When I was about 14 we had a "dropper" a Brit-Setter mix. Specks was a bird finding magnet as long as you were hitting birds- but if you missed a few, she shut down. My boyhood pal and I went out on the opener, all day drizzle- we were soaked. About 4:00 PM she locked up on a huge rooster and I went in over her point and it got airborne- wingspan like a B-29, water spraying from its feathers-and I pumped out two hurried shots from my 20 M12 and never cut a feather- she turned and gave me a look like I'll never forget-
First week of our duck season, on the river near home and early Oct- I had the 12 M12 and steel No 4's- took two hen woodies (we are allowed 3 wood ducks/day( and then my first pintail ever in our flyway. I hope to shoot as they are flying upriver so they will (in theory) float back down to me. This one got by me in the current, I went after it and tripped over a rock I guess- Boom right face down into the drink- water inside my chest waders and the M12 got a bath-but i GOT THE DUCK.
Jack, we both know we owe it to the game we shoot to retrieve and try to shoot for a clean kill-best wishes for the new(er) VH 12..