Duck Season Begins

[skipper]

Three weeks till duck season starts for the first opener. I'm loading steel shot as fast as I can pull the handle on ny press. I can hardly wait!!!

Unlike rat shooting, you can actually eat ducks.

[Rick in Oregon]

Unlike rat shooting, you can actually eat ducks.

Well Skipper, that's correct, but you also can't (and should not) shoot ducks with a 204 either! And you can't (and should not) shoot 300 ducks per day either!

Seriously though, if my duck huntin' partner had not died a few years ago, I'd still be out 'ducking'. But with the advent of steel shot, my buddy's passing, and the danger to my vintage Beretta and Miruko O/U's using steel, I lost interest after that. Have at it, the ducks left are all yours!

I even sold both my MEC 9000 progressive loaders, 12ga and 20ga to a good friend, but my Silver Pigeons remain, and will continue to do so.

[skipper]

Here's a few of my shotguns. The Caesar Guerini only gets out at the skeet field though. Not pictured is a Browning Maxus that gets to see a lot of ducks.
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The Browning Cynergy sporting camp has killed its share as well.

[Tom Kat]

Holy crap! Those make my M2 Benelli field look like a minimum wage gun!

[Tom Kat]

My dog Brandy, RIP girl. She was a monster of a retriever, almost like a robot. No bird, duck or goose, ever escaped her. By far the smartest dog I was ever around.

[Tom Kat]

Brandy retrieved this ground hog I shot in the yard, then went to place, as trained. She would retrieve anything I ever sent her on.

[Tom Kat]

OK last one for now. Brandy was a beast, I miss her to this day. I will never have another one be that good, she was a natural. The blood of champions ran through her, and I think it showed.

[Bill K]

Beautiful shotguns Skipper. I am like Rick, but even more so, Since I reached 85 and just do not enjoy the cold and wet rain/snow as I did when younger and also loosing the person I hunted waterfowl with, I have given up on ducks and geese also.
Youngest son, is now heavy into the shotgun and bird shooting and will carry on.

Tom. Our dogs present and past bring us a lot of memories and some very good times to reflect on.

To both Skipper and Tom, Thank you for those photo's.

[Rick in Oregon]

Just because I don't duck and goose hunt any longer, that doesn't mean I don't get out with my shotguns for "other birds". Dove hunting here is pretty good during September, hot and dry, lots of food sources means lots of birds.

A shot from a recent season with my Beretta 20ga Silver Pigeon and a few birds:



Shooting doves can be a humbling experience when they're twisting, diving and rocketing through the junipers at warp speed. Good stuff!

[Tom Kat]

At age 62, I know my days of waterfowl hunting are numbered. For now I am going to keep gutting it out. Luckily for me, I have some younger friends who are willing to take on some of my work carrying decoys, wading, etc. I do love it, but it gets a little harder every year. This is my good friend and hunting buddy Joe. Joe is the young kid of our group, a mere 42 years old. We have froze together, hunted together, suffered together, and had success together for the last 13 years. I am lucky to have him as a friend, he keeps me wanting to waterfowl hunt. He had his first child a year ago, we are the godparents to him. It is my sincere hope I get to go hunting with the kid some day.

[Tom Kat]

Darrel on the left is a genuine cajun, he was a lot of fun to hunt with! There is Joe in the middle, and on the right my favorite cousin Mike. Mike is one of those people who makes everything look easy. He never makes the rest of us feel bad for not quite being as good at everything. There is my Brandy dog. Some good memories here.

[Tom Kat]

We were able to scratch out a couple of ducks on this day. I remember it was really cold and we had to work for these birds.

[Tom Kat]

This was Joes dog Karma. He was a large yellow lab that was a bulldozer. He had a good temperment and was a good retriever. Karma lived to be 13 and passed about 6 months ago. After he retired, he declined with age, it was sad. The last time I saw him he could barley stand up and was nearly blind. He recognized my voice and my smell, and with great effort, came across the room to sit at my feet. I was really touched by that. Dogs are the best. They give you so much, and they ask for so little in return.

[Tom Kat]

Rick I know what you mean by humbling! I still do some dove hunting. I actually did pretty good this year. Ofcourse I missed some easy shots, too.

[Bill K]

Great you have someone like that. Good times still working for you. Thanks for the photos and info, also.