doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Anyone dove shooting this weekend?

I'm still without a field, but that's OK.

The HOA frowns on harvesting the neighbors



The little Inca dove are moving through right now
http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/inca-dove

Surprisingly, not a lot of Eurasian dove in the NW valley. Dale is likely knocking 'em in the SE valley.

Absolutely. Shooting tomorrow afternoon after church. Report will follow.

SRH

Had a small family shoot up at the farm in middle GA yesterday. My son Trent and I loaded up an assembled tri-pod deer stand another ground blind and a boat and drove up in one pickup truck pulling a utility trailer. We must have looked like Steinbeck's Joad family moving West.

Lots going on; the deer club members were mowing out the roads and food plots, and turning the ground for planting. We put up the new stands and went then to my brother's farm next door. He'd planted a small field with corn, browntop millet, and bird milo just for the shoot.

Great barbeque lunch and a fantastic shoot. I tried out a damascus Greener 16ga that Steve Bertram had just finished a beautiful job of barrel browning on. It is a light gun and the 1oz. loads kicked a lot. I did not shoot too well but most folks including two of my sons got limits.

One more weekend of special Teal season in GA and then I'm heading out to Saskatchewan for geese and ducks in October...Geo

And some people say getting old sucks. Heck with that!

One more limit today for the 20 ga. 687 SP II Sporting. It's been a good first season. That's it now, until Oct. 8th.

SRH

Took nine with Bismuth, very expensive, but fun anyhow.

Shot a limit of doves yesterday afternoon with a Model 23 Heavy Duck. Giving the gun its first workout on live game before it heads to Manitoba in a couple of weeks.

The mod / imp. mod choking on the 23 did ok. I am torn between just leaving as it is, having the chokes opened to ic / mod, or having it tubed. Frankly, I am not sold on the utility of having more choke choices on gun that will be used mostly as traveling duck gun.

I have used a Model 21 on my prior shoots. They have all been limit shoots, but not barn burners. 9" of rain 2 days before opening day did not help and having a neighbor cutting corn and digging peanuts disbursed the birds a little. It has been good so far. I have enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting a couple of new ones.

Did see an interesting L. C. Smith yesterday. Pretty gun. Unfortunately, the owner was having issues with the gun doubling. Had a single selective trigger that will need some professional care.

Marshgrass,

I shoot a similar gun for ducks, a 30" bbl. BSS, 90% of the time. Have for years. When I got it, it was choked Mod./Full. I am not sold on the idea that having two different choke constrictions are all that useful in the field, for doves and ducks. I had it opened up to .018" in both barrels, light modified. I've shot 3" steel in it for years, and those chokes work perfectly. I would never spend the money on having it tubed. I shot 10 teal with it earlier this week, and lots of those shots were close. I missed a few, yeah, but I killed a few going away that I couldn't have with open chokes. Would I have been better off with an open barrel and a tight one?, No. So many times the birds are upon you before you have a chance to choose a barrel. Personally, I'd just as soon they were both choked the same for sporting clays, doves and ducks. YMMV.

Good to have you posting here. You over around Estill?

SRH

Went Saturday. All the easy birds are harvested around here. A few high altitude dive bombers still left. Took my Ithaca 20/30" Flues and used those tight chokes for all they were worth. Only got nine birds in about 20 shots. All high pass shooting shots but all the misses were my error or just a bird who chose that second to dive straight down. The birds were coming into the field 25-35 yards up and diving straight down into the feed plot. Once they got into the field they flew about two feet off the ground and were unshootable.

My son got his limit but since he was using his Bernelle black auto I told him it did not count. We have our standards.

2 Doves, 2 Blue Wings & 2 Pigeons. We, as did most around, were able to squeak out a few. Incessant heat & drought seems to be keeping them @ bay for now.


Harvest Moon just prior to sunrise.


Benjamin's 1st pigeon




It's been say 10 years since I've gotten low on hunting dogs & I'd say this year will be the beginnings of the changing of the guard. Skimmin' thru many of these threads made me pause & think that I guess my Christmas wish would be to field all the Best Dogs I've had under my command, & possibly all the dogs, on one day of hunting. And I've had the pleasure of having dozens upon dozens.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse