We colonists can't afford the landed gentry estates a la Downton Abbey- and the high cost of beaters, pickers uppers and doggy handlers. Our club has about the same, we have 10 stations set back about 80 yards from the center reinforced tower. We can have a maximum of 20 shooters, whether on an open event shoot, or on a private shoot-Safety rules are 100% enforced.
Only one bird at a time is released, tossed up airborne, and no bird may be shot at (*) if if falls into the circle- and that does happen with hens every now and then. Weather is a predicate- a nice gusty overcast day with a strong luffing Westerly wind- best you can get- and no "Hun in the Sun to blind you" in the AM. Another of many reasons why we rotate clockwise with unloaded shotguns after every ten birds have been tossed skyward. Also that policy gives the dog handlers with their Labs a fair chance, until the dog comes back with a bird, dead or about to be, no other bird(s) are tossed.
We get a 200 bird release and a lunch, coffee, etc and cleaned birds bagged and tagged for $165.00 Cheaper than a trip to SD, and apres luncheon, we have a pick-up hunt, which usually adds more birds to the net bag. We had 16 shooters the last time I shot there on a mid-March Sat. 2016- and with the dogs and the pick-=up (not all tower shoot guns care for the walk to get the pick up birds and possible lay cripples), we accounted for 189 birds from 200 released from the tower- in blocks of ten.
As I am responding to a Limey, I'll borrow syntax from the fat cigar chomper (and fair painter too) Sir Winnie-- "birds that have been shot at- is not proper grammer, and Winnie was a stickler for that, as also was my late Mother, a HS English teacher with a P.hD. in English Lit. So, "Birds at which shots have been fired?" how does that grab your Limey arse? Come over to MI sometime and I'll take you as a guest- see how much of a challenge our club's Tower birdies can be in Feb. Mar. and April.
I use a 1937 12 gauge Tournament Grade Model 12 Winchester pumpgun 30" full choke (My Gough Thomas special)or a 1933 12 gauge Eagle Grade L.C. Smith live bird gun with 32" barrel and also full chokes- AA handicap trap loads with 7&1/2 high antimony chilled shot for the first shot, and Remington Express No. 6 1&1/4 for the second or back-up shot in the Model 12-- Just the AA Handicap loads in the Elsie, I don't care to shoot express loads in my L.C. Smiths- nor would I if a owned a Boss or a Holland& Holland for that matter. 1300 fps loads and fine sidelocks, mix like bangers and mash with salsa..IMO
Last edited by Run With The Fox; 10/01/16 09:01 AM.
