Cheers, Vince

Them Argentine wingshoots will ruin it for ya everwhere else....dove down there are feathered locust.

The things I'll go through for one lousy bird...I think I'm losing it, you tell me.

Boss comes over last night and says' "hey I know ya wanted 9-1 off for the season opener still interested? So home I go, grab the H&R 20ga pump with the 26" tube and the improved mod choke, toss it in a hard case, grab a trash bag, stuff gear in same and Cliff bars, beer, beans, 185 rounds of #8 and #7.5, gas up the rig and hit the road after calling my buds to let them know NOT to start shooting w/o me! 2 hours in and traffic is dead stop. 2 more hours and a detour or two I'm back on track and again, dead stop, in the middle of no-where. Long stroy short I get to the spot at o'dark thirty, hit the stubble with my chair and all ny goodies and wait out the hour or so for daybreak and the little sliver missles. I try and catch a wink or two w/ the egg crate foam from my case as a pillow but I'm too busy thinking of doing the double with my old schooler pumper and figuring man I'm gonna limit in an hour with all the rains and the forecasts are good. Hear some shots off in the east and man it sounds heavy so hear they come! I'm pumped and ready...then they show, on the deck, too low to shoot. Nice. Then I get peppered, hard, he said "sorry!", so did my middle finger, then a wad or something stung me in the neck and I moved. I'm watching bird after bird coming in just inches off the deck, way too low to shoot, but not too low to club, and I should have brought same. The wind changes and I finaly get a few shooters but I miss! The drive and all is catching up with me and I'm getting bleary. My form is toast and I'm tracking and leading instead of swinging through and busting the beaks. Finally get some tail feathers and I've got the range and the next meat ball comes loping through and I peg him twice, nithing is sweeter than and old school pumper gun sound *chak-chack!*..and loose him in the salt bush. Go in looking for him in the 105* heat and flush a big covey of quail and they scare the beans outta me. And, that's it, it dies down. Go on down the road a spell and try and find some stragglers and miss, again , then it's time to bail. I try and bum a shower offa bud at his room but the towels and soap are done, so I gas up then hit the raod back to ghetto town. Stuck in traffic some more and the past two days are really starting to weigh on me so it's Coke Classic and Cliff bars and baked beans on the fly in mass quantities 'till I get back home. Then, gotta hit the bank oh and forgot some chamber lube for my Crosman and while in line at the bank the gal is looking at me like something died and I realised I aint seen a bed or a decent shwoer for two days or more, hmmm, yep, it's me alright. Sorry. Get all mystuff done then hit home with 560 plus miles on the clock, 5 hours of hunting and all this on less than 21 hours. I'm so wound up from all the caffine and stuff I'm afraid I'll nevercoe down but will and then- blam, good night nurse. Well, at least I made it for the 2010 opener and I didn't get skunked as some did and some cleaned up but that's hunting, ya never know till ya go- had to share. Happy upland openeing day everyone!

Sounds like you had a reasonably enjoyable hunt mate.

Did you have "words" with the clown that peppered ya?!?! I would'a torn him a new ar$ehole at the very least...and as for the wad in the neck that is just plain dangerous mate. Them things can be lethal.

I reckon I would invest in a vest, and helmet, and other body armour mate.

Cheers, Vince

I might suggest you always carry a round or two of 12G Tear gas - if you know the right people to get it, that would sort out the problem with people who don't ID their targets or back drops. One or two rounds slightly upwind and the nesecary apology yelled before the gas hits - that will sort em out.

Stove, thanks for reminding me that we still have some real good opportunities to amuse ourselves. I can shoot doves with an airgun just outside my house (but airguns are no longer allowed for hunting!). Most of my dove-hunting I do close (within 200 m) of my house and nobody would dare to come and hunt on my spots without being invited.

When we were still allowed to use such a 'dove-mill', my friend and I could do someting between 80 and 100 doves on a morning (when the weather was excellent and the doves would listen to the mill). A normal morning would be between 20 and 30 doves (and lots of fun with all the misses).
Are you still allowed to use such a 'pigeon-magnet'? (2 death doves attached on steel bars turning around by means of a 12 V battery and a wiper-motor)

And when you have a good dog, competition doesn't come that close because when they would shoot a dove, they have to be very fast to get it before my dog does

Had a little time opening day after work before dark, to get out and hunt some doves. It felt really good to be in the field again, packing the 20 ga. and having puppy dog right there with me. Magically, life felt pretty darn good again. And I think puppy dog felt the same way. It certainly wasn't an Argentine hunt, but it was our hunt and it was great.

Great picture! Pup looks proud and must be a fun companion. I could use a day of stress relieve like this!

slimjim wrote:

Great picture! Pup looks proud and must be a fun companion. I could use a day of stress relieve like this!

Ain't that the truth Slim. I am in the process of trying to arrange a weekend away with my mate "tapping" fallow deer. Should be able to get away in the next couple of weeks.

Cheers, Vince

I'm just looking forward to this weekend. I've had two weeks straight of long hours - a few 20-hour days. I'm toast and too old for this.

moose2 wrote:

It felt really good to be in the field again, packing the 20 ga. and having puppy dog right there with me. *** Magically, life felt pretty darn good again. *** And I think puppy dog felt the same way. It certainly wasn't an Argentine hunt, but it was our hunt and it was great.

Point well made, could not have said it better myself. Great pic of a happy huntingnut, too.