16. ga hunter

they are very wet hence the reason they make up the alabama swamps there are deer there but it will take awhile to figure out how to hunt them and when to use what techniques most of the land is swamps but there are also grasslands for pheasants songbirds ect.

me and the dog went out today for about an hour saw one rabbit but missed lots of crows no ruffies or squirrels but got out late enjoyed my afternoon

a tip for deals is to go sun afternoon lots of times they won't wanna load everything back up and are more willing to deal from expierience

been out a few times this season have flushed some birds with my cocker she is doing well i am getting my wing shooting back in check after a break with out a dog

well small game hunters must be really bad then the way we fire guns until the end of febuary. i don't see a need to shorten it maybe split it up some but not shorten. have lived in states where "deer season" ran most of the year august till march to be exact different closed blocks weapon limits ect.

went out this am grouse hunting with my cocker bailey what a beautiful morning it was warm and sun conditions almost ideal for mid winter drummers. We first worked a pine stand into brambles and thickets but did not find any birds. worked through the thickets towards the main trail and she ran a rabbit i could not shoot becase she was right on top of it and chased him into another clummp of brush. i called her and tried to kick him out myself but she took chase impeading my shot a small game partner would be ideal. took the main trail towards the swamp bottom as approaching the pine stand i could hear the grouse squaking and whistled the dog back we entered the pines and i was expecting birds to take flight from above but none just the she broke for the thicket on our right. i could see her running around in it and saw a grouse run by i could have shot it but waited for a flush. the birds tried to run her but she persisted and they flushed unfortunately on the far side and i could only make them out as they fluttered into flight. We worked around towards the old orchards and kicked another rabbit which i had a bead on but felt the pup was too close. afew steps farther into the briars and a nice drummer burst into flight i shouldered my bolt action 12. ga and fired but my lead must have been a bit much i pulled the trigger for a second shot when it dawned on me that i was carrying my bolt action and not my trustee autoloader steel shot is much cheaper and easier to come by for a 12 bore than a sixteen. we worked through the overly grown orchards and flushed another bird i think it may have been the same bird as the one i missed as he swooped down and i did not see him fly out of sight no shot was available through the old apple trees. made our way back towards the road. as we came to a low lying brush thorn thicket my cocker bolted into it and was really birdy i readied for a grouse to flush when i could tell she was making her way back towards me at a very high rate of speed. i readied for another rabbit when to my supprise she comes flying out chasing a nice grey squirrel and ran him to a oak tree i took aim and pooped a shout on his way up but they sure are fast. racked another shell as i followed him up the tree he jumped over to a pine and i lost him for a second. i watched intently and saw his movement i took aim through my custom windage v and my bead and dropped him out of the pine at about 40 yrds. thae next supprise was that my young cocker then sprung into action running over to fetch him up i met her half way and and praised her for such good work on her first retrieve. bailey has been reluctant at best so far on retieving game but this am i did not even have to tell her she just did it. on our way out to the truck we ran into three beagles then two hunters i whistled my cocker to a hup and she paid no attention to the hounds we chatted with the two hunters for a few min when they commented that i do not scould my dog for running rabbits,treeing and retrieving squirrels. i said i do not train her for rabbits or squirrel but i am not going to yell at her if she does the one man said i must be a utilitarin hunter i just like to make the most of my time in the woods with my compact hunting partner we wished each other good luck and i headed to walk a few hedge rows. wwhile walking the hedge rows i blew it on a nice rabbit i saw him standing up in the field but assumed it to be brush or grass as it did not move when me and the dog got to about 20 yrds it bounded into the woods the pup took chase but just ran it deeper we worked through but did not kick it. I am very pleased with how the cocker is coming along not only as a bird dog but evidently an all around small game dog more time afield and work over the summers and ithink she may be a real power house come next year.

took my cocker spaniels out this am for some grouse hunting flushe 4 birds in 2.5 hrs. she also kicked 3 rabbits out of brush but was right on top of them. and to my suprise treed and retrieved a grey squirrel

by no means do i feel unsafe in the woods i guess its just i was brought up wearing orange and hunt mostly state land i realalize that unsafe hunters will be unsafe regardless if im wearing orange or not but have also startled other hunters while walking none of wich were going to shoot me just supprised as i was t see another back far in the swamps

after this mz season i will have no problems wearing blaze on one evening hedge row sit i had a hen out of a flock of 37 walk right across my legs the rest of the flock was within 5 to 10 feet movement is the enemy

yes i agree as the flock approached from across the field i stayed motionless trying to not even move my head as i watched them i was seated in the corner hedge row with wild grapes covering but there were two good sized holes my shooting opening and the opening she came through. the holes were big enough for me at 6' 260 to walk through there is absolutely no way the hen did not see me she just decided i was not a threat she stopped right on my legs pulling something from the vines it was so hard not to move my heart was pounding but she just slowly moved on. so far it is the most memorable hunting experience i have ever had better than my first deer pheasant what ever to be that close to mother nature. and after that i have absolutely no problem whatso ever wearing blaze orange

catching up the rest of my deer season was fairly eventful but no tags were filled. memories made though had a nice sized hen walk across my lap one after noon while i was in a hedge row, the flock was 37 birds strong with a beard dragging tom and one young jake that i could tell. they had me surrounded at one point. At any rate clad in blaze an older hen walked right across my legs i could feel her wait on my shins it was quite the expeience. goes to show movement is your worst enemy. that same after noon i unfortanately was harassed by a assumed non hunter as at 410 i was wathching 3 doe at about 300 yrds and closing across the cut corn when a motorist decided it was an opprotune time to blaze on thier horn first pass the deer did not mind but when they turned around for the second the doe high tailed it for the woods.still hunted and after noon sits for the remainder of muzzle loader and blew it on my last available chance on a doe at about 70 yrds shot over her back and saw my round explode a head of cabbage me and my partner tracked for 400 yrds through the woods but no blood or hair will have to sight the gun in as i did have a sight malfunction that i hastily corrected mid muzzle season to get on target/kill zone but did not perfect. Took the dog out for some grouse on the 22 a morning hunt hunted a little less than an hour and flushed 2 birds. Not bad the cocker is excited to be in the field/woods again and worked hard the entire hunt. she really excells at getting into thickets and dense cover bushes ect. as she can get under them to flush where most bird dogs are a lil to big and either bust through or point into. i can foresee many memorable season over flushing bailey lynn.She also ran two cotton tails that morning but i could not take shots as she is right up their rears. not sure on how to cure or if i even want to as my main focus with her is birds and fear a correction to afford a shot on a rabbit may cause her to soft flush birds.

also got a hunters heart good read so far. 100% merino light wicking base layer set from austrailia very nice quality some wool socks and insulated underwear

16 ga myself as most of my rabbits are taken while hunting grouse.

hunting season does not end with deer have flushed about 50 or so grouse out at iriquios while still hunting and my young cockerr is itching to get back out. after deer season i just shift to small game. mostly grouse but there are still some released pheasant at oak orchard and rabbits to be had.

there is nothing saying you can't wear it in the north ie guys saying sometimes nort sometimes south also this back pack swapping most hunting packs are of such design that ir your tag is at its attaching points that most new coats come with it will drape over your bag and be visible just seems like a bunch of complaining over notheing to me

hmm thats odd they shoot well out of my gun out to 125 rarely have a shot at that distance but like you said all guns are different

farmland/ medows/fields water sources oak orchard has a good number partly due to farms surrounding and habitat manegment for pheasant and watrefoul i used to hunt them in sc with my buddies lab to retrieve down there we would pass shoot them over ponds

carlton hill/ sulfur springs near wyoming

lightfield hybred exp 2 3/4" puts them down in their tracks great expansion last slug was lodged in opposite shoulder and measured almost a full inch switched to them after blowing the belly out of a doe with barnes expander which entered just behind left shoulder imo the lightfields perform very well

don't know if it the same with deer but my buddies dog had them and it ended up being a thyroid issue that caused it

hunted oak orchard and iroquois nwr with my dad today started out with a pine stand hunt lots of beds fresh tracks dad saw 2 but could not get shot reversed our hedge row push and they kicked out on to iroquios tracked them but were going full tilt for along ways and ended up going into the oak orchard creek flood plain water is very high right now dad has no waders backed out grabbed a quick lunch and headed to hunt back side of our ussual nwr area had quite a hike to the woods 1/2 mile of knee deep snow fields had a doe cross infront at about 200 yrds just to far for me to shoot she was kicked by another hunter in the woods by the road but supprisingly walked the field infront of me don't think she knew i was there. found an area in the woods that opened up nicely with a ridge and a low area/covers sat for after noon no deer came through hunting again tomorow with dad not sure may do all walking may head to tondowanda also.

they are all over genesee county

if not just pull the breech plug and sight it through the barrel will work did my single shot 20 that way just put the gun on something stable broke with plug out

when did the dec sell the rt 77 property went by tonight and its still marked john white with state land signs? and no hunting zone around buildings?

if you would not mind a used gun my sportsman 48 cycles shells well and is a pleasure to carry/clean shoot inertia operated too so no issues with being dirty