Ponsness/Warren 800B

When I was a kid shooting skeet and trap in the 70’s, the Ponsness/Warren “Size-O-Matic” was the reloader to have. Boy, I wanted one but earning minimum wage at the local grocery store put me in the effective and affordable MEC reloader instead. Thirty five plus years later the PW is still in production and now that I am earning a notch above minimum wage I was able to put one in my reloading room. Here is a quick look at this workhorse of a machine.

7 operations with each pull of the handle and a freshly reloaded shell is ejected each time.

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First Point

Tex is 4 months old today!

Tex makes his first points on a Chukar wing.

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Moretex

Here is more Tex! He is 81 days old and, in the 4 weeks since he arrived, he has more than doubled in size. These wonderful puppy days are moving by too fast!

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Shotgun Still

Shotguns against an old truck during a break in North Dakota.

 

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More Puppy Pics

Tex has been with us for two weeks and is 40% bigger than when he arrived. At 9 weeks he is learning the key commands well and though I hesitate to say this, we think he is house broken. (I am sure he took a crap in my wife’s new shoes as I wrote this.)

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Ahhhhh . . .

Tex is 2 months old today and has been with us for 1 week.

Better the deck than the carpet!

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Tex Comes Home

Tex left his littermates at Valhalla and came home on Saturday morning. It was a perfect weekend of puppy fun that started with a quiet, reserved pooch trying to understand a new world and ended with a marauding alpha dog full of vinegar and armed with needles for teeth. Tex is confident, fearless and a very happy dog. We could not be more pleased with him.

Handsome boy!

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Tex

We have come full circle now. Last November we lost our beloved Rio, not even 7 then. It took a while to recover but now we are ready to roll with our next GSP.  We feel very fortunate to have found the wonderful dogs at Valhalla Hunt Club near Bennett, Colorado and have secured a fine boy. . . .Thank You Gary Thompson! We are looking forward to picking him up next weekend and for the adventure to begin!

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More GSP Puppies

These sweet pups are 24 days old. The litter has 4 females and 2 males and we will pick between these two males. One is about the largest dog in the litter and the other is the smallest.  Other than the female in pink, which one would you choose?

Moose? This little fellow turns out to be our Tex!

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German Shorthaired Pointer Puppies

Who doesn’t love a puppy! Here is a litter of irresistible black and white GSPs. Beautiful pups at 5 weeks.

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Remembering Texas Quail

There was no Texas quail hunt this year for us. A 100 year drought, a new job and the bird dog up and dying kept us home. Here are a few pictures of the good old days.

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Old North Dakota Farm Truck

Sitting with the other detritus of long gone lives on a North Dakota farm is this lonely pick up truck.

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Colorado GSP

We lost bird dog Rio last November and now the search is on for a new puppy. This morning we shot at some Chukars with Rio’s half-sister, Matrix. You sure can tell they are related, the resemblance is amazing. The hope is to have a pup by the beginning of summer.

We love those white & liver pointers.

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Suburban Coyotes

Here is a pair of nasty, mangy, pet-killing coyotes. These are in the open space behind my house in the middle of Denver’s suburban sprawl. Beautiful animals.

Click on this picture for a large view

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Guns on Black

A few yards of black fabric provides a rich background but managing light is the real challenge with photographing firearms. Plenty of soft, indirect light is key but that is easier said than done. The black abyss showcases the walnut and steel and helps make these amateur photos look pretty good.

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to our fellow bird hunters and gun dog lovers!

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On-Line Magazine: The Contemporary Wingshooter

I stumbled upon these and think you would enjoy . . .

The Contemporary Wingshooter and The Contemporary Sportsman

Substantial excellent content, big name contributors and terrific photography.

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Wild Cocks

Now, THAT title should get some hits!  “Cock” is such a funny word. Nothing wrong with it in the right context but it sits precariously on the edge between OK and absolutely not OK. Use it in the wrong company, with the wrong inflection or add a sucker to it and my friend you have crossed the line. That said, here are a bunch of cocks we have seen  in the field.

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Copyright 1897 by E. I. Du Pont Company

How fun would it have been to hunt wild quail on a southern plantation in 1905! That is the year my grandfather was born – TR is president, the Civil War was lost only 40 years ago, the side by side game gun had reached the pinnacle of perfection, cigars are good for you and this vintage ad is in the box of fresh Remington paper shot shells you just opened.

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Another AyA 4/53

Check out this earlier post on the AyA 4/53. These really are nice guns so here is another one.

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