GreenDrake

Brian, your strong faith has made you a very strong man indeed. You have given your wife the greatest gift of all, going to her resting place in peace, dignity, comfort and knowing she was truly and completely loved. Most are not so fortunate. Bless you

Good for you Bill. You deserve it and will hopefully enjoy it

The should get a few decoys and set up about 100 yards from the barns. Shooting them over decoys is so much fun.

What county and/or township are you located? We have similar daily flights here in Oneida County as well.

This is a true story confirmed by the uncle in the story. I guy I know shot a big buck, his first, opening day when he was just out of high school with a Rem 1100 his parents bought him for graduation. He approached the deer and in celebration, proceeded to wrap the sling over the deer’s antlers then called out to his uncle. As his uncle approached, the deer jumped up and ran off. Neither the deer nor shotgun were ever recovered. Fearing his parents would be mad at him, his uncle bought him a new shotgun that same evening.

I am very familiar with the Auburn birds. Awesome watching them come in at evening. Its close to that here as well. I hunt the flyways and get them coming out in the morning and heading back to roost in the evening. It took me several years to really figure them out and proper set ups and calls. We hit them pretty hard now. Drove me crazy for years. I became obsessed. Wife and I drive thousands of miles finding birds...their flyways...etc. they are tough but fun. Pigeons are just a slaughter-fest. 250 bird shoot averages.

One of our summer decoy shoots

I decoy pigeons heavily in the spring and summer in cut wheat or grain fields. Have 6 Mojo pigeons and 2 dozen assorted full bodies, socks and 8 flock flicks. In Winter we do not decoy them as they are usually going into corn bunkers to feed and onto silos to sit. We get them coming and going. Crows I always decoy. I try to set up in low scrub areas in their flyways. Put some decoys in the trees and a few on the ground and call. They come over nice and low and present for easier shots. We killed 30 last Sunday in an hour.

We killed 25 this afternoon. Hard snow. Heavy wind. Farmers grandson joined us. New to hunting. Very safe and courteous but moved around a little too much. He will learn.

I am a 16 gauge junkie. I have 6 Belgian sweet 16s...savage 720 which was my fathers from the 40s....2 grade 7 Citoris....stevens pump which was my fathers first gun in the 30s...and a battle cart side by side. My fondest memory as a child was watching my father load those purple Federals while pheasant hunting. Since then I’ve been a 16 gauge fanatic. I own over 30 12s...20s from Perazzi to Baretta...and everythin between. I always go to the 16.

My beautiful wife blessed me with a new Dickinson plantation grade 16 gauge side by side. It has 28 inch barrels...case hardened side plates and a single trigger. Wood is beautiful. Pictures to follow. I am truly blessed to have such a beautiful life partner. Nephew bought me 2 of the new Lucky Duck spinning wing pigeon decoys. We will now be running 6 spin wing decoys along with the other assorted hard bodies....carousel....bouncers...socks..........flock a flicks...etc.

My wife and I watched one on our new property opening day of rifle. It walked right by the box blind. Was a beautiful animal.

Dixie found a couple this weekend.

Mine are all 4 x 6 feet, as they were on property borders and we never had to shoot behind us. In the future, now that the property I hunt enables me to shoot 360, I would definitely build them 6 x 6 feet. Makes it much easier to sit in the middle and swivel behind me to shoot.