Not exactly hunting , but !
 

Was at Christmas Hill Preserve close to Scottsville VA today for a tower shoot . Carried along the Grade 2 top lever 3 frame 32” 10 gauge that I purchased in June at Hausemanns . Gun was restocked in pretty much trap dimensions and went to Belgium to have a second set of fluid steel 3 1/2” chamber barrels that later had Briley screw ins installed . This gun and I are getting along very well :whistle: Kept the breasts on the cartilage this time , my plan is to smoke these .

You know what the say: Smoke 'em if you got 'em. You definitely got 'em. Well done young man!

Craig, I like to fillet the breasts when I smoke them. The fillets take up the brine more evenly--I brine mine in the refrig. with equal amounts of sugar and salt. After 24 hours in the brine, I dredge the breasts in a mix of brown sugar, salt, pepper, and whatever other spices you like. I go really heavy on the brown sugar, makes em taste great, but the melting sugar makes a real mess in the smoker. When done, i slice the breasts into strips for snacking. I vacum seal them, then freeze em. They are great with cheese, crackers, and your favorite beer, wine, etc. I ran a batch New Years Day.

Harold, sounds like a good project for the Traeger. :)

some bodys gona eat good.....Charlie.....

Might be one more tower shoot for me this season in WVA . If so I’m gonna take that 10 gauge hammer gun again .

I keep track of my shots hunting in a given year. Reading of your exploits, I wonder how many shots you take in a year. I can't even imagine.:bowdown:

Mike, I usually have platters of smoked grouse, pheasant , and wild turkey at Ernies in June. Stop by the "campground".

Yesterday I shot exactly fifty times . The first two shoots at Prospect Hall almost 70 each time , the two December shoots at Prospect Hall were 50-60 each . The two shoots at First Mine Run were 25-30 each . The quail box birds a week ago were 40 shots . So that’s 340-375 I guess . Have a quail hunt planned Tuesday at Rasawek that’ll be 8-25 shots if history repeats and if I do the January shoot at Prospect Hall I anticipate 40ish . What might be of intrest I’ve used 8 gauge , 10 gauge , 12 gauge , 16 gauge and 20 gauge . If I’d not liquidated the 28 I had I’d carry that Tuesday . I keep tabs of shots and hits most of the time but I always know how many shells were expended . Only shot the 8 gauge at the first peg at both of the early Prospect Hall shoots and used the 12 at the October shoot for the rest and this hammer 10 at the November shoot after the first peg . Used a hammerless 10 also at Prospect Hall and the 12 trap in late December . Used the VH 20-32 and a VHE 20-26 at the December First Mine Run , then last week I at First Mine Run I used a DH 16 32” 2 frame and a VHE 16-26 skeet . For the quail boxbirds I used the VHE trap with 1 1/4 pigeon loads . Tuesday I plan to carry the VHE 16 skeet again . If my cousin invites me on a rabbit chase I think I’ll carry the VHE 20-26 or possibly a circa 67 Browning A-5 20 MAG with 26” IC vent rib barrel .

Generally I fillet the breast off the cartilage while it’s still attached to the bird be it pheasant or partridge . But my friend with the smoker likes them to still have the bone so to speak . Another friend I gave a couple bags of breast fillets he smoked them as you say and liked them . Told me something about a screen thing I suppose like you’d use to toast bread over a campfire .