Ubiquitous on the western landscape of the bird hunter is the lonely windmill. These were silent witness to hunts in Texas, Colorado and North Dakota.
Der Merkel 1620 EL
Filed under Firearms
Preserve Points
Cost and time effective, the hunting preserve provides an accessible escape for the time-strapped hunter. The shortcomings of a staged event are offset by the opportunity to get the dogs on birds and let them enjoy a morning practicing their art. Most compelling is that a bunch of points are a sure thing. Like finding a date at a strip club, the game is abundant as long as the $20s hold out. Last sunday we hit a perfect morning at Kiowa Creek Sporting Club and captured these shots.
Filed under Preserve Bird Hunts
Parker VH
Here is a Parker Bros. 12 gauge VH grade shotgun. Made in 1928, this gun has 2 sets of 28″ barrels and sports decent stock dimensions (14 1/2″ LOP, 1 1/2″ DAC, 2 1/8″ DAH). Enjoy the clean lines of this American classic.
Filed under Firearms
F.lli Piotti
Here is a freshly minted Fratelli Piotti boxlock from William Larkin Moore. It doesn’t get any sweeter than this.
Filed under Firearms
Texas Bird Dogs
We love West Texas quail hunting for a lot of reasons but mostly because we get to hunt behind these beautiful pointers. I can’t imagine hunting without them. Below are some of the superb animals at First Shot Outfitters. These are hardworking dogs, tools of the trade who spend their lives doing exactly what they were put on earth to do. I can’t think of a place I would rather be than walking up on one of these puppies pointing the way to old Bob.
Filed under Bird Dogs
North Dakota Schoolin’
North Dakota is our state of choice for pheasant hunting. The wonderfully desolate landscape is dotted with remnants of past lives – abandoned homesteads, equipment and my favorite . . . old school houses.
- Click for a better view.
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
Dog points bird . . .
Capturing the intensity of a covey nailed is a tough assignment. Most attempts fall short but not this piece that I read in Sporting Classics some years ago. It is by far the best I have found. It was written by Tom Davis, the Senior Editor and Gundogs columnist for Sporting Classics and author of “The Tattered Autumn Sky: Bird Hunting in the Heartland.”
“You turn the dogs loose and let them roll, and as they sift the wind – miners panning for gold – you feel yourself pulled along in the slipstream of their intense, unfettered joy.
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And when they strike point, transformed in a blazing instant from pure kinetic energy to living statuary, it’s as if the earth stops spinning, There is no past or future; there is only this moment, and what hangs in the balance, awaiting resolution, is nothing less than everything.”
– Tom Davis
Filed under Bird Dogs
Prickly Pear Bobwhites
West Texas Bobwhite quail have pink faces from feasting on prickly pear cactus. These cocks were taken southwest of Sweetwater on a perfect December morning.
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
Charles Ingram Game Gun
Charles Ingram
A good friend of mine does a fair amount of gun trading. Recently a fellow who sold him some stuff also threw in this wall hanger. It is a Charles Ingram 12 gauge, bar action, underlever hammer gun with replacement James MacNaughten barrels. A little internet research revealed that Chuck was born in 1816 and died in 1885. The firm Charles Ingram Gunmaker of Glasgow, Scotland began business in 1836 and closed their doors in 1945. They were known more for their target rifles than for their shotguns. My guess is that this gun, which has no nitro proof marks, was made in the late 1800’s. It has seen better days; all of the finish is gone, checkering worn smooth and the barrels are pretty rough. It is missing the right hammer and the remaining hammer had it’s spur busted off. Despite its poor condition you can see what it must have been 100 years ago. It has good dimensions and feels sleek and responsive (30″ barrels, 14 1/2 LOP, 1 5/8 DAC, 2 1/8 DAH). The build quality is very good, it seems to lock up tight and must have been a terrific bird gun in its day.
Filed under Firearms
Geese on Ice
While freezing in a Colorado pit blind, waiting for waves of geese to show up, the sun peeks over the horizon behind us and illuminates these ice-covered trees.
Click to launch.
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
Birddog Goodbye
Here is a post I found over at Wingshot. Man, this guy can write. If you can read this without getting choked up then possibly you too have passed and just don’t know it! Click HERE
Filed under Bird Dogs
Quail & Gun
Wild west Texas Bobs and the Garbi shotgun. The title sounds like a magazine I’d like to get.
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
Mind those rear hooves.
White-tail deer usually clear fences with ease but sometimes will catch the top wire with thier hind legs which when pulled below the second wire creates a deadly snare.
Filed under Other Photography (not bird hunting)
Nice Shot
Smooth, clean kill. Maybe letting that bird get out another 10 yards would not have been a bad thing.
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
Armas Garbi
Armas Garbi 101 Classic side by side shotgun from William Larkin Moore. This gun was new in 2003 and has provided 7 years of flawless service; thousands of rounds in the field and on the clays course and not one malfunction.
New gun in May of 2003 –
Filed under Firearms
The Hunting Party
The group shot – smiling hunters, bristling with arms and standing behind a pile of dead animals often results in a common, uninspired picture. But occasionally things work out as with this pic from the 2007 pheasant season. This was taken by the farmer, not much posing or photographic technique other than point and shoot. Pure luck.
click to launch for a better view
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
Beretta 470
This Beretta 470 Silver Hawk, new in 1999, was my entry into the world of side by side bird guns. It has been in service for over 11 years and overall has been a very good gun.
This gun has seen a decade of hard use and has had thousands of rounds put through it. In addition to tough days afield (mud, rain, snow, bitter cold, sweaty heat, etc.) it has been run over (literally, by the quail guide’s Chevy that smashed it into soft Texas dirt – cracking the stock and scratching the barrels up pretty good – but it still finished the hunt), the barrels have been reblued, stock cracks at the head have been repaired several times (thanks to Acraglas), it is on its second recoil pad, the triggers were worked on twice (by Todd Ramirez, who was at one time the gunsmith for the Dallas Beretta Gallery), and over time and after much use the locking bolts had to be beef up as the top lever was well to the left of center (also handled by Ramirez).
During its tough life, it has always come through. The gun handles very well, fits well enough and reliably kills birds and smokes clays (Briley chokes don’t hurt). It also handles 3″ shells so there is no worry in running heavy pheasant loads though it. I do recommend the gun. The 471s are beautiful and with normal use should provide decades of service. If I were to change anything it would be to replace the single trigger mechanism, which has been the source of most of the trouble, with double triggers and maybe offer it in 16 gauge. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the case color version is not my favorite. It looks fake, not the “Xtra-Wood” abomination, but not good . . . imho.
Though it still has some life in it, this 470 has run its course as a primary gun and is now the bad weather / loaner gun.
Filed under Firearms
Birdhunter 
