How we spent our day...
 

My favorite sporting author, George Bird Evans, wrote in his An Affair with Grouse: "The child tells what he got for Christmas, the mature man tells how he spent the day; the immature hunter tells how many birds he shot, the mature gunner tells of the experience."

At this season, I'm sure that those of us who live to chase game birds or waterfowl with vintage guns know that Mr. Evans' comment rings true, and that beyond the taking of game is the fulfillment of the pursuit. My wife and I have for nearly 40 years hunted on Christmas Day and this year was no different. We've hunted on a frigid SE Minnesota bluff when it was so cold the bells and beeper collars all froze; in the Ohio foothills when the only Christmas dinner available was a microwave meal from a rural gas station; and, more often than not, driving from home for a "short hunt" on a nearby farm.

This year was no different, and after opening presents and communicating with relatives in far away states, we loaded the entire family -- my wife and I and our four Gordon Setters -- and drove just across the Missouri State line to a small farm in Appanoose County, Iowa. The Day had been forecast as cloudy with some fog, but it was sunny and 46 degrees, and made for lingering to enjoy the sun. The one covey that lives here was not home, but we walked the backside of the CRP in hopes that maybe a rooster could be found. We hunted our "new" brace -- 6-year old Cedar and our 15-month old pup, Aspen. I could tell they were enjoying the day and its weather as they ranged a bit too far in friendly competition. This is not a tale of a large bag, or even many pointed birds, but we did manage a rooster over a point, both dogs claiming the honor. I'm sure we walked slower than we normally do to take it all in -- the beautiful day, stolen in a way from the weatherman, was all we could have asked for, and to have us together was by far the most memorable present we received.

I have always enjoyed seeing the pictures of other members' hunts and reading of their days afield. I invite others to add their accounts of the season. If hunting was part of your Christmas Season, whether on Christmas Day or at any time during the holidays -- how did you spend the day?

Key to the photos:

1. The weather was to be cloudy with fog. Thank goodness the weatherman is as often wrong as right. We call this a "stolen day."
2. Elaine said there was color in this photo -- bird, vest, sky...and the case coloring of the Smith she bought me a few days earlier after we stumbled upon it at a local gun store where we stopped on a whim. It was hidden away among black guns and commemorative Winchesters. I put away the 20 gauge DHE today to use this Christmas present (I hope you'll forgive my posting "another" gun!).
3. Two Gordons who think this bird is theirs. Both pointed the bird and gloated over it in the weeds.
4. Peat, who is retired at 11 years and who has hunted since birth without one of his back feet due to an accident, still likes to ride along and take account of the day's bag. I've admired his spirit and attitude for all of his 11 years.
5. Color as good as that of any Christmas present wrapping.

Great Christmas day hunt! Thank you for sharing!

That's good stuff right there, way to go. My hat's off to you Sir. Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas, Garry! Thank you for sharing your experience.

-Victor

From your earlier writings I had thought of GBE and Kay. So I am not at all surprised to see one of my own favorite quotes of his attached. Your Mrs gets an atta girl for the Christmas Smith! It's hard to hold a pheasant cock in hand and have your eyes digest the all of him!

What a great tradition you have and what a wonderful day that you had, you could not have asked for better weather!

my son and I are going to Prairie Wildilfe for a bird hunt this morning. His Christmas gift. He.grew up after the wild ones were gone, He will shoot my RBL 20 and I GH 16 or DHE 16,Bay my Boykin should pick her share of the birds. last year we killed 33,

What a wonderful Gordon family you and your wife have and you really know how to make those special times into special memories.

Thanks for taking us along.





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Daniel,

Post a picture or two, and be sure to include your Boykin if you can. I hope this hunt goes well, but if you and your son are going together, it is already a good day.

Brett,

Thanks for responding. I'll tell Elaine. She deserves more thanks than I can ever give her, and not just for letting me indulge in guns and hunting.

Love that GBE quote...it's so true. Wonderful day!

Good on you Daniel for taking your boy out for shooting like that. What I would have given for that at his age. I started hunting birds when the wild pheasants were rapidly disappearing from Michigan, right after they took the bounty off foxes. You could hunt hard all season on good ground and be lucky to spot 1-2 roosters.

That GBE quote really is a classic and so spot on. Excellent. Needs to be sharpied across every young shooters forehead!!

Back from our bird hunt. ( must learn to post pictures ) Breakfast was outstanding as always. Weather was wonderful. Cool with a slight wind from the southeast and the father and son company was outstanding.This was Daniel's third time to try a side by side and he shot well on about the best flying non wild birds that I have encountered. Started with 16 GH and was awful. returned to the truck for the DHE 16 and things got better in a hurry. A most enjoyable morning. The German Shorthair did a nice job finding and pointing. My Boykin Bay flushed and picked up 30 of 31. This was just one of the many fun times that makes life worth while. Must stop to go deer hunting while I have someone at home to help drag the damn thing out.

Holiday Season Hunting
 

Today was the first day of our second half of our waterfowl season....for the last couple of weeks we have watched rafts of Scaup and Canvasback along with many groups of Whistlers....We were geared and hoping for a spectacular day...With plenty of shells, fresh cut ham slices, rolls and cinnamon rolls....we started out at 5:30 to find flat water, zero wind and little moving....My son brought along his hunting buddy and we had 3 retrievers with us,... My sons 5 year old Black Lab "Wynie" who really is the perfect combination of English conformation, calm temperament but with a deep desire to retrieve...what we all try to find...my younger 2 year old yellow has desire but I am still in the process of getting her to settle down and be steady to shot and for this reason I left the double in the car and deferred to others to do the shooting... Although the Scaup and Canvasbacks we where hoping for didn't materialise we still enjoyed working the whistler decoys to try and have them land right where we wanted them...We were able to fool a few and all 3 retrievers got work as they took their turn....a worthwhile training session and fun shoot...we had an early lunch on shore by heating up clam chowder to go with the Christmas ham ..... always a new experience to get out and be with young developing hunters as they continue to learn how to set and tweak their decoy spead......and then back home in front of the fire by 2 o'clock for me....satisfied and again rewarded by mother nature.....

Daniel,

Thanks so much for the follow-up report. I'm glad your son was successful and that you had good flying birds. So, it sounds like your DHE fits you better than the GH. I know the feeling of having a gun that you love but don't always shoot all that well...and the wonder of getting out the one that fits you on that given day. I'd sure like to see some photos. If you can send me some via email I can probably post them for you here. My email is g.g2@aol.com. I really enjoy seeing pictures.

Shoot a deer before your "help" leaves! :rotf:

Marty,

A great account of your hunt, and I especially liked the fact that you included something about the food you brought along. It reminds me of the Nash Buckingham stories that often include descriptions of food (and that always make me hungry). Funny how hunting and eating go so well together! (BTW, a great photo!) I also enjoyed reading your assessment of the idiosyncratic nature of the dogs. I'll bet you enjoyed the hunt as much without the gun, handling the dogs, as you would have taking a limit. Thanks very much for letting us go along on this hunt (including lunch!).

I was hoping to get in a little deer hunting but spent the morning in the ER with a broken rib:banghead:

I hope you are OK! Sounds like a story in there somewhere. My best to you for a quick recovery.

Thanks Gary. The story is almost as bad as the rib:shock: I had gone deer hunting and didn't see a thing and was back at my buddies having a beer and visiting with friends, playing Polish horse shoes etc. Well seeing as it's Christmas eve an all I head home early. Went to bed fairly early and started coughing and I knew exactly when it happened, I felt it go:eek:

The Doc said it's not an uncommon occurrence. It's going to sideline me a bit however.

Garry...I very much enjoyed your story and philosophy....well written..... thanks for taking the time to share...you did inspire me I must admit....my best to you this holiday season...
Marty

Holy Smoke!

Heal quickly Rich!

“What a drag it is getting old...” eh Rich?





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Rich,

Wow, what a bad break (no pun intended). I've pulled a chest muscle from a bad cough and know how much that hurt. I can't imagine how painful a break would be. Christmas time in the ER does not sound fun.

I hope you are resting easy and will be back hunting soon.

Getting old isn't for sissy's thats for sure. Sleeping in the recliner isn't any fun either:nono: There are worse things that could happen and at the end of the day it's just an inconvenience. I'll be taking it easy as I have a quail hunt in less than a month.

Dang the luck, sorry to hear of this Rich. Get well soon !!