Gun Dog Forum

Mountaineer

If we walk quickly and with purpose from Point A to Point B, we can blow by a pheasant, no?....as, I suspect, any dog can occassionally outrun their nose...especially depending upon the scenting conditions. Not sure that the pheasant feels safe from hunter speed as much as they may just be lucky in ...

Mountaineer

What holds a ruffed grouse when a birddog is down?....the ruffed grouse, odds on. Something says stay, something says leave....comfort or discomfort....safe or not safe, to put it all in human terms. In reality, it may just be the day or the cover or a cover change, it may be the decisions of other ...

Mountaineer

Morgan Optical...quality, experience, options, accurate prescriptions, super service and fast turn-around.

http://www.morganoptical.net

Tints are individual to eyes and conditions....I prefer the palest yellow.

Mountaineer

The perennial question...will the rain hurt the rhubarb?
Hmmm......my guess is that rain can indeed have an effect upon a rhubarb crop....however, if the rhubarb is in a can then, it is safe.
Beyond that, some depart a scene looking very much as if they were dragged through a hedge backward.

Mountaineer

Well...just to start....all ruffed grouse hunting would not be walking a two-track and allowing the dog to work either side. Sounds good on message boards but it is not the everyday reality... across the Apps., for example. One can find places where that gambit naturally works well.....as a standard...

Mountaineer

I won't use a whistle. They are invasive and in my opinion have little place in my wild bird hunting venues. Can someone share with me why you would want to use one when wild bird hunting - and I don't mean for safety sake in the event that you get lost. Hunters are invasive, for that matter. But t...

Mountaineer

greg jacobs wrote:...I've always thought about getting a FT washout. Don't need the range of an AA dog. I always figured a person could get a lot of bang for the buck.

Range would not be the only reason a trial dog washes out and yes, the odds are with receiving a lot of bang for the buck.

Mountaineer

Less than the value received.

Mountaineer

I would think that lead shot deformation depends upon the shot, the particulars of the wad, the velocity (and perhaps the powder burn rate) and on and on and on. However, while the various types of plastic wads no doubt help in reducing deformation, when in the scattergun range of 40-60 yards...then...

Mountaineer

You routinely shoot at a flying pheasant's head @ 40-60+ yards...with a shotgun....as the norm, rather than the odd occurrence? Have you patterened much at 40+, let alone 60+ and taken into account a moving target? Depending but generally....full choke can increase the pattern spread( decreasing the...

Mountaineer

hey y'all I've been shooting a lot of trap and skeet in the off season, hoping i can be a better shooter next season in the field. what chokes do y'all run in your guns? Im shooting my over under with full chokes. i feel like the full chokes with clays will give me the ability to make cleaner kills...

Mountaineer

Doe's anybody spend any time to simply learn how to shoot a particular shotgun anymore? Evidently, very few. While there can be extremes that would require some equivalent of sawdust, the message board toot of fit = IT has been very successful in shaping minds. And, folks do love to spend money or ...

Mountaineer

Not to belabor the issue but there is a move or two besides sawdust. That would be to learn a better or correct mount....or, said another way, for us as shooters to improve rather than believing the gun is always the issue that needs correction. A push out & pull back mount can be done quite quickly...

Mountaineer

Sounds like you already made the decision....good.
Only you can.

Personally, I find LOP one of the least important of the components of gun fit or shooting success....in the field.

Mountaineer

An inch and a half would appear rather drastic off of a factory stock...I assume the stock is factory. :?: Perhaps you are young or of a smaller stature but I would consider having the stock fit re-evaluated by more than a gunsmith looking for work....before any sale or sawdust happens. Sometimes we...

Mountaineer

There is zero mystery as to the what happened to the ruffed grouse in the Apps....I noticed the decline first beginning in my area in the late 1970s. There is a profound reluctance, by hunters especially, to accept that there does not exist now and never has existed one single factor(ie Habitat loss...

Mountaineer

Been considered for awhile by many of us.....WN was found in NY ruffed grouse soon after it was identified in '99'???....finally seeing some few states take note as this only one, of many, lesser factors of decline gains importance as habitat quality and volume slips. In other words, WN is becomong ...

Mountaineer

Jaquas is a reputable outfit from which to purchase and they have a couple 20 gauge CZs which have received general praise at their price point. http://www.jaquas.com Most scatterguns will survive the little use they receive.....greater use will normally find folks being a bit more solid in what the...

Mountaineer

IF you have a need to kill a porcupine then consider covering up the carcass to help prevent the next dog from rolling....sadly, not everyone feels that is important or they may imagine every covert is secret.

Mountaineer

Filson strap vest....w/o blaze orange or the fabric treatment....it is simple and swell. I also have an older rusty duck, or some such name, full vest for pheasants .....it is as plain and honest as a good ol' Sterlingworth. I considered a WWorks once but I want a vest that shows some wear and I mig...

Mountaineer

Bare or bear with me here but do u find some bird dog fellers have serious competitive issues, to the point of teetering on the obvious side of serious pathological psychosis. If so, why do u think this is other than inferiority complex? Personally, I find exaggerations and half truths to be the sa...

Mountaineer

1) clearcuts, appalachian hardwood and UGL aspen..of varying ages; set aside programs; shortgrass/wheat stubble.....along with deep waterways, fence rows and other bird cover that naturally side any of the first three. 2) I let the dog fret about the distance but last season surprise points ranged f...

Mountaineer

It's always nice to have more options....one can even wear a rain hat in the sun.
Appearances rock!

Mountaineer

I hunt VERY big country for grouse and if you have a dog that goes much over 100 yards, you make so much noise getting to the dog the bird flies. The cover is incredibly thick. In the coverts of N. Wi. And N. Mi. I am death on big ranging grouse dog's. To me, they're useless. Many times when they g...

Mountaineer

Said before... range of a dog is a personal preference... 100-300yd range I wouldn't consider a bootlicker. A dog that never leaves shotgun range would be my idea of a bootlicker. If you want to start a war on the net, call someone's dog a "bootlicker". It's a highly derogatory and insulting term t...

Mountaineer

No beeper since the best ATS went kaput so....Astro + bell in the ruffed grouse woods, Astro alone in other areas.

Old threads may give more info.....common topic.

Mountaineer

My old hunting partner was small in stature and always carried an 870 wingmaste 12 gar. To me it was heavy. I always carried a 5.5 lb 16 ga. He would on a regular basis shoot 98 or 99 in trap meets. He didn't even have the trigger assy upgrade. His cheek rest would be raised for trap meets using du...

Mountaineer

Limit?...apply commonsense and read the dog.

Water is critical, good food, dry bedding, no drafts, healthy dog.....all a good start....adjust as necessary.

Mountaineer

There is an expected bit of paying the dues but most FTers have always been very nice the few times I walked a brace or three. Respect and staying out of the way pays dividends in any endeavor. Another nice positive...I was at a picnic at George Tracy's a number of years ago....nice mix of dog folks...

Mountaineer

Advantages can be imagined for all the scattergun types....as with dogs. The 2X4 or broad sighting plane of a SxS can be reckoned an advantage when against a thick or leafy background....while, as noted, one wisely should never aim a flushed birdhunting scattergun, one does often have the bulk of th...

Mountaineer

Zero personal interest in either competition or the potential social aspects of trialing.
And, as with driving to and waiting during Trap shoots......some elements of many activities get old quickly.
Kudos and thanks go to those who find value in the above.

Mountaineer

Be it ruffed a grouse covert or pheasant cover.....a birdhunter will never walk to every bird within gun range...they just do not have the nose for it. "Walking to them" all is simply not in the cards....regardless of distance. Unless, of course, the bird shooter planted the birds. A closer ranging ...

Mountaineer

One value in a message board is in assisting, in whatever small way and in providing to one who asks, opinions and reality on scattergun or dog topics, apart from puffery and individual preference. Honest quantifiable skinny, in other words which may well be different than the anecdotal evidence so ...

Mountaineer

Depending upon the conditions found in the real world, a 12 gauge can be on the verge or margins of not being enough. The 28's margin is simply smaller....no way around it or to excuse/ignore away that reality. Shooting well is always a concern and a note which is often tooted as if that unfailing a...

Mountaineer

The cabela's gun library would be down the list re experienced opinions...on average. The 28 gauge works fine on birds ruffed grouse size and smaller, especially when light and loose feathered....with ruffed grouse tho, one may see more birds returned with the head up. Personally, one decides what w...

Mountaineer

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Mountaineer

Depends. Not sure what a "flattend" barrel is but....if the barrels are good then that is a large part of any project cost and so decision to go ahead. Bad barrels?....pass. Any old gun would find wisdom in having it vetted by a gunsmith who knows doubles..."safe to shoot" takes a gunsmith on an old...

Mountaineer

There would be nor will there be gamebirds if it wasn't for hunters/ Hunters must be first so they can develop and maintain habitat and birds/ Promoting young or new hunters is not just a feel-good equation but rather a necessity so we will continue the sport as well as the quarry Promote the sport...

Mountaineer

It is a shame when gamebird extirpation sits in a far second to hunters...be the hunters old or incoming. Hunters deserve to be third...following habitat and bird. Particulars matter more than any feel-good result of offering a welcoming hand to younkers. Simply be judiucious with what is really not...

Mountaineer

I oddly forgot the best suggestion...Stormy Kromer cap.

Mountaineer

Does UJ Brad prefer deer or apple pie more?

Mountaineer

Comfort in clothes finds a wide range of what works for each individual...I will only suggest a Windstopper pull-over and, oddly enough, a tie can help as well as looking dapper. :) I boycot ties, didn't wear one at my wedding and I wont start now, haha. Fully understand....but one with pheasants a...

Mountaineer

Comfort in clothes finds a wide range of what works for each individual...I will only suggest a Windstopper pull-over and, oddly enough, a tie can help as well as looking dapper.

Mountaineer

........hmmmmm.

I find that wild birds somehow untie my shoelaces more than un-wild birds.
Wonder why that is?

Mountaineer

Again, it depends upon the bird, the viability of the bird within a trend and the accessablity of the cover, as a start. "Sharing", at the extremes, can lead to long term recovery issues...at the best. At the worst, "too many" can be a tipping point beyond which recovery is problematical. How the lo...

Mountaineer

David_Wilson wrote:I thinks if you have hunted your necessary meat already then you shouldn't waste some more life only for your pleasure. What you think?

I thinks the winds of obviousness have blown away the remnants of the smoke shrouding your initial post in this thread.

Mountaineer

My 7 year-old setter, sonny, hunted yesterday....gave no indication of an issue....pointed and retrieved a pheasant in PA. His right eye was a bit weepy this morn and one assumed weed seed, etc. Checking it and with him not pawing at it or giving indication of any discomfort or visibly alerting, som...

Mountaineer

Good name!...reminds me of Andy and the Mayberry crowd.

Mountaineer

Good...I'm sure that having less concern helps everyone rest easier and you have built up a bit of experience, for any dog change you witness, for what field conditions may deliver to a dog and...for the next time. A vet check is still your call.....the Vet may simply advise all is well w/o testing....

Mountaineer

-----$s? Not sure, off hours could be $200 with blood test....less or more depending upon many factors. The real issue, for me, is the very dark red-brown color and how much concern that would bring to me, especially on a weekend. The value for any $$s expended being dependent upon the look in the d...

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