Kansas wild birds!!! CSMC Fox-16

SXS ohio · Post by **SXS ohio** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:34 am

I just returned from our 9 day Kansas annual hunt. It was one of the best I have enjoyed yet. The sun shined bright most of the days, cool mornings and a couple warm afternoons. WE only lost 2 mid day hunts due to 70 degree temps. We rested the dogs and sat at the local pub...(-: and rested ourselves. This was the third year for my made to order Fox. I shoot it like a laser...but was missing easy shots for the first two days, I was very frustrated and lost my confidence??? On Wednesday I worked with my gun mount as I walked the CRP grass....about every third time the gun would slip off my hunting vest onto my shoulder causing the misses! That evening hunt I paid close attention to my gun mount and killed a quail...yip-EEE the curse was broke! That night at the motel I continued working with my gun mount issue and decided my vest needed a extension. In the past I cut up a old cooking hot pad and sewed it on to my sporting clays vest to help with felt recoil, it worked perfectly. So I thought that was what I needed on my hunt vest. But what could I use in a pinch>??? I took a motel wash cloth and folded it up just right, got my travel sewing kit out and attached it just right fitting it as I worked. It took about 1 1/2 hours start to finish. The next morning we woke to a crisp 27 degrees with bright sun up. We hunt a spot that always hold birds, I worked the dog in the crp, into the bright sun. I hurried along the dirt road to the end of the field to block. One rooster beet me but I made the turn. I stepped into the heavy CRP grass and waited. Mu Gordon setter came close and then turned and worked back the way she came, she was very birdy and slammed to a point just as the rooster broke. Up he went 8 yards out straight up. The sun hit that bird and in glowed with the luster of a wild rooster, its etched in my minds eye to this very moment like a permanent picture! My gun mount was perfect and my right barrel ended the flight just as fast as it had started. I had my first rooster...(-: In short order my setter was trailing again and we repeated the same drill with the same ending. My shooting skill was back and I was very happy about it!! I had my best hunt of the trip on Friday, our last day. Started that hunt with a one shot rooster that fell in the thick hi stuff, I looked but could not locate it. I know it was dead as it took a side hit of 4# shot at about 15 -20 yards. I waited a little bit and lead my setter in and told her to find dead. It only took a short look and she pointed my rooster laying in plain sight. Now we worked the plumb thickets, always a good hunt. We did not know it but we pushed pheasants and pined quail both on this hunt. Both dogs were on point. I saw my Ruby hit sent and point...then all hell broke loose with multiple birds in the air. Hens, roosters and quail all up. I picked the one ruby had pointed and dropped a nice wild rooster, I saw it go down. I then picked a quail that flushed behind me right to left crosser, my right barrel with 5 shot connected and I saw the poof of feathers, a combo double...sweet. Steves dog was on my rooster and retrieved it wonderful to Steve. I took my Ruby and we located my quail that had hid by the time we arrived at the spot I thought it had fell, Ruby found my bird and all was well. We worked the quail into the low CRP and I took a crosser that flushed from a nice point by Steves Visla. It was a bullet crosser left to right. I was proud of my shooting after such a bad start! Four bird with 4 shots, and the rooster/quail double was my first ever! This will be a hard hunt the beat. It was a trip for the books.....(-: I will try to load some pics now...thanks all SXS Ohio Pics are too big....will need to resize them and add later...sorry

Jeff S · Post by **Jeff S** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:45 am

Great story. I felt like I was there. Can't wait for pictures. Jeff

Jim Cloninger · Post by **Jim Cloninger** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:05 am

Great hunt, Kenny. I have never heard of a rooster quail double!
Jim

Cthulhu · Post by **Cthulhu** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:54 pm

kgb · Post by **kgb** » Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:36 pm

Good for you and Ruby, Ken! We lost our 7yo female but Beem is still going at 11. Quail have been doing well this year here in Nebraska, in northwest Missouri as well and apparently the corner of KS you hunted. I only used my Fox on one Prairie Chicken hunt and switched to Ithaca M37 shotguns on pheasant and quail. Will likely go Model 12 from here on and maybe cap the season with the Fox again. I used the Beretta 20 I carried up at Dave's camp on dove and woodcock this year, always good to have something to shoot steel through. Didn't you get lined barrels on your Fox so it can use steel?

Kirk

SXS ohio · Post by **SXS ohio** » Thu Dec 07, 2017 5:48 am

Kirk...I did not ask to have the barrels lined. I will ask Lou next time I talk with him about it.

SXS ohio · Post by **SXS ohio** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 8:52 am

Here are the pictures...I had to learn how to resize them, move them and save them to a special file.....I hope they look good for your viewing enjoyment.....SXS Ohio

SXS ohio · Post by **SXS ohio** » Sun Dec 10, 2017 9:28 am

My 2015 CSMC Fox XE-special. Two barrel set PG-DT-SF engraved by Richard Roy. The chokes on the 29" rooster barrels are .012/.031 I find those chokes to be just about right for the hunting in Kansas. I know experts claim open chokes to modified work the best but I disagree strongly. Many shots are 35 to 40 yards and a tight pattern of 4 or 5 shot is what brings them down dead!, tight full in the left barrel .031 works, 6 pellets in the boiler room is needed for good kills, runners can often get away and be lost! I had it stocked 1 1/4 by 2 1/8 drops , 14 1/4 pull and normal cast off. I think 1 1/4 by 2 1/4 would be perfect, maybe on the next one if there is a next one made for me? I would love to have one with the gold lighting bolts on the breaches and the little gold inlayed blocks on the hinge pin!