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All teasing of Mike's predisposition for disorientation aside, he's a great hunting companion and fantastic personal photographer. Whenever I would say "Hey Mike, take a picture of this!" he's already taken it.

As far as Cocoa the AWS goes.....not much of a hunter but a HELL of a retriever! laugh Very glad she was along.

Last edited by canvasback; 10/30/18 08:31 PM.

The world cries out for such: he is needed & needed badly- the man who can carry a message to Garcia
GLS #527321 10/30/18 07:33 PM
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Beaver dam





Tolerance: the abolition of absolutes

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Originally Posted By: canvasback


As far as Cocoa the AWS goes.....not much of a hunter but a HELL of a retriever! laugh Very glad she was along.


Very true, though she did point a quail for you. Will be a good place for Scout next year. Steve knew the area of course, and had a lot more info to share.


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Mike, gorgeous birds and pooch...

GLS #527328 10/30/18 08:28 PM
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Thanks Gil. James has a posed pic I hope he posts- a "French theme."

Mike


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Mike, we forgot to take the pic of the four Ideals!!


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Originally Posted By: wingshooter16
Originally Posted By: BrentD
Beautiful photos! I'd love to hunt there someday, wherever in NE that happens to be.

.


Brent,

Valentine National Wildlife Refuge and McKelvie National Forest in the Sandhills of North Central Nebraska. Be careful with seasons and species: ducks can only be hunted in certain areas of Valentine, and snipe cannot be hunted on state managed areas. All of Valentine is notox. Lead ok in McKelvie, but of course not for waterfowl.



Thanks! I'm halfway to having a plan in the box. the weekend before Thanksgiving is looking like the best bet. It's a little too far for a 1-day event on my birthday next week.

I've never killed a sharptail. I'm not even sure I've SEEN a sharpie. So, I've got to have one. Bag limits and seasons are looking a little complicated but I'll get them figured out and I may have a Nebraska resident as guide.


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BrentD, (Professor - just for Stan)

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Since Mike asked for it...

It was in the mid-1970s and I was hunting the Valentine Refuge with a good friend. We had gotten about a mile and a half back into the hills separated by 150 yards or so when a huge fog bank rolled in. I hollered and blew my whistle but the fog shut every noise down. I could only see about 25 yards and had no idea what my directions were. I had my compass, an insistant gift from my Dad, on a lanyard around my neck. I knew that if I went straight south I would hit the two track east of the truck. I took a bearing on a yucca 20 yards away, got there totally turned around, took another bearing, rinse, repeat, rinse repeat, et al. And then I hit the two track, turned west found the truck, honked the horn to signal my buddy and heard him say, from 20 yards away, "I'm right here." I couldn't see him at all. Fortunately, we both had followed the same plan; me on the east side of the ridge, he on the west. I never leave the truck without a compass, not for forty years.

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Get altitude- they will start bunching up as the season gets later. You will probably have more success in McKelvie. If it is cold and/or windy, they will be in the natural bowls near the "military crest," just below the ridgeline. If it is still warm, they like to hang out on the North slope of the big East/West ridges. You will have to "pop up" from behind cover to get them, as it is near impossible to get in shooting range if they see you. Dogs are useful to retrieve, but of little help to find, as they typically will NOT hold for a point. You need to drive in on the two track at McKelvie for a mile or two. Four wheel drive with good ground clearance recommended. Once more- get altitude! Look for the biggest ridges, and then get just shy of the top. Once you get your altitude, be loathe to lose it. The first ascent of a big ridge will make your legs and lungs scream. Take a path that has you following a winding route to keep your altitude: you will quickly acquire a palpable disdain for going up and down- especially the up. As my mentor told me, the Sandhill sharpies are easier to kill than they are to hit. I was running an ounce of 9's out of .005 and .015. That is of course smaller shot than conventional wisdom, but as I bagged four turkeys this spring with that load, it made sense to use it on sharpies. As a wise man once said, "pattern fails before penetration." If I did my part, that load was devastating on sharpies.

PM me if I can be of any other assistance, including lodging in the area.

Mike

Originally Posted By: BrentD
Originally Posted By: wingshooter16
Originally Posted By: BrentD
Beautiful photos! I'd love to hunt there someday, wherever in NE that happens to be.

.


Brent,

Valentine National Wildlife Refuge and McKelvie National Forest in the Sandhills of North Central Nebraska. Be careful with seasons and species: ducks can only be hunted in certain areas of Valentine, and snipe cannot be hunted on state managed areas. All of Valentine is notox. Lead ok in McKelvie, but of course not for waterfowl.



Thanks! I'm halfway to having a plan in the box. the weekend before Thanksgiving is looking like the best bet. It's a little too far for a 1-day event on my birthday next week.

I've never killed a sharptail. I'm not even sure I've SEEN a sharpie. So, I've got to have one. Bag limits and seasons are looking a little complicated but I'll get them figured out and I may have a Nebraska resident as guide.


Tolerance: the abolition of absolutes

Consistency is the currency of credibility
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Mike, thanks for the comments. I understand the notion of never giving up hard-won elevation only to have to regain it. I'm a pretty good walker though. Just got back from 6 long days of walking up mule deer in Wyoming.

I've got a dog and if Mark comes, I'll have 2 more. Mine's a golden and he will stick close and find birds if they let me get close. If not, he can find and retrieve them. Mark's got a brace of griffons that point, retrieve and have considerable prairie grouse experience.

I love the Sand Hills in the early spring. Might be brutal weather in the fall, but if not, it should be beautiful then too.


_________
BrentD, (Professor - just for Stan)

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]


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