Fox Collectors

Here are a few picks from my annual Grouse hunt in PA with my cousin Bill Plunkett. We had @30 flushes over 3 days in sometimes wet weather. Flush rate is half what we had last year in the same covert over the same period of time so bird numbers must be down. We did manage to down 3 birds total including a pair we shot at the same time on a three bird flush. First time that has happened to us in 25 years of grouse hunting together. Birds flushed between us and one passed in front of me left to right crosser at 25 yrds and the other angled left heading away from bill at 30 yrds. We both missed our first shots but connected with our second. Sounded like we were shooting in harmony I was hoping to use the new 26" XE Fox but the threat of rain kept it back at camp. I opted for my backup 1916 BE Paul
One of our favorite coverts!


Bill with a nice"Red phase" male

BE grade with Grouse

BE grade with Red phase grouse I took the first day

WOW! Great pictures, haven't shot a Grouse since I first started hunting. But now you have me thinking about looking for possible spots. Thanks for sharing.

It looks like a fun hunt. The B grade looks pretty sweet. You do need to help your cus find a real shotgun

Great pics and sounds like a great time. I regularly deer hunt with my 79 yr old uncle (dad's brother) and his three sons. Whether we draw blood or not we always eat well and have a blast. Worst part is shoveling all the BS out of the trailer when we are ready to leave.

Mike

NIce work, Paul!

Those are some beautiful reds. Post more pics if you take 'em, it's killing me sitting this season out. Here's a nice red I got a copuple of years ago...

Great photo Mike.
Is the hat custom?
I would love to see a Fox hat.

Paul,

nice pix....great looking birds, handsome gun. I'm surprised to hear that the numbers are down at your spot. I have moved more birds up here in the Adirondack foothills/Mohawk River Valley than I have seen in many many years. I get similar reports from boys that dont even hunt grouse but are in the woods. I figured they are at the top "of their cycle this year". As a matter of fact, I cant wait for deer season to close so I can get back out in the woods with my Lab....he gets torqued when I go deer hunting and he stays home.

One of these days I'll take a pic with my trusty grouse-getter....you boys will laugh...it'sa ugly duckling but I take it most every time. Twenty gauge late Sterly with 28" bbls, factory beavertail and Kautzky SST. The stock as been cut, added back onto and a ugly vent pad added. There is virtually no original finish on the gun and it doesnt come anywhere close to "fitting" me...it has a ton of drop and is short. HOWEVER....it downs grouse better than any other gun I own. Damn gun just amazes me when they fall. I'm a firm believer that "fit" dont mean much on a North Eastern grouse gun cuz 70% of the time there's no time to shoulder it properly....just swing and shoot at the blur.

tjw

Thanks for the feedback. Jess I have been working on cousin Bill for a couple years now and think I am starting to win him over. He has carried my 20 bore VHE Parker before and liked it so I might be able to get him to rotate his sighting plane soon. The little 20 bore Citori Skeet is his go to grouse gun and it will be as hard to separate him from that gun as it would be to get Linus's (Charlie brown fame) blanket from him.

Mike I had no idea you were taking the season off? I hope everything is well. How is the A grade 20 project going?

Tom I glad to hear the bird numbers are good up your way. Interesting theory on Grouse gun fit. My BE has close to 3"drop but I shoot that gun very well at birds but not targets. Go figure!!

Jess,

The hat is a one-off and not cheap ( about $40-50), but it was fun to design, it's one-of-a-kind, it'll last a lifetime, etc, etc. Lot's of fun for the ticket price. I have a silver-on-black one for Sunday-go-to-meetin.


Tom,

So, what's your rainy day gun?

Paul,

I'm between bird dogs. My go-to girl had ACL surgery December before last when she was only 6 years old. After 11 months she'd actually recovered enough to hunt a few full days last season, then during last Dec-Mar the other knee went lame. I wanted to stop that one from requiring surgery and the wife declared she was "retired." ....made me go out and buy another pup (darn). So I've been working with the 5 month old and looking forward to next year. Actually, she has me so excited I plan to have the A20 ready to go as well.

......like I said before 'PLUNK"...when a sexy 1916 BE, is your "rainy-day" gun, you must be livin' in TALLLLLL COTTONNNNNN!!!!!!
LOL..............TOOL