Turnbull’s Rust Blue

On our last hunting trip, the Armas Garbi was tossed into the truck by a weary (lazy) hunter producing a handsome scratch on the right barrel. In addition to this new scratch, there had been a decade of sweaty hands, random splatters of dove blood and unkind encounters with brush, fences and trucks.  It was time to have the barrels refinished so I sent them to Turnbull Mfg Co. in Bloomfield, NY for rust bluing. These guys are not cheap, maybe the most expensive, but they are well known for their high quality gun finishes. This was one time that the extra expense paid off. They came back as near perfect as I could have hoped for. In fact, this finish looks better than what came on the gun new, in my opinion. Check it out below. I am sorry that I did not take some “before” pictures.

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Tex at One Year

Tex turned one year old on the 8th. At just under 90 pounds he is a lot more dog that we expected but we wouldn’t trade him for anything!

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Rockin’ Superbowl Party at The Birdhunter!

Couch with Tex

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February 2, 2013 · 6:46 pm

More Shots from Pheasant Country

Here are some more pictures from our hunt in North Dakota.

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Golden Eyed Dog

Tex in black and white except for his golden eyes.

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I am afraid this it too true. . . .

Mike's avatarmakeaneffort

…right now.

We just want you all on a list so we know where you are when we do.

If that takes a law requiring you to have your driver’s license scanned when you buy ammunition, go to the range etc. It’s okay.

If it means you have to get a license every 5-years… Who does it really hurt?

Should you sell your gun to someone else and we have new laws making you liable for their actions… All the better.

Nobody wants bad things to happen.

Just respect our authority to “slightly” limit what kind of guns you can own.

Accept that we can make “small” changes to the bill of rights without amending it.

Don’t you understand?

It’s all within reason.

The way we see it there is nothing to disagree with here….  you agree with us, right?  Of course you do.  You’re not insane…

We care about you… and your children.  Often…

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Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Birdhunter!

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Big Tex
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Why Bird Hunters Carry Pliers.

If on a nice walk in the woods . . .

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A Gun Rack for Side by Side Shotguns

The Birdhunter’s sweet wife gave up the spare bedroom so it could be used as a reloading and gun room. A perfect place to display the side by side bird guns, I needed a gun rack that would present the shotguns horizontally. Obviously there is not much of a market for such a thing so I made it myself. It was a fun project and, as the design was kept simple, it turned out pretty good I think.

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Tex Head

Nice day at the dog park produced some good shots of Tex.

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Classic pointer profile.

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North Dakota Roosters

Hunting North Dakota in the middle of November can be a weather crap shoot. The week before we arrived the highs were in the teens with half a foot of snow on the ground but we lucked out with absolutely perfect weather. We had the blue skies behind this handsome rooster, highs in the upper 40’s and calm wind with an occasional light breeze for our four day hunt. There were plenty of birds but, as you would expect, the hunting is more challenging on these later hunts than what you find in October.  This hunt was a perfect introduction for Tex to wild birds. Each day he improved exponentially and by the last day he was working the wind and reliably sticking birds with solid points. At nine months old we are delighted with his performance.

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A Double Rifle for 007

Saw the new James Bond flick, Skyfall, last weekend. Not Casino Royale but a great Bond installment none the less. Being a student and lover of fine double guns, rifle or shotgun, the appearance of an English double rifle grabbed my attention. In the story, it was 007’s father’s hunting rifle sentimentally presented to him by the implausibly appearing gamekeeper from his childhood.  This is no rook rifle, the size of the bores confirm it is a stopping rifle. Bond Sr. would have turned Scottish foxes and  hare into smears of raspberry jam had he used it on them. I have fired big bore rifles like this before (.375 Holland & Holland – .458 Winchester Magnum). These rifles shake you to the core. An imprecise and random chiropractic adjustment with each pull of the trigger. Bond’s rifle has more voltage than those but 007 is such a stud that he pops bottles from a tree limb with it like he is shooting a Ruger 10/22. He also dispatches a bad guy shooting this cannon from the hip. Maybe since he lost his nuts in Royale this is no big deal. These cinematic liberties aside, it was great fun to watch.

A little internet research reveals that this beautiful rifle is an Anderson Wheeler boxlock in 500 Nitro Express.

Not that I know everything about the English gun trade, but I have never, ever heard of Anderson Wheeler. Click HERE to check it out. The James Bond Lifestyle website says this thing can be custom ordered for $24K. WHAT? That is absurdly cheap. This, plus the fact that Anderson Wheeler has its own line of fragrances certainly gives me pause.

What say you, Vesper . . . ?

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A Year Without Rio

We lost Rio one year ago today. I can’t believe how fast that year went by! Here are some shots of this beautiful dog.

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9 Months of Tex

Tex is nine months old today. He is right at 80 pounds and a super-sweet guy. Next weekend he will be freezing his pecker off in North Dakota, his first big-time hunt. We will be hunting four days, he has no idea of the fun just ahead!

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Big Tex

This was to be a post on a Sage Grouse and Ptarmigan hunt but we did not see a bird. What is that recipe to remove the stench of skunk?

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Colorado Dove 2012

Here in Colorado the drought is in full bloom and heat records seem to be set daily. It has been a tough summer for the birds.  Dove hunting in Colorado is rarely spectacular but this year our one day dove hunt was notably slow. My guess is that there were about half the birds as compared to the year before. No one took a limit but of course the hunters the day before were limited out and done by 9:30am, we were told. Maybe so as that was opening day.

Even though the hunting was poor, we had a great time. The birds arrived in ones and twos all morning, the weather was perfect and this was Tex’s first hunt. Tex had two Labs and another GSP to hunt and play with. There is no doubt that he had a terrific time and was exhausted at the end of the morning.

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Beautiful Colorado Sage

The two day Colorado Sage Grouse season is almost upon us. Last year we were skunked but with the 2012 drought in full swing and the dwindling bird numbers, I am sure we will all limit by brunch. We are OK with the poor odds, it is great to get the dogs out and hunt after a long hot summer. Not to mention that we have a new puppy to break in! Here are some of the better pictures from past seasons.

Sage, and lots of it. We love the desolate, lonely places of the bird hunt.

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Tex on Birds

Yesterday was a big day for Tex. Not quite 6 months old we put him on live birds for the first time. By nature Tex is a very sweet, mellow dog and we love him in the house but you wonder what will happen when he has feathers in his face. Will he have interest, not to mention intensity and an enthusiasm to hunt? Is he going to get it and fulfill his bird dog destiny, or is he going to lay in the shade under the truck and lick his balls?

Not to worry, Tex gets it. Within 45 minutes he went from mildly curious to a bird dog with fire in his eyes. With guidance from our trainer, John Augustine of Nickel Creek Gun Dogs, we had a tremendously successful day. Tex learned what a game bird is, what they smell like and how they taste. To see the light come on, to see the instinct kick in, to see your puppy perform is an incredible experience. I think I am tearing up.

Tex worked the field well, he picked up scent and worked it to the bird. He pointed and held point well and we were able to shoot over him with no ill effect. You always worry about gun shyness, but happily there was none of that. He did pretty good on the retrieve as well. Being his first time, none of this was flawless or executed consistently but the skills are certainly there. Most importantly he was into it and we have the opportunity to develop a terrific gun dog and also have a wonderful pal back at the ranch.

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Cajun-German Shorthaired Pointer Pups Available

My friend Grant from Melville, LA has an awesome litter of GSPs on the ground.

Here is what he says:

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Tex at 5 Months

Tomorrow Tex is 5 months old. He still is a puppy but at 48 pounds sometimes it doesn’t seem like it.

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