Good day last Fall

[simcgunner]

Quail.

[pigeon controller]

Interesting picture, I bet it has a good story.

[pbutd]

As Above; Did you just find those quail on your tailgate one morning? How did your new young Pointer perform on this hunting trip?And is that an old English side by side you were using? 

Good to hear from you all the way over there.

[Old Boggy]

Come on Simcgunner. Rise to the challenge and tell us about your day. We are genuinely interested to hear how things are done on the other side of the pond.

Thanks for posting the picture and we eagerly await a report of your day.

OB

[welshgun]

Interested to know how the day went the simcgunner

[simcgunner]

Thank you for the warm welcome.docx

 

Edited August 1, 2018 by simcgunner

[Old Boggy]

2 hours ago, simcgunner said:

Thank you for the warm welcome.docx

 

That sounds like a good day with a well earned bag at the end of it. I bet the dog enjoyed the day too. 

Thanks for sharing.

OB

[simcgunner]

this dog has become a fine gun dog. When she was just a pup she watched the old cat using her cat tree and thought it would be a good idea to jump up in it. The cat is about to give her an object lesson on why it's not a good idea.

[pigeon controller]

Thanks for the report, well done.

[marsh man]

On 31/07/2018 at 09:27, Old Boggy said:

Come on Simcgunner. Rise to the challenge and tell us about your day. We are genuinely interested to hear how things are done on the other side of the pond.

Thanks for posting the picture and we eagerly await a report of your day.

OB

I go along with that , always nice to hear how our American friends go about there field sports , also if the op ( Simcgunner ) is interested how we go about what we have on offer , all he needs to do is ask and I will bet a pound to a dollar he will get all the information he could wish for .

[simcgunner]

Thank you here in America we rarely  shoot pigeons as there is no season per -say. Large citys are plagued with birds as the tall building duplicate their natural habitat. They nest on ledges that must seem like cliffs to them. There are some around farm silos but they make little impact on crops. About the closest thing we do here is our traditional dove hunt. This is our equivalent of the glorious 12th. It signals the opening of hunting season. Crops of oil sunflower are planted just for this occasion. Bag limits are usually 12-15 birds daily. We wear cammo from head to foot and sit under nets and surround the field . Shooting time starts at noon it is great fun and yields tasty fare. Small bore fast swinging guns and lots and lots of ammunition are the best medicine for the fast aerial acrobats. You leave your ego at home as your shooting will be soundly but good naturedly critiqued all day. 

 

Edited August 6, 2018 by simcgunner

[Old Boggy]

Many thanks for telling us of your dove shooting which sounds hectic but good sporting fun.

Is the 'bag limit' of 12-15 birds daily a limit set by the state or purely one set by the birds ability to avoid being shot ? By that, I mean is there a limit to the birds that you can shoot legally or is the 12-15 an average days bag ?

Thanks again for posting.

OB

[simcgunner]

Yes mourning doves are considered migratory game and bag limits are set  by the federal government. We are seeing an influx of collared doves from southern countries. They are competing with native birds. And are an invasive species. Limits are adjusted each year to prevent over hunting native birds. The doves themselves are no easy targets . Fast flyers and highly maneuverable acrobats . I am an experienced shot and typically use the better part of two boxes of 25 shells to get a limit.  Some times I don't limit out or if the truth be known have run out of ammo. The dove shoot is a tradition in early September in the southern part of the USA. Young and old shooting over a dove field is great sport and a social gathering that is beloved by many. It is an inexpensive rollicking good time. All you need is a shotgun and a 5 gallon plastic bucket to sit on. Decoys are often used but not  absolutely necessary as are calls. Opening day signals the start of bird season and is soon followed by quail, pheasant, woodcock and the king of game birds ruffed grouse. A person called a bird hunter in the Southern US is almost always meant to be a quail hunter. old dog pointing a flock of of young wild turkeys localy called jakes.

 

[ditchman]

excellent.........................keep it coming ole partner..lovely to see how it is done by our cousins ova the pond...

[simcgunner]

I had to go across to the west coast for work a year ago and took the old dog. We got to waterfowl  and hunt birds in many States of the US. A wonderful trip Of a lifetime. The first picture is the young pups first pheasant shoot. She is trying to retrieve my bowl of chili.picture of bear that seemed calm until I beaned him with a snowball.(not recommended). I got permission to try for a swan. I know they are protected in UK. Here there is a limited season with permits for 1

[Old Boggy]

Blimey, that bear looks agitated. Many thanks for enlightening us in your shooting ways. 

What does swan taste like ? Only our queen is the only one to eat them (legally) and I've never been in a position to ask her.

Keep 'em coming.

OB

[simcgunner]

Actually I did not eat this one .Since you can apply for a Swan permit once a year and this is the first one I got permission for. I had him mounted. (I call him Cecil). I Am told they taste like Canada Goose which I enjoy. I was trying to get the bear to turn for a picture and he took offense. Serves me right for acting like a paparazzi.

Edited August 6, 2018 by simcgunner

[marsh man]

Lovely photos and your post is full of interest , that Bear don't look in a very good mood if you ask me , mind you , I know very little about angry Bears coming from behind at an alarming rate of knots , not the sort of thing we encounter on a walked up Partridge day.

I went to the west coast in the states on holiday a few years back and found one of your shooting supermarkets fascinating , well worth the visit , I picked up a news paper which had all the rules and regulations for the fore coming wildfowl season , there were honestly pages and pages of what you can and cant do , the ducks and geese had a point system depending on what sort of season they had and for how common or rare they were. say you were allowed 50 points a day and a Mallard was five points am I right in thinking , if you only wanted to shoot Mallard you were allowed to shoot ten.

Do this system still apply ? , or was it just for that state ( California ) , or do they still have a limit system in force ? .

Our wild fowling season is just around the corner ( 1st September ) , when do yours start ?

THANKS a lot , and a good name choice for a Swan , 

[simcgunner]

There are very exacting rules for waterfowling. Each State has their different regulations depending on what species are prevalent . Unless you are familiar with the local regulations a person would be advised to hire a local guide. Anywhere there is ducks there are professional guides who know the regulations and can tell you what ducks are coming in at a fair distance. Limits here are 4 ducks per day two can be Mallards. Generally we only shoot drakes here. If you take a hen you will be standing for drinks that evening. If you make a habit you will be disinvited to the next hunt. The old joke about cooking Swan here is you boil it for three days with an old boot and then throw out the swan and eat the boot. We Never spoil our birddogs.

Edited August 6, 2018 by simcgunner

[marsh man]

Brilliant photo and THANKS for explaining about your rules on wild fowling , we have limits but they are only at club level and are mainly aimed at geese , 

I have eaten a Swan but that was a cygnet ( a youngster ) , that was around 50 years ago and we had little to compare it with at the time , although I would have thought a goose would be near to the taste .

I also provided the game dealer with the odd Swan , apparently he provided a university with Swans for a traditional Swan supper , on paper they had come unstuck by hitting the telegraph wires that ran across the marshes  which did happen a lot in foggy conditions , that was half a century ago , the wires are gone along with the game dealer and I am not sure the Swan suppers are gone , what I do know , I wont be providing any more 

[Penelope]

21 hours ago, simcgunner said:

I had to go across to the west coast for work a year ago and took the old dog. We got to waterfowl  and hunt birds in many States of the US. A wonderful trip Of a lifetime. The first picture is the young pups first pheasant shoot. She is trying to retrieve my bowl of chili.picture of bear that seemed calm until I beaned him with a snowball.(not recommended). I got permission to try for a swan. I know they are protected in UK. Here there is a limited season with permits for 1

Tundra swan?

[simcgunner]

Yes tundra swans are the only ones with a large enough population to take. Mute trumpeter and whistling  swans are off limits.

 

 

Edited August 7, 2018 by simcgunner

[labstaff]

Really enjoying reading this, thanks for sharing

[Old Boggy]

Hi Simcgunner,

Please keep the photos and associated stories coming.

It makes really good reading to learn first hand of your sport across the pond.

Also, it appears that much of your shooting is done walked up over dogs and any bags are well earned. Something that still appeals to many over here despite the very controversial increase in our 'big bag' days on driven shoots.

It's noted that many American shooters (hunters) including yourself shoot with side by sides and good on you.

This makes you more than eligible to join our side by side club in another PW section.

We look forward to your next post.

OB

 

[simcgunner]

You a correct I am a double gun enthusiast. I use them for pretty much all my shotgunning. I have pretty much divested most of my collection to friends and nephews but still keep a few for fun.  And to pass down to my grand children The picture below is a nice little 16 bore ejector gun I gave to a young hunting friend in Pennsylvania. He put it to good use immediately.  The collars on the dogs are gps locaters. They are great in big woods. Thank you for the heads up about the SXS forum I will surely look at it