16ga.com ~ View topic

Joined: 19 Jun 2004 Posts: 1480 Location: Mpls, MN.

Good Lord! Worrying about being strafed while bird hunting! Do be a gent and keep quite about the bird hunting in Minnesota!

On the subject of dogs and people food, my late Gordon was a garbage truck and ate anything, and I do mean anything-black olives, pickled melon rind and other things not usually looked upon by dogs as possibly being food. The English setter turns her nose up at most everything, including cheese of all types, peanut butter (spread on english muffin toast, it was nirvana food for the Gordon) anything that isn't meat, thats been cooked, really. Her stomach seems far, far more sensitive to diet related problems, as well. Purina dog chow is her prefered food, and a full bowl is left near her water in the dining room-she self feeds two small meals a day. The Gordon had to be fed, as he just may have ate himself to death if given the chance. But, he was trim and fit as a fiddle 'till the day he died.

Odd how similar dogs can be so different...
Best,
Ted

Ted, is no secret. I'm from MA and even I know about the good hunting in your state. Just thank your lucky stars about the Air force not using your butt for gunnery practice.

Actually, we Mass hunters have had it pretty good. The state F&WL folks do a nice job of stocking pheasant statewide and Quail on Cape Cod. One of my favorite WMAs is right next to Otis Air Base. Its an added thrill to see a flight of F-15 Eagles zoom by overhead. I've always been nuts about aircraft, besides perhaps being just plain nuts. Laughing

So far, they haven't strafed any of us yet, in spite of the rumor that Uncle Teddy K. has tried to get them to.

JC, the meatheads in our neck of the woods do use dogs, very excited and untrained dogs to sweep the fields. The results are about the same, a few birds and an occasional fist fight over who shot it.

Most of these clowns could'nt hit their hats on the ground from six feet anyway. Time and again, I've watched a ton of pheasants fly through an entire barrage from a dozen guys without a scratch. Its pitiful to watch and funny as hell. If a bird is hit, at least four of them will claim it and sprint after it. Most of the time they beat their own dogs to it. you wouldn't think some of these 0ld farts could run that fast loaded down with guns, ammo, a bag of donuts and coffee.

I just wait them out or hunt the fringe and the back areas before these jerks get there. Or, like you, I'll spend a pleasant afternoon with Heidi all by myself in the very same area these fools have hammered that morning. We have never failed to turn a bird or two. The limit is 2 per day anyway. I like the leasurely pace. Fifeteen minute quickies aren't worth the fifty mile or so drive anyway. More pheasants than two or a 1/2 dozen quail are a waste anyway. That is why skeet was invented...and trap... and sporting clays. You know, the shooting disciplines 95% of the bozos never bother with. Their shooting shows it too. Goodiee!!! more birds for me and at a saner time too.

Member Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1522 Location: NH

JCM,

Yea, I do remember the guys talking about quail down near Collier's Mills. Not sure if it is right on the Mills or another area in the area.

Our club puts out quite a few pheasants and a fair number of Chuckars. Most of the guys are pretty good but a few have some unruly dogs that could use a shock collar or two.
But for the most part it's pretty good.

The Flatbrook area has been my favorite WMA for the last couple of years. But, more people are finding out about it.
When I really want to spend a nice quiet day in the field, I hit one of the preserves in Pa. They do either 6 roosters or 9 hens for $99. Can't beat it and the dog has a ball working all the birds.

Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Somerset County, NJ

TJC,

What preserve do you hit in Pa.? I've been out to Wing Point (right around the corner from Cabelas in Hamburg) with my son, Jay, and a couple of his waterfowling buddies. Jay and his 3 twenty-something friends like to hunt ducks and geese, but when the upland urge hits them, they recruit me and the Setter Boys to go with them. They had been there 2 or 3 times with 2 Chessies, hunting in really heavy cover, with minimal success. The Chessies kept bumping the birds into 50-60 yard shots. The setters had a ball. They put out 6 birds (mixed) per man for $115. Between the four of us, we got our 24 and another 9 more from 9:00 to 1:00. Jay knew what to expect because he has hunted over the setters with me. The three other guys were in shock. My older setter, Booker, has learned over the years to circle beyond a running bird and drive it towards me. Between those and the birds that both dogs pointed and flushed from the brush, it was like shooting ducks in a barrel. I will say one things about this group of young guys, they can wing-shoot. I'd bet not more than 2 or 3 birds came back shot up. My son and I used our 16 gauge Smiths, I let one friend borrow my 16 gauge Charlin and another used his dad's 16 gauge Model 24, so we even kept up to our 16 gauge heritage. I can't wait for them to call again since they pay my way for "guide & dog" services. Laughing

JCM

PS: Ted,

1.Trust me, I do not advertise Minnesota and my in-laws to many people.
2. The story about the strafing of the school is fact. Some pilot from the Maryland Air Guard ended up with his tit in the wringer over the incident that was classified as "an accidental discharge" . They found 5 or 6 20mm practice rounds in a classroom, having entered through the roof. Yikes !!

You old whangler you-- what a racket. Hey, we all would like a set up like that. You should be able to whangle some blind time too. I would. Quack, quack--TAKE "EM!!!

As to the strafing incident, I'll bet the kiddies got an education that day. Now they know what going to school in Bagdad or Beirut is like. Could you imagine sitting in class and having the teacher tell you to put on your flak helmet, tuck your head between your legs, and then kiss your own little butt goodby. Talk about a radical solution to classroom overcrowding!!

It reminds me of the practrice nuclear air raid drills we had as kids in the 1st and second grades. That crap finally stopped when somebody with a brain figured out that the average child's desk wasn't gonna stop an H-bomb very well. You can bet it wasn't anyone on the school board though.

Member Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1522 Location: NH

JCM,

We hit Powderbourne preserve. They raise their own birds and lease about 500 acres of land that is mostly fields. They section off the areas so no one else is hunting your section. During the week you are lucky to see more than 1 or 2 fields being used. Weekends are something else. They take reservations, in fact you may have to make them.

Roosters are 6 for $99
Hens are 9 for $99
Chuckars are 10 for $99 (they used to be 12 but for some reason they lowered the number on the chuckars)

Nice time. They have a small restaurant that we usually grab some breakfast at and then hunt. Extra birds are always around if you hunt enough. The hunt is suppose to be a 1/2 day but if you have your own dog and no one else is shooting say in the afternoon, they leave you alone and you can keep hunting. You are suppose to pay for the extra birds but they have never charged me for the 2-3 extras I've come up with on occasion.

My Drahthaars love the place. When they get in the field and there are 18 hens out there to be found, they are in heaven.

www.powderbourne.com

Joined: 14 Aug 2005 Posts: 11 Location: South Jersey

Hi,

I recently ordered 16ga. AyA 4/53 and found 16ga.com while browsing the net, after reading some discussion of bird hunting in New Jersey I decided to join.

I know how it is on WMA's but last year I discovered how great it is on non-stocking days. I hunted early in the morning (my favorite time), had the place to myself, and got birds. The only difference is there's no crowd (no idiots) or easy birds. This will be my second season with my own dog so I also go out for woodcock before pheasant season begins now and try to squeeze in a couple of quail hunts.

Member Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 1522 Location: NH

AB,

Welcome to the 16ga. Society. I think you will find this site a very friendly and informative site. There are people on here with knowledge beyond belief.

Yes, the non stocking days can be good. I've hit it good and bad. I think it depends on the area you are in and how heavy it gets hunted on the stocking days.
We usually do the Flatbrook area on stocking days and the few non stocking days that I go out. Those are usually Fridays as I am off. A lot of the birds up there get pushed down into the river/swamp area from the fields on top. I've found that later in the year when the swamp area freezes, it's a good place to head.

Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Somerset County, NJ

Hey Boss,

Welcome to the room.

TJC,

I know where Powderbourne is, I've just never been there. There's a sporting clays place right down the road from there off Kings Highway called Water & Wings that I've shot a couple of time. I guess I'll have to get serious and go look for it next time I'm out that way. I also know that somewhere in that immediate area is a club that shoots Flyers in the spring and fall. Again, I've been told about it, but never been there. A couple of guys that I shoot with at North Jersey CTC make the circuit shooting Flyers and have talked about it. I've only been to Strausstown and Elysburg for those games.

16GG,

Yeah, It is a racket, but I gotta' do something to keep the dogs fed. I get no blind time because my enjoyment of hunting does not include getting up at 4:00 AM, driving forever to a.) a lake in the middle of nowhere or b.) some frozen cove on Barnegat Bay to sit in the water with insulated waders, in 10 degree temperature, with a Cheaspeake Bay Retreiver that farts and has bad breath. I do my hunting on foot, following my Setter Boys in the daylight. I also fail to get excited when my son and/or his buddies unload three, 3 1/2 magnum shells out the barrel of their autoloaders while sitting 15 inches from me.
Besides, have you ever seen the price of Heavi-Shot? At $2.50+ per shot, you'd better be getting a lot of satisfaction from bringing home some shot-up Canada geese or mallards. Hell, I don't even like dark meat.

JCM