Before heading to the Great Plains for birds, we head to the Colorado mountains for the views. Here are some of last weekend’s shots in an around Vail.
Mountain view from Piney Lake
Granddad’s Winchester Model 12
Sixty five years ago, in 1948, my grandfather bought a Winchester Model 12 trap gun to hunt ducks with his buddies around Galveston, Texas. I was the lucky 15 year-old aspiring trap shooter that ended up with it 27 years later. Between the two of us, we pretty much wore that gun out.
The Model 12 possesses the intrinsic qualities of a truly great gun. A subtle and sublime combination of design, style, weight and balance results in a gun that handles and points like a dream. It has a silky smooth action and heft from machined, blued steel and solid American walnut. It feels good. When you throw it to your shoulder, you know you can shoot it. The Winchester Model 12 is certainly the king of slide action shotguns.
Filed under Firearms
Stoned in Texas
This 9 banded Armadillo was most likely headed to Colorado.
Filed under Other Photography (not bird hunting)
Texas Dove 2013
This year we had the great fortune to hunt the opening day of the Texas dove season.
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Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
Smith & Wesson 442
Here is the Smith and Wesson model 442, a classic conceal-carry revolver. This 5 shot, .38 Special +P, 1.875″ barreled pistol weighs only 15 ounces unloaded and easily rides in a hunting vest or pant pocket. Because of the current gun-unfriendly regime, it took a while to find one of these. Fear has the populace snapping up guns and ammo about as fast as the manufacturers can roll them out. I have yet to find any +P hollow points.
A dainty package of personal protection.
Filed under Firearms
18 Months of Tex
Tex turns one and a half years old today and is celebrating at doggie day care with his pals. We have had a great summer and very soon Tex will be into his 2nd hunting season. Last year he hunted well and this year we expect him to come into his own. If the stars align, he might get to hunt 6 states this year. No matter what, it should be a great year!
Filed under Bird Dogs
Barn Swallows
Not all birds are for hunting. Here are some Barn Swallows that nest in a nearby parking garage. These guys are advanced fliers, darting in and out of the garage and chasing bugs in aerial dog fights at the nearest intersection. Ever notice how these little fork-tailed birds swarm at traffic intersections? Maybe that’s where the bugs are.
Filed under Other Photography (not bird hunting)
Flying Fortress
Few things send me running for the camera quicker than the unmistakable, low growl of a big prop airplane. In this case a vintage B-17 bomber cruising over the neighborhood.
The Aluminum Overcast (www.b17.org) was on display at our local airport so I checked it out.
Filed under Other Photography (not bird hunting)
Snake Avoidance Training
The only thing worse on a hunt than a snake-bit dog would be a face full of #6 shot. This morning Tex attended a “snake avoidance” event. We hope to hunt in Arizona soon and that state is chock full of Rattlesnakes. This training may save Tex’s life someday. 
This is a Bullsnake. Looks like a Rattlesnake, acts like a Rattlesnake, smells like a Rattlesnake but his bite is harmless. The perfect surrogate to train a dog to stay away. Continue reading
Filed under Bird Dogs
White House on The Rail Line
I have seen a few of these one room, white cinder-block houses next to the railroad tracks in Colorado and Wyoming. No windows, a fireplace and a nice outhouse out back. Anyone know what they were built for? Maybe a shelter for rail workers or storage?
Filed under Other Photography (not bird hunting)
Colt’s Combat Commander
You don’t need to strap on a handgun to hunt birds but they sure are useful for dispatching porcupines or other vermin encountered in the field. Sometimes hauling the extra weight in the field isn’t worth the trouble, but it is fun to pack some heat if you want to. We should enjoy that while this is still the good old United States of America.
The enduring Colt’s Model 1911 is one of the favorites. This configuration is the Combat Commander, just a bit shorter than the standard Government’s model. A beautifully made gun.
Filed under Firearms
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
Mia reached out to the Birdhunter and asked that I put this on the site. The TRCP looks to be a terrific pro-hunting conservation group. Check it out . . .
Filed under Other - Miscellaneous
Texas Turkey
Filed under Wild Bird Hunts
Why Google Sucks
A company that bolts a camera on top of a car and drives up and down pretty much every road in the county so we can have super cool mapping with curbside views would normally get my vote as a company that doesn’t suck.
But on Easter Sunday this is the Google landing page . . .
They chose to recognize the birthday of Cesar Chavez instead of the resurrection of Christ. I am sure Cesar was a great guy but holy cow, are you kidding me?
Hello Bing!
Filed under Other - Miscellaneous
Mouthful of Chukar
Filed under Preserve Bird Hunts
Hunting at The Bluffs, Colorado – Part 2
Here are the rest of the pictures from our hunt at The Bluffs. Be sure to check out “Part 1” as well.
The small Shorthair is a 6 month old bitch named Roux (pronounced [roo]). This is one of the puppies from the earlier post “Cajun-German Shorthaired Pointer Pups Available” where you can see her as a newborn pup. This was her first time hunting and she was astoundingly good!
Filed under Preserve Bird Hunts
Hunting at The Bluffs, Colorado – Part 1
About an hour east of Denver, The Bluffs is one of the Colorado’s premier hunting preserves. Birds are not ordered and planted for hunts but instead the club manages and augments sustainable populations of game birds such as Pheasants, Quail, Chukar and Hungarian Partridge. The limited membership hunt on 4,000 acres for birds that seem for the most part pretty wild. I think this is as close as you can get to a wild bird hunt without going on a wild bird hunt. We recently spent a full day hunting The Bluffs and here are the pictures. To keep this from being too big I have split this into two posts so be sure to check out “Part 2“.
Filed under Preserve Bird Hunts
Filson Sportsman’s Bag
For the bird hunter, a good bag is one of the essentials. To carry all the junk you need for a hunt or a day at the gun club, the Filson Sportsman’s Bag is hard to beat. It has been on my list for quite some time but at $295 it was just too expensive. Now that I have one (received as a gift from Mrs. Birdhunter!) I almost would pay that much . . . almost. I think a price point of half that amount would be about right. Despite the expense, it is a terrific bag.
Filed under Equipment
Birdhunter 