Bilbo Baggins
Active member
Little Bilbo and I will be driving up to Kansas late tonight to start hunting by mid morning tomorrow. The weather doesn't look so great but it will be fun as usual. On opening weekend I thought the birds were up a little in the several counties we usually hunt. Unfortunately, I think the numbers are about like last year or maybe down a bit. We have had to kill ourselves for every rooster this year except for the opener. Only saving grace, I have not missed any shots this year in Kansas.
Almost thought I missed a bird last time out but Bilbo II saved me. One of my other sons came out to hunt with Blbo II and I. I told him to switch to 7 1/2 quail loads since there was a huge 60 covey in the short strip of grass we planned on hunting. So I thought, what the heck, and I switched from my normal #5 heavy loads. Wouldn't you know it, two roosters got up at the foot of my son and he promptly make a beautiful shot and dropped him perfectly. That was his very first rooster, what a great day for all of us. The other rooster swung to the left about 40 yards out in front of me. The first shot hit him and he dropped about two feet, then starting flying normal again. I emptied the Browning, all five shells and hit him again and again. The bird flew away. We got back to the truck and drove off. Bilbo II is my driver out in the country. He tells me in the truck he saw a rooster fly from where the two of us were walking and flew about three blocks and DROPPED in the corn stubble. We drove back to the field, loaded up our guns, and found the bird about three blocks into the stubble. That was a great feeling not to lose the bird. Bilbo II had driven the truck a couple blocks ahead of us to block and also so we didn't have to walk back and not cover new ground. So, I found my bird and the other son bagged his first rooster.
AWESOME!
Back to my #5 loads and learned my lesson.
Almost thought I missed a bird last time out but Bilbo II saved me. One of my other sons came out to hunt with Blbo II and I. I told him to switch to 7 1/2 quail loads since there was a huge 60 covey in the short strip of grass we planned on hunting. So I thought, what the heck, and I switched from my normal #5 heavy loads. Wouldn't you know it, two roosters got up at the foot of my son and he promptly make a beautiful shot and dropped him perfectly. That was his very first rooster, what a great day for all of us. The other rooster swung to the left about 40 yards out in front of me. The first shot hit him and he dropped about two feet, then starting flying normal again. I emptied the Browning, all five shells and hit him again and again. The bird flew away. We got back to the truck and drove off. Bilbo II is my driver out in the country. He tells me in the truck he saw a rooster fly from where the two of us were walking and flew about three blocks and DROPPED in the corn stubble. We drove back to the field, loaded up our guns, and found the bird about three blocks into the stubble. That was a great feeling not to lose the bird. Bilbo II had driven the truck a couple blocks ahead of us to block and also so we didn't have to walk back and not cover new ground. So, I found my bird and the other son bagged his first rooster.
AWESOME!
Back to my #5 loads and learned my lesson.
