While I could use the decreased reaction time, I'll hold off on that combo hunt for now!
Upper 70s yesterday afternoon; 28 with a 25mph North wind this am. The Wingmaster 16 I'm using is the most forgiving, bird killing machine I've ever shot. Today, I missed a gorgeous rooster that blew up at 5 yards and just fluttered in my face for what seemed like 10 seconds. It was so damn beautiful and floppy and feathery that I was concentrating on taking it in more than I was concentrating on killing it. I would have killed it 5 out of 10 times with my freaking bow...and I whiffed. I ended up making up for it. The rooster in the pic hit a small water hole and skipped into the mud...so it looks horrible. The two grouse were both 100% suicidal; there is no good explanation as to why those birds ended up in my bag. Grouse were flushing just our of range from me on foot all day. Grouse were flushing just out of range from me in the truck all day. I quickly realized that I was not going to get within range before they flushed...period. Then, while I was preparing to walk a fencerow, a grouse got up 200 yards in front of me, caught the wind, hit 80mph, and flew straight to me standing there in blaze orange...when he could have flown anywhere else. I shot when he was a loooong way in front of me, and he hit the ground 10 yards behind me. The other grouse was in the middle of the gravel road just sitting there. I drove to 20 yards, opened the door, got out of the truck, and shot him sitting in the middle of the road...and he never budged. Weird. The dog was at 25 yards and looking away from the truck as I drove by. He noticed the truck about a second before I pulled the trigger. 25 yards with IC 16ga 6s, and I trucked him and he never moved after he hit the ground. It was on private, but I figured the landowner wouldn't complain about such a deed. When I got out the truck to get him, I flushed nearly a dozen pheasant that were 25 yards in front of where the dog died...he was flanking them well, and I just happened along and screwed up his day.
So, at this point, I've been online and have identified the pudlepointer breeder I'm going to get my next dog from; have my next shotgun purchase narrowed down to two O/Us and one pump 28ga; and have decided to join Pheasants Forever. I can only imagine how awesome this game would be with a good dog and a real plan.
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