Kansas wild birds!!! CSMC Fox-16
Posted: 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