice double, then a single. I had to work a bit harder, took me 2 hours to limit. All singles. It was Addie's turn to hunt and she did very well. Excellent points and nice retrieves. Great day with my son.....I'm blessed!

I used my 16ga Garbi 100



Jim used his AyA 20ga Matador III



And of course.....Addie!



Monday and Tuesday are duck hunting days.

Best,

Greg

Not a huge buck but 165lbs live weight which is good for us, especially for a younger buck. Honestly compels me to admit that I was aiming for a heart shot but pulled it a little...luckily pulled it up into the base of the neck. He bang-flopped and didn't move much after that. I'll take a quick, clean shot any day but made a mental note to "squeeze instead of snap". I'm too old to make such rookie mistakes.

I figure this buck is 2½ years old. I try to focus on 3½ or better but we were on the eve of a hurricane and some of our best woods get flooded easily. I wanted to take a meat deer while I could. I've got twenty five to thirty 1½ and 2½ year old 8-points on camera in less than 900 acres. We can't let them all live to 5½...this might sound like an attempt at an excuse, explanation or justification, maybe it is, but it is certainly not an apology. I love and have a lot of fun deer hunting with my 84 year old dad.

Few people want to understand that creating conditions for large, prime bucks include culling bucks which many would be happy as their top tier buck. That should be excellent eating. On my land deer hunters have been educated that herd number reduction is as much a ket to bigger bucks as food or cover. In fact if a group fails to harvest a quota of deer each year they lose their lease. My farmers suffer from too much crop destruction to make antler fever the rule. One group has it figured out where three guys get to go after big bucks only but the rest of the group must harvest both smaller bucks and does to keep the herd numbers down and healthy.

Billy's grandson (his twin holding tine) shot his first buck last month in Hampton Co., SC. 188 lbs. One would think that based on the crowd, the weapon was crew served. It wasn't. It was his granddad's Ruger No. 1 .270. Billy and grandsons were in a large tripod stand and the buck was at 65 yards. Gil

A brace of Columbian Sharptails. Taken with an old 16 bore Darne Halifax. Normally this gun is my go-to Chukar gun, but sometimes it finds its way into sharptail country.

Another morning in the grass. Scenting conditions the last few days have been awful. Very low humidity, warm, and zero wind. Makes it extremely tough, but somehow the dogs manage. Lots of stop to flushes when conditions are like this, but the dogs somehow find little spots in the draws and valleys where the air currents flow and scenting is a little better than on the flats. Well trained dogs that stop to flush are essential in prairie grouse country where scent conditions are horrible. We don’t consider a stop to flush a bump. Scenting is just too tough sometimes.
The brace today was shot over staunch points, but the shots weren’t close at all. First bird flushed 40 yards in front of the dog, I was 5 yards behind the dog when it took flight. The second bird, pretty much the same thing but it took a hard left in flight and presented a moderate crossing shot. Tight chokes are a good thing sometimes. Second bird flew 100+ yards, fluttered and went straight up in the air and fell. Easily marked and Jack my setter found him with no issues.

Jack on point a few hundred yards out….


Ranger the French Britt on a productive point, he’s so little he’s hard to find in knee or calf high grass…


Brace of sharptails with the 1896 Chas. Lancaster body action 12 bore that brought em’ down.

Nice guns and nicely photographed.

Is the Lancaster built with the Beesley spring open action recently featured online in Vintage Gun Journal?

Thank you. And yes, the Chas. Lancaster is a Beesley spring opener.
Beesley patent 425 of 1884. The gun also has Perkes patent ejectors (that currently work, thank God). (Perkes' ejectors patent no. 10084 of 1888).

Very nice photography! And very nice guns!

Good going. Hope to see more of your fine photographic skills

Best

Greg

Hey all, well today was our (North Dakota) Pheasant Opener. For me it translated into one word....Sucked! I saw a total of 4 birds that got up wild and that was it. None of the old reliable spots held any birds (today that is). But, didn't go home empty handed. Did manage a limit of grouse. It's been an exceptional year for grouse. Our G&F Dept said grouse are down and pheasants up. Guess time will tell on the pheasant end, but not today!

Anyway, I used my 12b Purdey today



Will see what tomorrow brings!

Greg

Hey all, day 2 of the pheasant season, except.....no pheasants! Got up one hen and a rooster that flushed wild. Boy, today my shooting was really off. Got 1 grouse, lost 1 and dropped the legs on another (he just sailed away!) . Worse is I flat out missed 2 more! Should have brought home a limit, but only one today. Oh well, just one of those days!

I used my 12b Blanch today



Best,

Greg

Pretty decent day afield. Still way too warm out, hopefully that changes soon. This first week, the birds obviously have had the “weather gauge” advantage in regards to wind, humidity, and temp. Birds can hear you walking in a mile away, you can hear the dogs breathing/panting when they’re 300 yrds out ranging. It’s tough. Still somehow managed a brace for myself. My oldest son took some time away from his college homework this weekend to walk the grass with his pops, managed his own brace. He was shooting his favorite gun….a 16 bore Winny 97’ circa 1914 choked mod. He needed all of that choke both yesterday and today.

I used my Chas. Lancaster SLE circa 1894.

Very pretty gun, Dustin.

+1 What a beauty. Great photo!

Best

Greg

Hey all, well, another day of crappy pheasant hunting! Got up one hen.....and that was it! On the bright side, did take a slight detour to go after some grouse. Got a double out of a covey rise and worked the prairie for a short time. Got one on a long shot, that was gratifying. Limited in about a 1/2 hour. The weather needs to turn I think, it's been very warm to hot, very dry and not much wind overall. Guess time will tell as they say.

Used my 12b Henry Atkin



Addie did really well, very happy with her!



Best,

Greg

Addie looks like she would appreciate some cooler temps too, Greg.

Yes indeed. We called it a bit early, the temps were starting to rise and I don't need a good dog going down. Supposed to cool off this week. Hope things improve for the Ringnecks.

Best,

Greg

I took my vintage Birmingham shotgun out for a walk today. I chased up two grouse in the bush, managed to get one. There doesn't seem to be many Ruffies this year where I am. We had a lot of moisture from May through to the middle of July which likely impacted their chicks. Anyway, it was still a good day out in the woods.



________
TC

CZ and I just returned from the Eastern U.P., didn't come across any sharptails to speak of. Had the usual encounter with the resident grouse and woodcock though. Watched the woodcock flights come in from across our campsite at dusk, what a sight!
Hope everyone's October is a good one.
Karl




Waiting for the flights:

Good cover:\
/70294_600x400

And the food!

Really nice Karl!!! Great pics!!!

Congrats on a good hunt!

Greg

Hey all, well no limits today, but did get a mixed bag. So....a good day overall. It was a nice day compared to a week of 25-30mph winds. Low winds and cooler temps.

Anyway, we saw a lot of pheasants today....mostly hens. The few roosters we (my son Jim and I) saw were really spooky. Did manage one however.

I used my 12b EJ Churchill Premiere with those nasty 25" bbls. Which, BTW, work just fine for me.



And one tired pup! Raina is 10 years old, but you'd never know it. From start to finish, she's always ahead of you and hunts hard.



Best,

Greg

Working on image sizing within Imgur.

A rainy evening at grouse camp.

That's a lot better, CZ!!! Thanks.

Fine looking Female GSP--Raina?? Sounds maybe like a FleetwoodMack song title?? And I would take that swell looking Churchill XXV 12 bore with 25" barrels and open chokes any day hand running for grouse, woodcock, quail over a solid pointing dog and consider myself to be extremely well blessed. RWTF

Now Greg you must know by now that those snub nose barrel guns aren't worth a darn. Shotgun barrels have to be at least 30 inches in order to work at all. As a favor to you I'll gladly take it into protective custody until you come to your senses. I promise I won't let the Colonel handle itas he can't have nice things without breaking them. I'm here for you Greg so you can improve your wingshooting ! :-)

Well now Greg does it right. He shoots them in the head

Thanks guys, but I think I'll hang on to this one. It maybe out of vogue, and no one wants one because you can't shoot them. So.......rather than making your lives miserable, I will sacrifice my joy and happiness to save you from temptation.

On the serious side, this gun is choked skeet and IC. A bit open on the prairies here, but good for early season. It weighs in at 5-14 so light also. I like her!

Best.

Greg

Greg,
There certainly is something to be said for the Churchill's. Mine is also choked skt. & ic. and weighs 5lb. 12 oz., perfect for the "Northern woods" of Michigan.
Karl

Just to rock the boat slightly.
From this morning, soon to be dinner (~30 minutes)...

Nice gun Karl! Really like your picture. Classy!

Best

Greg

Great picture, BrentD. But would'a been better if you had downsized it a little so that we don't have to wait for it to download. Very pretty rifle.

I'm not downsizing photos for this forum alone. I like the higher resolution, and every other forum I know of can auto-size photos to whatever the site owner wants.

We are nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century. It's time to dig out of the 20th Century before it becomes the 22nd.

Absolutely stunning.

Nice set-up, Brent.

Make and model of scope?

It is a Unertl Small Game scope. 4x. It wears a lot of other sighting hardware from iron sights to a 25x STS depending on the application at hand. It is a fully tricked out rifle used for competition as well as squirreling.

Thanks, Brent.

I have a B.S.A. 12 .22 Martini that similarly alternates between a Parker-Hale 9x Targetscope, and the original B.S.A. No. 8 aperture sight with a B.S.A. No. 20 (Beach style) barley corn/ring foresight depending on the event.

Hey all, well today was not bad. Only saw 2 Ringnecks, one my son took a Hail Mary shot and one I got. Those were the only pheasants we saw. Did see a fair amount of grouse, but wild. That time of year for them. The bright spot of the day is I got a scotch double on huns. Addie went on point and they flushed. I pulled on one, shot and was surprised to see two fall! Pure luck!

Anyway, I used my 12b F.A. Anderson. This gun is Serial Number 101 of 11 made. Not a rare gun, but unique as only 11 were made



Best,

Greg

Greg,
Not bad? I'd say it was great, doubles even when Scotch are memorable!
Karl

Scotch doubles save on precious ammo
Congrats!

Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated!

Best,

Greg

No gun in this post, but I'll put it up anyway because it's the direct result and goal of wandering the woods with firearms.

Grilled marinated squirrel from the photo above and a ruffed grouse wrapped around an apple slice and held by very thin bacon. When cooked just barely enough (~135) it's sublime.

Hey all, been an interesting weekend. Yesterday was a complete bust, didn't drop the hammer once. Did see some grouse (wild of course). Went out today after Church, was a dry and windy day (perfect scenting conditions!) Addie was able to pin one down, nice retrieve on her part. Saw one other rooster which flushed wild. Saw plenty of grouse, but wild again! Still, it's good to get out, better than watching TV

Used my 12b Harkom today. On a side note this is gun 3. Whoever the original owner was must have had some bucks to afford at least 3.



Best,

Greg

From Alaska

Just got back from a trip north hunting waterfowl and pheasants in North Dakota and grouse and woodcock in Wisconsin. Here is a pic of my son and my youngest shorthair

Handsome pair, yeee hawww

Chad,
That wonderful photo clearly shows why we do it!
karl

I would frame that picture and send it to him for Christmas. It is pretty perfect

Nice looking small bore Parker. Tell us about it.

Chad, I’ll never forget when your son won the Parker sxs youth competition some years back.

Yea, he has grown a lot from when we won that beautiful parker trojan at the Southern SXS shoot a couple of years ago. He loved making that trip and winning the gun was a huge bonus and an incredible experience for him.

@Joe, he is shooting a Parker VH 20 gauge. It is a gun I lucked upon a number of years ago at a good price. It is well-worn but mechanically sound. This prompted me to look back at the Southern photos when he won his Trojan and he was shooting the same 20 gauge on that day also.

Can't decide which picture I like the best. Aways had an affinity to B&W but the punch in the color photo attracts me as well. Baker A Grade on a duck hunt using BP loads.
Which one do you like? (click to enlarge image)

For me, the B&W.

Hey all, went out after work for a couple hours. Saw quite a few birds, but the boy birds were pretty wild. Did manage one and a grouse, so a good couple hours well spent. Raina did well, except one time she got stupid and flushed one wild. Oh well, can't be perfect all the time!

Today I used my 12b Coggie Konor



Best,

Greg

16

Hi

For some reason I can’t view some of the photos posted on this thread while others I can. Would be truly grateful if someone could tell me what I am doing wrong.

Thanks for your help

All the best

Skeeterbd

I use Firefox,
What are you using?
Windows or MAC or Phone only>
Mike

I used my Charles Daly Featherweight 12ga today

MacNaughton on first shot and bird of the day. Our upland resource in Alberta is fantastic if you know where the pockets are.

Hey all, very good day today! The weather was just beautiful! Absolutely wonderful, nice breeze, sun and warm......the perfect fall day. Anyway, I was able to get my first limit of the year, and I got it in about 20 minutes. Went after some grouse after that, but didn't see a one, oh well! Addie did a fantastic job today, she was on the top of her game. Hope tomorrow will bring more of the same.

Used my 16ga Arrieta 871 (this one has Boss style engraving)



And the hero of the day.....Addie!



Best,

Greg

New pup is learning about wild pheasants. I see improvements and confidence every day.

First day in the field with my Francotte 45e 12ga.

My oldest grandson, Jackson, took his fiancee Ansley hunting on my land early this morning. Pretty good morning, eh?

I can see all the photos now. Don’t know what’s changed but it works.

Many thanks

Skeeterbd

Hey all, went out after Church for a couple hours (had to be home in time for Sunday supper). Only managed one. Didn't see many today, it was very warm, dry and little wind. Addie did well with this one. He hit the ground running and Addie was led on a merry chase.....Addie won.

Anyway, used my 12b H&H Royal today



Beat,

Greg

Wow what a deer!

Parker AH circa 1897 12ga Straight Grip, 30" F/F.

Dang, Stan! That looks to be a 180 or better! Did you know that deer was around?
JR

Ansley . . . . love the name

Yes, and no. I knew the genetics were there by having seen a couple like that in years past. But, we didn't have any pics of this one, this year. My grandson, Jackson, killed two nice bucks last week, so he was tagged out for the year on bucks. He can still kill a pile of does for meat, however. So, he took Ansley to try for her a good buck. She has killed a bigger buck than him for the past two seasons, but never this big.

He was killed not 100 yards from the pond where you and Ross stayed. To put it in perspective for you and me, this buck was not even born when you and Ross were here.

What a beautiful gun!

Thanks it was on display at the 1897 Madison Square garden show and owned by DuBray for a time according to the Parker letter. I figured it needed to go hunting ducks to honor whose who enjoyed it for many years before I became the caretaker.

We enjoyed an excellent wild bird hunt in South Dakota this year, and it was my impression that they were more birds than in the past three or four years. We “laid eyes“ on at least 50 roosters a day, but struggled to get our limits as primarily a two-man team and skittish birds. I shot Several different guns, but continue to gravitate toward this 16 Bore Horton. My load of choice was RST 2 1/2 inch 1oz # 4. I wonder when they will load this shell again? My dog Lucy, has come down with leukemia at age 12 1/2 which slowed her down. I have a 1 1/2 year-old male who is eager, but still figuring things out. Lots of good memories from the prairie this year.

The family farm is going up for sale at the start of next year. I'm trying to get as many hunts in before all the oaks, creeks and ponds get bulldozed into cracker box houses

Not sure what I am seeing here.

Is that the top of a drilling or a side by side with a back sight.

And is that an opening or selector lever way over to the left?

I was guessing Cape Gun...Geo

It wouldn't be a cape gun (Buechsflinte), with two barrels and two hammers a selector is not required. It would be an underlever drilling.
Mike

I think its a drilling with the lever cocked over like that. Sorry about the family farm journeyman. Hunt the hell out of it while you can

I hope this isn’t regarded as cheating - my capturing and posting an image from the excellent Capandball YouTube Black Powder Partridge Shooting video I just enjoyed.

For the avoidance of doubt, not my guns, not my game and sadly not shot by me in Hungary.

The breechloader is a 12 bore drilling and the top lever pushed over to the left acts as a selector (as with journeyman’s?).

Well worth watching.

That is a gorgeous bar-in-wood MacNaughton, Tamid. Years ago I had a similar MacNaughton but it fell victim to downsizing my collection.

WOW!!! Pretty gal with cool name and a gigantic buck. I recall you are in Georgia and didn't realise you had really big bucks there. I live in Alberta where we supposedly have big bucks but I've never seen on this big. Congratulations.

Part of a harvest of 12 nice drakes today on the marshes of Sanganois wildlife area, western Illinois.

65 degrees, no wind and all shooting done by 8:30 am

V,L&D Sauer & Son 300E did it’s part with #4 Bismuth.

Best Regards,
JBP

My son, Christopher, his late grandfather’s A5, and our Setter, Louise, taking a breather from Grouse hunting on the edge of the Cloquet River, St Louis County, MN

Best,
Ted

Northern Iowa with a Webley 16 and a very productive buddy.

I suppose I should edit my post to reflect that my son wants to take his first pointed grouse with his grandfather’s A5, a gun that is NOT a double, but, is very meaningful and of family historical significance to my son. He knows, through me, that it was Dad’s favorite, but, he only knows about my Dad from what I and others tell him. My Dad died when Chris was three.

I was hunting with a double that day, a Darne V19 20 gauge. I didn’t fire a shot, just followed along and worked the dog, attempting to get the boy onto a grouse for a milestone for him. He had several chances, but, the grouse were the victors on that day. I told him that is why we call it hunting and not killing.

Chris got points with the guy who owns that little piece of heaven, a coworker from the U, his gun is a Browning A5 light 20. They are thick as thieves since the trip.

Best,
Ted

Some beautiful guns and great pictures in this thread. My season just opened less than two weeks ago and these are the only photos I have taken so far. The guns are both twenties. Hardware store grade stuff but they have gotten the job done.

I’ve never seen that many Snipe in one spot. Only singles, here and there, while hunting other birds.

Good shooting, by the way.

Best,
Ted

Good to see you're back in the flooded flats chasing the snipe again, Skip. I always enjoy your pics.

Thank you Ted. I always end up with enough Snipe in this area to keep me occupied for a couple of months.

Thank you Stan. The Redfish and Bass have kept me busy for the last eight and a half months but when the Glorious 1st rolls back around each November I can usually be found out in that godforsaken marsh with the Cottonmouths and gators.

Snipe Hunter,
Your description of Cottonmouths and gators gives new meaning to "hunting hard"!
Karl

Another succesfull chance with my lovely 28 ga single barrel!

With a name like the “Snipe Lodge” I thought you might be based in Ireland until I saw your reference to Cottonmouths and gators.

I know St. Patrick banished all snakes from Ireland, but I am not sure if that still holds good given the apparent willingness of snake enthusiasts to abandon Burmese Pythons and the like in the wild if they become inconvenient. I see that one ate a gator recently in Florida.

Mid November Chukar hunt.

Classic Chukar country:

It’s very hard to capture the sheer magnitude of the country and the size of the features in a photo. Photos just don’t do it justice. To try and put things into perspective…..most of the rock features on this mountain face are easily 4 to 6 stories tall.


The ridge of another mountain..






Sometimes you come over a ridge and a local resident might be staring you down….




A couple of good setters doing what they do, finding, pointing, backing, repeat…


The morning walk bag & Winchester model 12, 16 gauge, circa 1926

November western mountain duck hunting. Can’t beat the scenery. I still miss hunting Nebraska marshes & rivers though. I’ll always have a soft spot for the Midwest central flyway.
Unbelievably, these pics were shot within an hour of one another….the morning rain, snow & sleet was nowhere in the forecast, but it sure got the ducks moving. A mix bag of Gaddys, Widgeon and some divers (ring necks).
No gun pic here, I didn’t want anyone to puke in their mouths. Nobody needs or wants to see a clapped out Winny Super X2 that looks like it hitched a ride on the outside of a submarine. 😂

Some beautiful photos and scenery!

Dustin, your pics are always top drawer, and much appreciated. Just breathtaking.

Apologies. Its a drilling, The top lever acts as a selector for the rifle barrel firing pin and raises the rear sight. This hunt was a dryhole but on my last trip down I shot a medium doe. Geoegia has small deer generally.


I'm going to try and capture a good nunber of the fish from both ponds while I can. My inlaws have a small farm pond that I would love to transplant with these redeared sunfish.

A few pics from this week's hunting so far. Today was good. Shot my limit of three on 3 shells. Ammo conservation in these trying times is appreciated.

From Monday, just one bird with the little Cashmore Paragon.

A better picture


From today. That's a "new" Rigby that my hunting partner picked up last weekend in Tulsa. Nice gun, but the stock is a mile long (15.5") and short in the drop.
The little Cashmore did the heavy lifting and accounted for 3 of the 4.

Shooting the birds this morning might have been easier than getting all of them to sit on the fence rail in a twenty-five mph wind long enough for me to get a picture.

Waterfowl season ended abruptly across most of the state last weekend with a big snowstorm followed by below zero temperatures. Some places got 20".

Snipe,
Beautiful picture! Nice gun and group of birds arranged nicely.
Karl

Thank you Karl. Arranging the birds was a bit of a challenge.

Snipe,
I also noticed that you had some fill lighting as well which truly enhanced the overall image, great job!
Karl

Spring,
Ah, It looks as if some of our northern woodcock have made it south! Good hunting to you.
Karl

Pretty sure it’s a Bobwhite quail, Karl, but I’ve been mistaken before! 😀

Spring,
I was trying to see the atypical woodcock bill, but couldn't. Nice hunting photo anyway!
Karl

Double on Mallards. Opening day in SC. L C Smith Long Range. Restored by Bill Graham

Had a good morning in the quail woods Tuesday with Floyd and my MuttPak plus Floyd's Sadie. It was my 12 year-old Abby's first hunt since she had one side of her larynx tied back to permit breathing as her larynx was progressively paralyzing. She found a single and a covey on her own. Note the difference in size between a late hatch rooster and a larger hen. Gun is a Skimin & Wood BLE 2" 12 ga., 28" barrels, 5 lbs., 8 oz, Gil

A noteworthy Kansas 2022 Hunt even though Kansas is in a severe drought, Downs, Kansas had just enough moisture to foster great Pheasant & Quail numbers. Anything West of Downs, Kansas was as dry as a powder keg. I had some friends hunting Mule Deer about 3 hours West of Downs and navigated 4k+ acres on more than one occasion and only saw 2 Pheasants.

Waterfowl hunting was exceptional also.


Serbus,

Raimey
rse

It was rather balmy down in this corner of the country today. It felt more like fishing weather than hunting weather.

Mallards finally showed up…..they really seem to take their sweet time the last few years, but when they finally get here it’s pretty amazing!! Gun is a 12 bore G.E. Lewis fowler, ordered by “HW Trist, of Tristford, Harberton” in December 1905 and delivered on January 4th, 1906. Ordered with best quality leather case and all the available implements. The gun cost Mr. Trist 38 pounds 18 schillings. Sadly, the case and implements are long gone.

LeFusil,
That second picture is really nice, suitable for framing!
Karl

Nice touch on the Vanguard, Dustin, with the re-cleanable inline fuel filter.

Great pics!

Thanks, dude. That Vanguard has been giving me fits the last few outings so on Monday I took the carb off, stripped it to the bits and completely cleaned it (threw it, the jets, etc into the sonic cleaner, etc) re-adjusted the valves, replaced all the fuel & vacuum lines, new plugs, fuel pump, etc. Pretty much the full Monty.
It purred like a kitten on the marsh today, I hope it keeps purring 🤞🏽

Last 5 minutes of the day in southern Minnesota.

Very nice W&S Proprietary grade 1 400. Had one just like it. Beautiful gun.

Seems like the perfect way to end the day! Great photo.
Karl

Another family quail hunt at Morrison Pines Plantation (no relation btw)

Looks like a very good day in South Ga. for you and the boys!

My, those boys are shooting up! I remember when they were not much over waist high.

Is the first picture of a Parker the one that Del Grego restored?

Was able to shoot a few woodies over the last two weeks

Mills, great picture of you and the boys.

Nice! And nothing like the smell of paper hulls

Thanks for the compliments! And that is the Del Grego Trojan. I could not ask for a better quail gun

Tired pups. Found 6 coveys in about an hour and a half this afternoon hunting with a good friend. Still going around and finding this years coveys; looks good so far.

Good times!

Great looking pups!

A couple of somewhat rare Melanistic Mutant pheasants.

SxS 40,
Those are amazing! Are they wild birds?

I once shot the hen of a pair of black pheasants at a tower shoot. The guy with the male wanted it to mount the pair. That sounded like a good idea to me so I gave the bird to him. Pen raised birds, of course!...Geo

I hunted today for the first time since before Thanksgiving. I shot a little 28 gauge AyA for the first time this season.

Floyd, Sadie, Willa and I found a few doodles today. Dogs were ahead of the game compared with the two men. Great dog work. Willa worn out in the box. The queen of the MuttPak, Abby, 12 years old, rode the pines today and stayed home. I'll hunt her on shorter trips. Top gun is my 28 ga. CZ Bobwhite and other gun is Floyd's Ithaca SKB 20. Gil

Good to see some fresh pics, Gil. That short little SKB of Floyd's is a death ray, in his hands.

We had a fine day in the SC lowcountry doodle woods yesterday.  Season hasn't been good in Ga. Rivers rising shrank habitat and concentrated birds in one of our favorite spots.  Eighteen flushes in 2 hours and we were done by 1030 a.m.  L-R, Sadie, the Long Ranger, and Abby, 12 next week.  Rested younger Willa who was limping after Sunday.  Sadie found the long birds, and Abby dug up the close-ins.  Floyd's Ithaca SKB 20 and my Hellis 2" 12.  



An old dog does good

Knows the short cuts doodles take

She chuckles at miss. (grumbles works, too)

GLS,
Looks like a great day for you! I can only dream of the coming of October up here.
Karl

Some friends who are not on this site to my knowledge moved a bunch further up in SC last week too.

Denizens of the drafty, dreary drizzles...........

Ten hard earned, crafty birds, well suited to the drizzly, windy conditions of this past afternoon here. LC Smith 16 ga. (Susie) with 32" barrels and HOT. Two of the shells that took doves today were paper, vintage Western Xperts.

Great picture, Stan. I've always enjoyed hunting doves in the winter. It's different from September -- different strategies, different pace of shooting, and the birds seem to fly different. But it can make for wonderful winter afternoon. Thanks for sharing the picture.

Larry

Rainy day birds; a wet dogs and boot leather day, but Sadie plus MuttPak scratched out three coveys. I'd do it again under the same circumstances.

[URL=https://lunapic.com][/URL

Looking good! Glad to see all dogs out and hunting

After a cold, blustery day today with two old friends, it's time to go home. Gil

Finishing the season on wild Bob’s in Northern Kentucky
🙂



It’s nice hunting wild quail over broke setter’s.

Dog power

Nice find

Last covey rise for 2022-2023

Back home tonight after three good days in E. Arkansas, in the L'Anguille River bottoms with my son and two grandsons. Very special trip for us.

Day one in the river blind - 25 for 6 of us



Day two in the river blind - 23 for 6 of us



Day three standing on the woods edge in a flooded bean field - 20 for 5 or us

It's a wrap, at least for me. Season goes out Tuesday, but wx will be too warm. Due to NIL contract dispute, Willa and Abby not depicted and are crated in my truck. Sadie has head turned in her box in support of MuttPak. Top to bottom, Jeff's 20 ga. Uggie, my CZ Bobwhite 28 ga., and Floyd's 20 ga. Ithaca SKB 20. Gil

Stan,
Your grandsons will remember that trip for the rest of their lives and tell their own grandsons (granddaughters too) about it. One grandbaby is worth three of your own children.
Mike

Mike, they were on either side of me last morning in the big blind. Last ducks of the morning, six pintails came in and didn't hesitate. When we called the shot they downed two of them. They had never even seen pintails before and were really pumped about it. That's the kind of things ol' grandad will remember.

Another lucky day with my lovely little lady! One shot, one chance!

Stan,
Those memories are priceless.
Mike

And a nostalgic goodbye to the 2022/2023 dove season as well. We wrapped it up this afternoon on a big sunflower field. Between the help from the decoys and a little good luck in where I chose to put my blind I ended the day with a nice limit of big ol' grey sky wanderers. Thirty inch barreled, twelve ga. Sterlingworth Ejector and 1 oz. reloads of no. 8s at about 1175 fps and under 6000 psi.

Great and I also really enjoy my hunting seat with the back support.
Wonderful, wonderful

[img]https://imgur.com/PH9Fdcl[/img] Ended North Carolina's woodcock season with my pup along the Eno River near Durham. Got home and checked email and found reply from University of Glasgow informing me that my 20-gauge Army & Navy gun is an "Anson & Deeley type Hammerless Shotgun" purchased in 1898 for 8 pounds and 8 shillings.

For Playing Hooky

Did Glasgow University identify the maker?

Parabola, they did not identify the maker. Since Anson and Deeley were with Westley Richards when they developed the boxlock about 20 years earlier, I wonder if the maker was Westley Richards. As far as I know, "Anson and Deeley" denotes an action type rather than a maker. The following is the reply which I received from the University of Glasgow. They also attached photos of the log book entry, which did not contain any further information about the maker of the gun.

"Thank you for your enquiry regarding the Army & Navy Shotgun, serial no. 21911. According to the Army & Navy registers of stock and sales of guns that we hold, your gun was originally purchased by Mr A.J. Hamilton on the 26th May 1898 for £8.8.0 (our ref FRAS 309/9 p 62). The date of invoice from the manufacturer is the 30th April 1898. The bore number is recorded as 20. The records state that this is an Anson and Deeley type Hammerless Shotgun."

Just happen to have a re-print of the 1898 Army and Navy Gun Department catalogue.

This is the only price match at 8 Guineas (£8.8.0).



Yours looks to be the model on the left.

Mr. Hamilton may have bought it for himself, his wife (at least they didn’t offer ladies models in pink in those days), son or daughter.

By 1898, if you were building a boxlock and weren’t W.W. Greener it was 99% likely to be an Anson and Deeley (and Greener’s built A&D guns too).

No obvious Westley Richards features that I can see. A photo of the barrel flats and under the barrels might give a clue as to who built it for A&N.

Parabola, thanks, that's very interesting. The gun weighs only 5 lbs 3 oz and may well have been listed under "Ladies' and Youths' Guns" although its 14 1/2 - inch length of pull suggests it may have been made for a grown man. It certainly is handy in woodcock habitat.
I will try to overcome my technological shortcomings and post photos of the proof marks.

Parabola, hope this link works.
Proof marks for the Army & Navy gun.

I don't think greener actually made a&d action guns I have two both built by brazier

Thanks, Birmingham proof and Nitro re-proof marks but no clue as to who made it for A&N.

Nice that it is still giving good service after 125 years.

mc,

Brazier were specialist lock and in this case action makers to the trade. Both they and Greener may have bought in the unmachined action forgings.

Do your guns have Greener’s elephant trade marks or WWG stamped under the barrels?

If so Greener’s probably barrelled , stocked and finished the actions supplied by Brazier.

Unmachined action forging would have the brazier name machined off i.ts marked under the bottom plate between the cocking levers .the two I have are 7 years apart 1879 and 1886 I will look at them and see what is on the barrels

Quail hunt today with my bride and Sherwood

I never got any of the quail, woodcock, grouse or other upland birds that I so enjoy seeing posted here, but can contribute a turkey.

keyboardchecker

Coosa,
Perfectly good enough. Nice picture and well done I'd say!
Karl

This morning I had a hot bird on the other side of a river out of its banks flooding the swamp apron. He was about 75 yards across. After about 30 minutes of double and triple gobbling he flew the width, landed on my side and shook the woods with a "here I am" gobble. He worked his way into view alongside the near side's water's edge, 33 yards from me. 13/16 oz. of #10 TSs out of my Yildiz TK36 .410. Gil

Congratulations Gil. That is a fine Gobbler.

Getting one to fly across a river is the greatest feat in turkey calling! Congrats Gil!

Thanks, fellas. To get one to fly across a river isn't difficult provided one finds a turkey willing enough to do it. It's just finding that once in a lifetime bird. I've had them fly across and over impenetrable brush barriers, had them wade through water up to their feathers, fly across a flooded 10 yard wide slough, but never had one in 47 seasons fly across a flooded wide river swamp until Sunday. The most remarkable airborne crossing I know of was over 200 yards of the Altamaha River. Dale reaped the benefit of that mistake. He said the bird never flapped a wing, but glided the distance after lifting off the high bank on the other side of the river. Yet more often than not we've all had them throw out the anchor when faced with a firebreak filled with water. They do what they want to do and we just happen to be there when they do it--one way or the other. Gil

As to Brazier, I have a Needham bolt action needlefire double with the Brazier name on the interior of the bolt. Quite a complicated design.

Harry, our friend Joe and I had one possibly in 33 yards (but much thick brush) and he got in the hens and was gone. We were sure we had him at first. Sort of the reverse of Gil's luck. We've had an explosion of hens. As Joe said, you can't beat the real thing

I called these guys in this morning, about 35 yards. My friend was shooting a Huglu 12 bore SxS with a Hevishot duplex load, I used my Samuel Smallwood 10 bore Damascus hammergun, loaded with 1.5 oz. of Bismuth #4 over 3.5 dr. Swiss FFg in brass shells. We fired simultaneously and my bird dropped like a rock, his required two more shots and was still flopping.

Memories of the last season with my lovely little lady and dreaming of the next one! 28 POWER!




I hope you can understand my words.

Actually, the photos speak volumes! Well done.
Karl

"Pop" goes the Yildiz. Bird shot this morning at 42 lasered yards with 13/16 oz. TSS #9.5 thanks to the generosity of an old friend who put us with hearing distance of him on the limb.

Nicely done, nice photo1
Karl

Closed out my season this morning.  Didn't gobble on the limb, but I heard him on the ground with hens at 7:15 a.m.   If he gobbled once, he gobbled a hundred times.  The hens left him and he played the game with me for an hour.  I was in a dark bottom and I first saw him silhouetted against the bright green foliage outside the bottom's edge.  The parade of hens and him looked as if they were cut out of black paper against the bright green.  He eventually circled around to my back, but made the mistake announcing his path while still obscured by trees and underbrush.  I sealed the deal with my slate and rivercane striker with a few purrs.  I used the slate, a rivercane yelper, and a diaphragm throughout the hunt which ended at 8:20 p.m.  I left the .410 at home and carried my 4.25 lbs. Yildiz TK-12, Sumtoy choke, and artwork on the stock by Mark Larson.  Burris FFIII.  BTW, Burris red dots are guaranteed for life without regard to who was the original purchaser and without showing of evidence of purchase.  Can't beat that.  Thirty-five yards, 1 3/8 oz. of #9 TSS. Gil

Looks like a great ending Gil!
Karl

My son and I very likely missed the same bird two weekends apart. There is still two weeks in the Georgia season, but it is mighty hot

Great job Gil!