Bird doggin’
Taking a break from woodcock, Floyd and I got an invite to hunt wild quail last Saturday with a friend in another part of the state. From just after 8 a.m. to just after 11 a.m., we found 7 large coveys. We had solid points on six of the coveys. The other flushed wild unseen, but heard behind a screen of pines while we searched for a downed bird on our side of the pines, My two Britts, Willa (4.5) and Abby (8) were on the ground with my friend’s setters, 3 at a time. He brought 6. Incredibly beautiful and talented dogs. Abby and Willa didn’t screw up and found birds. We picked up six and two got away wounded, flying to the next county. We looked hard for them and 5 dog noses couldn’t find them.
Georgia woodcock season came in on the 8th; SC, the 18th. Finding more birds than at this time than last year, but hope things pick up better towards the season’s end as it always does. Problem this year is some of our prime habitat is under water and the birds are in near impossible thickness. We alternate hunt days between my Britts, Abby and Willa, and Floyd’s Britts, Pop (9) and Sadie (6). Here’s Abby and Willa after the opening day in Ga. Abby has the bloody ear from cat briers. I clad my dogs in hog dog Kevlar bay vests for protection against hogs. Might be overkill, but 7 years ago I had a sow bluff charge us to within 10 yards after Abby bayed her and her pigs. The bottoms are flooded out and the hogs are on the hills. I can do without hogs. We had a close call Tuesday when Sadie chased a solid black, long-snouted boar, barrel-chested and as wide as he was tall. Floyd was lucky to finally be able to call her off. It would have been ugly had he turned and fought.
Birds were skittish and/or in too thick to shoot locations when I took Billy Thursday. Billy’s Browning 20 ga.Superposed was his granddad’s. Billy inherited it from his dad. The funky little 20 gauge next to it is my Darne R10 20 ga. made in the late 1940s. 25.25” factory barrels weighing 5 lbs., 11 oz. It is sweet to carry and shoot. Gil
Bird Doggin'
Re: Bird Doggin'
Sweet! I watched a pair of those dogs work on a dove field yesterday. They looked like the very thing.
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Re: Bird Doggin'
Good shooting Gil. I’m tired of all this rain we’ve been having too. It has messed our camp up and the deer aren’t coming into the foodplots like they should without marring halfway up their legs in mud.
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Re: Bird Doggin'
We have quail and some pheasant. neither in hunt able quantities here in this part of northern Indiana. Dove there is plenty of. I love them doubles.
Good bird dogs are a joy to watch work them birdie noses
thanks for sharing
Good bird dogs are a joy to watch work them birdie noses
thanks for sharing
Re: Bird Doggin'
Hoobilly, thanks. The doubles shown are Floyd's Ithaca SKB 100 20 ga. He's had it for over 50 years, a gift from his dad. Years ago, he shortened the stock for his son, but his son lost interest and Floyd restocked it. He rarely misses with it. Billy is also a deadeye. Yesterday he shot the field limit of 12 birds with his Superposed 20 with 20 shells. No mean fete with late season doves on a field that has been shot at least 3 times. I've posted bird carvings of Floyd's in the past and he knows his way around wood. The lighter stocked gun with the two doodles is my 1930s Manufrance Ideal 302 made sometime in the 1930's; it's a 16. With the three birds in the photo, there's Floyd's Ithaca and my A. Ilsley 16, a Britt gun made in the 1930s. Both the Ideal and Ilsley weigh under 5.75 lbs. With English and European guns it can be difficult tracking down serial numbers because of the destruction of WWII. This season I find myself reaching for the Darne more often than not while heading out the door to the woods with my MuttPak.
Dogs. Earlier this week I had the fire ant episode with Willa and a trip to the vet Monday. I spent 3 hours in the Emergency Vet office yesterday. The office is the only 24/7 vet office between Charleston and Brunswick and we are lucky to have it. Abby was limping around favoring her right front leg. I believe she injured her foot ratting or mousing in a lumber pile behind the house. Fortunately it was soft tissue. She'll be riding the pines until week's end. Good thing I have Willa. We'll be going out this a.m. Saturday night after coming in the from the woods, Abby ate a half pound of fudge. Chocolate can be dangerous for dogs; I gave her a tablespoon of Hydrogen Peroxide with some heavy cream and she launched a brick sized wad of dog food and chocolate within 15 minutes. Good to know that combo works on dogs as an emetic. Yesterday I was supposed to be at the dove field at 1 pm. Because I was at the vet's office until 115, I was scrambling to load up my truck with dove stool, shells, etc. I usually take time to make sure everything is packed. An hour and a half late, I drove up to the field, 30 minutes from home, went to grab my dove stool. It wasn't in the truck. It was sitting on the porch 30 minutes away. No one else I know shoots a 16 so I headed home. Billy called last night to see what happened as he saw me drive up and leave. I asked him what was a better excuse: 1) I crapped my pants or 2) I forgot my dove stool with ammo inside of it. He thought it was a tie, so I told him to pick one. I think he's still laughing. Abby's much better this morning but she is on injured reserve until later in the week. Weather looks rainy later this week so she'll get a good rest. Are Willa and Abby worth the trouble and expense? You betcha.
Merry Christmas. Gil
Dogs. Earlier this week I had the fire ant episode with Willa and a trip to the vet Monday. I spent 3 hours in the Emergency Vet office yesterday. The office is the only 24/7 vet office between Charleston and Brunswick and we are lucky to have it. Abby was limping around favoring her right front leg. I believe she injured her foot ratting or mousing in a lumber pile behind the house. Fortunately it was soft tissue. She'll be riding the pines until week's end. Good thing I have Willa. We'll be going out this a.m. Saturday night after coming in the from the woods, Abby ate a half pound of fudge. Chocolate can be dangerous for dogs; I gave her a tablespoon of Hydrogen Peroxide with some heavy cream and she launched a brick sized wad of dog food and chocolate within 15 minutes. Good to know that combo works on dogs as an emetic. Yesterday I was supposed to be at the dove field at 1 pm. Because I was at the vet's office until 115, I was scrambling to load up my truck with dove stool, shells, etc. I usually take time to make sure everything is packed. An hour and a half late, I drove up to the field, 30 minutes from home, went to grab my dove stool. It wasn't in the truck. It was sitting on the porch 30 minutes away. No one else I know shoots a 16 so I headed home. Billy called last night to see what happened as he saw me drive up and leave. I asked him what was a better excuse: 1) I crapped my pants or 2) I forgot my dove stool with ammo inside of it. He thought it was a tie, so I told him to pick one. I think he's still laughing. Abby's much better this morning but she is on injured reserve until later in the week. Weather looks rainy later this week so she'll get a good rest. Are Willa and Abby worth the trouble and expense? You betcha.
Merry Christmas. Gil
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Re: Bird Doggin'
Terrific. Thanks for sharing.
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Re: Bird Doggin'
that is hilarious!GLS wrote: ↑December 24th, 2018, 5:48 am Hoobilly, thanks. The doubles shown are Floyd's Ithaca SKB 100 20 ga. He's had it for over 50 years, a gift from his dad. Years ago, he shortened the stock for his son, but his son lost interest and Floyd restocked it. He rarely misses with it. Billy is also a deadeye. Yesterday he shot the field limit of 12 birds with his Superposed 20 with 20 shells. No mean fete with late season doves on a field that has been shot at least 3 times. I've posted bird carvings of Floyd's in the past and he knows his way around wood. The lighter stocked gun with the two doodles is my 1930s Manufrance Ideal 302 made sometime in the 1930's; it's a 16. With the three birds in the photo, there's Floyd's Ithaca and my A. Ilsley 16, a Britt gun made in the 1930s. Both the Ideal and Ilsley weigh under 5.75 lbs. With English and European guns it can be difficult tracking down serial numbers because of the destruction of WWII. This season I find myself reaching for the Darne more often than not while heading out the door to the woods with my MuttPak.
Dogs. Earlier this week I had the fire ant episode with Willa and a trip to the vet Monday. I spent 3 hours in the Emergency Vet office yesterday. The office is the only 24/7 vet office between Charleston and Brunswick and we are lucky to have it. Abby was limping around favoring her right front leg. I believe she injured her foot ratting or mousing in a lumber pile behind the house. Fortunately it was soft tissue. She'll be riding the pines until week's end. Good thing I have Willa. We'll be going out this a.m. Saturday night after coming in the from the woods, Abby ate a half pound of fudge. Chocolate can be dangerous for dogs; I gave her a tablespoon of Hydrogen Peroxide with some heavy cream and she launched a brick sized wad of dog food and chocolate within 15 minutes. Good to know that combo works on dogs as an emetic. Yesterday I was supposed to be at the dove field at 1 pm. Because I was at the vet's office until 115, I was scrambling to load up my truck with dove stool, shells, etc. I usually take time to make sure everything is packed. An hour and a half late, I drove up to the field, 30 minutes from home, went to grab my dove stool. It wasn't in the truck. It was sitting on the porch 30 minutes away. No one else I know shoots a 16 so I headed home. Billy called last night to see what happened as he saw me drive up and leave. I asked him what was a better excuse:Abby's much better this morning but she is on injured reserve until later in the week. Weather looks rainy later this week so she'll get a good rest. Are Willa and Abby worth the trouble and expense? You betcha.1) I crapped my pants or 2) I forgot my dove stool with ammo inside of it. He thought it was a tie, so I told him to pick one. I think he's still laughing.
Merry Christmas. Gil
One time I left my gun. thankfully I remembered and was able to turn back and get it. would've never lived that one down if I had made it to the turkey woods
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Re: Bird Doggin'
and glad your dog didn't get bad off from the chocolate. I have seen the aftermath of our dogs eating small amounts of chocolate.
Re: Bird Doggin'
Back, way back, when I was burning candle at both ends, up late at night and still managing to hunt turkeys in the a.m., I got on the road early and was on the interstate 10 minutes from the house. Something wasn't right. I looked down and saw bare legs sticking out from my gym shorts. Hell, I'd forgotten my pants. I went back home, put on my camos and was in the woods just as dawn started breaking. I ended up with a nice bird that morning. Gil
Re: Bird Doggin'
Nice Gil!!! Takes me back when I hunted wild quail with my dad, and his beloved Browning Sweet 16 not a double though!!! Wild quail are a thing of the past in North Georgia. Steve