Steel Shot Special at work on Cape Cod
 

We got a White Wing Scoter today. It was cold on Pleasant Bay and not many Eiders were within range which was unfortunate. But Charlie got to do some swimming and we at least got a bird. The SSS is a great gun and you can feed it anything. I'm shooting up a bunch of miscellaneous rounds- 3 inch 4s, 2.75 inch 2s, whatever.
The SSS is a working gun now and definitely not a virgin anymore- read below.

And no snow in the picture, looks like springtime up there. Charlie is looking good but you have to give him more than one bird to retrieve.:whistle:

Floating gun cases are a blessing but not perfect
 

My SSS fell off the bow of the boat into Pleasant Bay near the cut into Nantucket Sound. The anchor line caught it as we were loading the boat.
It floated but the muzzle end leaked. Fortunately the gun was in a sock inside and the salt water was confined to the muzzle end - 10 inches or so. I spent the afternoon with warm fresh water and WD40 and finally Rem-oil. I will be watching it carefully.

True- but with our lousy waterfowl season in New England this year I am thankful to have one.
Its all about Charlie, anyway.
Next Saturday is the last day so I will give it one more try. But I am grateful for the SSS. Its nice to leave the 870 at home.
There will be lots of snow here tomorrow.

I may just have to get me a SSS.

George, for great eider and scoter shooting, try the Eastham Marsh. You can launch right off the beach.

George-- My mother accidentally dropped my great grandfathers DHE into Tokyo Bay in 1954. We recovered it 4 hours later when the tide went out. It suffered no ill effects but my father was not amused. I kill lots of roosters to this day. It is the gun in my picture by my post.

Years ago some duck shooters dropped a 12 ga. VH overboard in Shinnecock Bay, Long Island. A year or so later some oyster tongers brought it up and finally succeeded in opening it up to find it was still loaded. The "oyster telegraph" got started and the owner came and got it and sent it up to Del Grego for rehab. The gun apparently spent enough time under the mud in the cold water that all it required was the usual disassembly and cleaning and the wood spent a good deal of time in a dehumidifier cabinet before being refitted to the gun.

That's a great story Kevin. Fortunately for me the immersion was brief and only the barrels were wet.
So far so good..........

Last day of Mass waterfowl season
 

3 Eiders with my SSS. Unfortunately the Eiders have just arrived in Pleasant Bay from Canada and the north and the season is over.
I was shooting just opposite the lighthouse in Chatham, on the sand that forms the Chatham Bars made famous by the recently released movie "The Finest Hours".
Pleasant Bay is a great place to hunt and my guide, who is a lobsterman, drops me at cool places everytime. This was a good location but my shooting was poor.
Charlie had 2 great retrieves on the two Drakes that were cripples.

George, for many years we shot the Eastham Marsh for scoters and eiders. For most of our hunts we used 1-2 layout boats and scull boats with a spread of about 100 cork eider decoys that I had made. The shooting down there on eiders and scoters can be fast and furious, many a day we limited out. But what I really would like to share with you is the recipe we used on these birds that would have you thinking (almost) that you were eating steak. At many a party did I serve these birds as appetizers and our guests could not believe it was sea duck!

1. Breast out the birds and cut the meat into 1/2 to 1 inch cubes
2. Open a jar of grey poupon mustard and empty contents into a bowl
3. Put the meat in the mix with the grey poupon and mix well
4. cover a refrigerate overnight
5. next day; toss the meat (leave the mustard on the pieces) in seasond flour (season with 1/8 curry and a dash of fresh ground pepper
6. Heat a pan of vegetable oil and cook the coated meat in the oil until the meat turns a golden brown
7. remove from the oil and drain on paper
8. arrange cooked meat cubes on a platter with toothpicks and a bowl of ranch dressing
9. dip your cubed meat in the ranch dressing and you're tasting a terrific appetizer.
THey will think it's steak!! NO BS Enjoy George