Loosing birds

[Bob Peters]

1. Put the 28 in the safe and leave it there all bird season.

2. Shoot a healthy payload but avoid high velocity in anything except a gas gun

3. Work with Mr. Jones. Even in the off season walk him in the prairie when within the law. Also, make sure he sees every episode of jcw outdoors.

4. Don't be afraid of thick and heavy cover. BUT, when you know it's too thick, or there might be a mountain lion in vicinity, don't hunt there or shoot at birds there.

5. Don't hunt with anyone with a dog born and bred in Wyoming. Those dogs can find rabbits but not pheasant or grouse.

6. Go and shoot clay pigeons in the offseason.

 

[Goosemaster]

1. Put the 28 in the safe and leave it there all bird season.

2. Shoot a healthy payload but avoid high velocity in anything except a gas gun

3. Work with Mr. Jones. Even in the off season walk him in the prairie when within the law. Also, make sure he sees every episode of jcw outdoors.

4. Don't be afraid of thick and heavy cover. BUT, when you know it's too thick, or there might be a mountain lion in vicinity, don't hunt there or shoot at birds there.

5. Don't hunt with anyone with a dog born and bred in Wyoming. Those dogs can find rabbits but not pheasant or grouse.

6. Go and shoot clay pigeons in the offseason.

Ironically, Jones was watching an episode of JC outdoors today.

 

[Goosemaster]

Better combination of ammo and choke in your shotgun. Stop using that cheap crap with a full choke.

And make better shots. That part is easier said than done.

Cheap crap would be game loads, and traploads. I use Magnum loads.

 

[Goosemaster]

1. Put the 28 in the safe and leave it there all bird season.

2. Shoot a healthy payload but avoid high velocity in anything except a gas gun

3. Work with Mr. Jones. Even in the off season walk him in the prairie when within the law. Also, make sure he sees every episode of jcw outdoors.

4. Don't be afraid of thick and heavy cover. BUT, when you know it's too thick, or there might be a mountain lion in vicinity, don't hunt there or shoot at birds there.

5. Don't hunt with anyone with a dog born and bred in Wyoming. Those dogs can find rabbits but not pheasant or grouse.

6. Go and shoot clay pigeons in the offseason.

Haha, my dog came out of kindersley Saskatchewan, not Wyoming LOL.

 

[Goosemaster]

I'm lucky. My 2 dogs are really good at finding downed birds. I normally stand back and let them do their thing and one of them normally brings it back.

That's awesome, my 11-year-old is basically retired, bud. I just can't leave her in the truck, she still wants to go.

 

[Mosby]

That's awesome, my 11-year-old is basically retired, bud. I just can't leave her in the truck, she still wants to go.

Nothing wrong with taking an old dog hunting.

 

[Chessie 67]

We lost a bird today, but made some tough ones this weekend that could also have been easily lost. If at the end of the year I lose 1 out of 8 or even 1 out of 10 I want to do better. I’ve started trying to treat every bird like it’s the only bird I’m going to get to shoot today.
The dogs were proud today and I was proud of them.

View attachment 10432

Nicely done to you and the crew! Great photo!

 

[BrownDogsCan2]

Nicely done to you and the crew! Great photo!

Thanks chessie it was fun weekend . We got to shoot some quail and a few pheasants sat in the wind , big covies. I was hunting with a friend and his high school son. Tha son had a broken collar bone and was shooting one handed lefty with a 410 I don’t know if he hit any but wouldn’t doubt it He’s a little stud. We got a late start Sunday, The kid was out running traps. It was ok the kid had permission on 60 quarters we could hunt We hunted 5 corners before I headed home.

 

[Goosemaster]

Nothing wrong with taking an old dog hunting.

One time in November, my 11-year-old made a great retrieve, she swam across a deep Creek, grabbed the bird, and swam back with it and climbed up the hill, and handed me the bird. It was one of her best retrieves ever. Retrieves ever it was just so great. So yeah, Jones was not with us on that walk, he had foot issues at times.

 

[Goosemaster]

I really like my little Beretta stack barrel, it makes me feel kind of like a nobleman or or a or an Italian gentleman out on my acreage.

 

[Red Ryder]

Lol you got to be kidding me. $200 is expensive. That is 3 tanks of gas. Cheap in my book. Keep wounding birds I guess.

3 tanks of gas in my blue state is a lot more than 200 bucks. My Silvarado is about 90 bucks a shot when filling up

 

[BirdDoggin]

I lost one on Sunday but have lost very few the past several seasons. I thought I dropped it dead over cattails and the dog never saw it. I had a good mark on it but came up empty.
I shoot a 20 g due to previous injuries, and old age, and a result wing more birds than I would like. I’m fortunate my lab can track down most any bird as long as he sees it down.

 

[Bob Peters]

I don't think I lost a single bird this year when hunting alone with Skye*. I know on one hunt with with 4 guys and 5 dogs we lost some. When you have a big grab-assy type group things seem more chaotic and it's easier to lose one.

*I'll double check in the hunting journal when time allows.

 

[BrownDogsCan2]

I don't think I lost a single bird this year when hunting alone with Skye*. I know on one hunt with with 4 guys and 5 dogs we lost some. When you have a big grab-assy type group things seem more chaotic and it's easier to lose one.

*I'll double check in the hunting journal when time allows.

That’s awesome Bob.We lost 2 chickens a quail and 2 pheasants. I’m not sure out of how many but I’m guessing about 45 and a few more with other hunters. My dead ratio sucked this year. I’m proud of my dogs they bailed me out most of the tIme.

 

[Chessie 67]

Thanks chessie it was fun weekend . We got to shoot some quail and a few pheasants sat in the wind , big covies. I was hunting with a friend and his high school son. Tha son had a broken collar bone and was shooting one handed lefty with a 410 I don’t know if he hit any but wouldn’t doubt it He’s a little stud. We got a late start Sunday, The kid was out running traps. It was ok the kid had permission on 60 quarters we could hunt We hunted 5 corners before I headed home.

Wow, sounds like that kid has it going on!

 

[gim]

I don't think I lost a single bird this year when hunting alone with Skye*. I know on one hunt with with 4 guys and 5 dogs we lost some.

I didn't lose any this season either. Sometimes less is more when it comes to hunting efficiency.

 

[KMenn]

I have a hunting friend that was always wounding birds and my dogs got a workout searching and tracking those wounded birds and we lost some. It took about three seasons for me to convince him to choke down to a modified and buy some premium loads. The result was his miss percentage increased and the wounding losses decreased and the harvested bird percentage stayed the same. The lost time looking for wounded birds decreased and our time hunting increased.

 

[BrownDogsCan2]

Wow, sounds like that kid has it going on!

Yeah a good kid. And nice him and his dad both. I always look forward to hunting with them. A couple years ago when I hunted with them last the kid was about half the size.

 

[Chessie 67]

Yeah a good kid. And nice him and his dad both. I always look forward to hunting with them. A couple years ago when I hunted with them last the kid was about half the size.

Gotta love seeing the young kids out there enjoying their lives without a device attached to their hands…

 

[LC Smith]

1. Put the 28 in the safe and leave it there all bird season.

2. Shoot a healthy payload but avoid high velocity in anything except a gas gun

3. Work with Mr. Jones. Even in the off season walk him in the prairie when within the law. Also, make sure he sees every episode of jcw outdoors.

4. Don't be afraid of thick and heavy cover. BUT, when you know it's too thick, or there might be a mountain lion in vicinity, don't hunt there or shoot at birds there.

5. Don't hunt with anyone with a dog born and bred in Wyoming. Those dogs can find rabbits but not pheasant or grouse.

6. Go and shoot clay pigeons in the offseason.

Bob, why don't you hunt with the 28? If I can get mine to cycle (total chapter of a book on this issue) I would use it a lot more. I am really starting to like how it carries and shoots. In my 12b and 16b I only shoot a 1oz load of #6 and it does the trick and feel comfortable with the 28ga.