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Old December 14, 2020, 02:43 PM   #1
stinkeypete
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Not sure if this is "hunting" or "gunsmithing"

Yesterday after 3 hours of stomping in 8 inches of snow the good dog kicked up a rooster pheasant.

I was startled, excited and my first shot was stupid. I spent several seconds trying to cycle the pump of my brand new Fabarm L4s Hunter.

It's an autoloader.

The dog was kind about it but I went home shame faced. It only seems funny today!

The excitement of the hunt makes us lose all reason sometimes.
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Old December 14, 2020, 05:40 PM   #2
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Wow where are you finding this snow? Brooklyn? I was hoping for snow over here but no luck so far. Just lots of water where i'm going. Last bird I show flushed out of 1 foot deep water. You would have thought it was a duck.
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Old December 14, 2020, 05:46 PM   #3
jmr40
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I did that duck hunting once the 1st time out with a Remington 11-87 in place of my 870.
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Old December 14, 2020, 07:53 PM   #4
GarandTd
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It's always great when you can look back and laugh. That's a good story. Dogs are forgiving.
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Old December 14, 2020, 10:13 PM   #5
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Your dog talks with other dogs.

Your dog has a priceless story about his Human to tell other dogs.

No doubt you have gone viral around the fire hydrant.

Notice all the dogs look at you differently now.

"Thats him.....Clyde's Human"

" Really?? Dawg!! Clydes Human? He looks like a guy who wrote that book "101 Ways to miss a pheasant"

"At least Clyde don't have to do that "Fetch" stuff very often. If I don't get to eat it...pick up your own bird,Human!"

"Dawg my Human can't even find the bird. He don't even sniff!


"Lets go chase cars or find a cat or something..... Clydes Human!!! Hey!! Lets dig holes!!" Nah,Dawg! Thats my fencepost!! Don't be lifting on my post!!!
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Old December 15, 2020, 11:58 AM   #6
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SQUIRREL!!!
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Old December 15, 2020, 02:59 PM   #7
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Buck-Fever

Quote:
The excitement of the hunt makes us lose all reason sometimes.
It's called, "Buck-Fever" and at one time or another, we have all had this happen to us. My first time was up in Wisconsin, during the archery season. I'm never eager to talk about it. I no longer get it unless a charging Bison comes at me. I have come up with a way to overcome it. ......

Be Safe !!!
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Old December 16, 2020, 04:34 PM   #8
Scorch
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Quote:
Not sure if this is "hunting" or "gunsmithing"
Quote:
I spent several seconds trying to cycle the pump of my brand new Fabarm L4s Hunter.
It's an autoloader.
Yep, that's gunsmithing. You need to adjust the loose screw behind the butt plate.
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Old December 16, 2020, 06:50 PM   #9
std7mag
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Whew!!

Was waiting for " I shot the dog"...
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Old December 16, 2020, 10:20 PM   #10
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Quote:
I spent several seconds trying to cycle the pump of my brand new Fabarm L4s Hunter.
Operator headspace and timing issue ..... caused by "new gun" .... hands/brain unfamiliar with the hardware. It's one reason, despite the whole world telling me that I NEED to get out of the 1950's, I continue to run my Grandfather's rife for what matters .... I could shoot that thing in my sleep ..... on moving targets, and have a better "batting average" than most MLB players ....
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Old December 16, 2020, 11:26 PM   #11
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I once had a dog named Steve that was the best friend a boy could have. My sister named him after one of my brother's friends that teased her. Anyway Steve was half airedale terrier and half standard poodle. Someone once left a couple wrong doors open at a kennel and the wrong 2 AKC registered dogs got together.

Steve with no training at all would run around the outside of the garden and then run full bore though the corn rows and flush the birds toward us. All we had to say was goo gettem boy and he was off. He was hell on moles and gophers too. When I first saw rubbing his ear on the ground, I thought maybe he was scratching an itch but then he'd dig like crazy and come up with a gopher.

It's been over 40 years and I still miss that dog...

Tony
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Old December 23, 2020, 10:34 AM   #12
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Dogs can have killer looks that sums everything up.
Best remedy is a cheeseburger. [Especially the SPRINGERS!]
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Old December 23, 2020, 09:22 PM   #13
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Best remedy is a cheeseburger. [Especially the SPRINGERS!]
I've never had a Springer cheeseburger. Wonder what that would taste like?
Been tempted to have Weimaraner and Lab cheeseburgers a few times, but never Springer. But I can see how that would help!
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Old December 24, 2020, 08:48 AM   #14
ghbucky
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I never had a bird dog, but my Dad took me pheasant hunting on a put and take place that supplied their bird dog. 30 years later and I still remember 'Blue'.

The dog flushed a pheasant and my Dad waited til it was probably 50 yards before he dropped it. Blue brought it back and was aaaaalmost about to drop it in my Dad's hand when he suddenly spun around walked away a few steps, dropped the bird and bit it through the head and then took off.

It wasn't a clean kill and the dog took exception. That dog was as much entertainment that day as the hunt was.
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Old December 26, 2020, 11:32 AM   #15
buck460XVR
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stinkeypete View Post
Yesterday after 3 hours of stomping in 8 inches of snow the good dog kicked up a rooster pheasant.

I was startled, excited and my first shot was stupid. I spent several seconds trying to cycle the pump of my brand new Fabarm L4s Hunter.

It's an autoloader.

The dog was kind about it but I went home shame faced. It only seems funny today!

The excitement of the hunt makes us lose all reason sometimes.
That is what makes Pheasant hunting so exciting. Having the snow explode in front of you by a bird that looks as big as a 747 and by the time you get the gun up all you can see is the two foot long tail. They look like they are only going 2 mph when they are actually doing 25. Even with a pointer on a staunch point, the first bird of the day always gets me flustered. Especially if it's taken a good part of the day to find it. At lleast you got to get out and enjoy the day. Seeing a rooster this late in the season here in Wisconsin is a successful trip even if it did get away.
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Old December 27, 2020, 02:25 AM   #16
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I could shoot that thing in my sleep ..... on moving targets, and have a better "batting average" than most MLB players ....
Well, that's not too hard. Good MLB players average about .333 (1 in 3). If I couldn't average better than 8 birds from a box of shells I would take up golf. I mean, if you're going to take a long walk you might as well walk on level ground!
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Old December 27, 2020, 01:13 PM   #17
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Quote:
Operator headspace and timing issue ..... caused by "new gun" .... hands/brain unfamiliar with the hardware.
This is it. Its all about what your body does when you aren't thinking about it. You do what you are used to doing. Some people will say, "what you trained to do" but its the same thing, really.

I learned this, in a relatively harmless way a long time ago. Buddy shows up, asks to borrow a rile, says he saw a deer up the canyon, and all he had with him was his Browning Sweet 16 (and birdshot). I loan him a rifle, and having nothing better to do, go with him. He gives me the shotgun, "in case we put up a bird". No deer seen. On the way back, we did put up a pheasant.

Bird is lined out, heading straight away, a clout shot. I mount the gun, punch off the safety, pull the trigger and ...nothing...
I punch off the safety and pull and again, nada...
I do it a 3rd time, ...nichts...
Bird sails away laughing...

His Browning has its safety at the back of the trigger guard, not at the front where the model 12 I had decades of experience with, does.

I did exactly the right thing for the gun I was used to, but that wasn't the gun I had in my hands at the time, so, it wasn't the right thing under those circumstances.

Get trained on your semi auto. Once you are, you'll take out your pump, shoot and wonder why it doesn't reload itself...
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Old December 28, 2020, 03:40 PM   #18
Pahoo
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Lights on; nobody home

Quote:
Dogs can have killer looks that sums everything up.
I've seen that look but the one that really hits home, is when they just found the bird. They keep their eye on the bird and give quick glances at you. ....

"Hey dummy; I've got a bird over here, in case you're interested?"

By my measure, hunting behind a good bird-dog is poetry in motion ...

Be Safe !!!
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Old January 6, 2021, 12:27 AM   #19
stinkeypete
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As a final note, we flushed up a pheasant from 8" of snow in a bit of a windy snowstorm. Good dog found him in a nifty little snow cave under some brambles.

I don't know if I have the semi-auto thing down as the bird went down on the first shot, but I was not trying to rack the front end.

The dog had to bound through the snow as there were drifts. He grabbed his bird, raced back to me, the bird gave a bit of a death shake and the dog took off to do a happy "victory lap" with the dead flapping bird, making a huge circle as he flew through the snow like a red rocket before bringing me his bird properly.

He was a very very happy dog, and that's a good way to end the season.
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