a covey of grouse

[Ed Norman]

thanks guys, that first time I got two birds with one shot never made that much of an impact on me until now. The forty year lay off has really helped me put things in perspective. I just started laughing after all those flushes, my dog never moved until the last one flushed and the scent started dispersing. I was more proud of him than ever. Today I hunted with one of the guys that work at a large high end gun shop. He has a young brittany, and cash was extraordinary today too. I think we had 3 woodcock points and 2 of those held, and 7 grouse, 3 grouse held, and we had a couple of shots. My hunting partner couldn't believe how well cash held a point. Jeff S. the flight birds should be coming soon, but we have a lot of woodcock around here anyways it seems this year, and the leaves are starting to come off the poplar slashings. You are welcome to come up again. I have had some rough hunts too, with none or only one or two points. Most of my buddies are are doing well overall, a lot of woodcock, but they also have some tough days too. I still cannot believe how lucky we are to live in this area where there are so many birds....

[stumpstalker]

Ed:

Are you sure it was all buck fever?

This is what I believe happened with me, and it seems reminiscent of what led up to your ecstatic moments of hesitancy:

1) In the morning I had missed every bird.

2) Apparently spent powder residue or foreign matter was accumulating in the action, or breech and barrel faces, leading to a threshold point later in the day, so that when I thought my gun was closed, it was NOT fully-closed; thus, the safety would not move.

3) I was not aware of the developing condition in the gun, nor what I was doing wrong with my manipulations at critical moments when birds were going up. I was not pulling the trigger, did not know why, and just attributed it to a late-afternoon climaxing of vague ineptitude, Buck Fever.

4) The problem with the gun was remedied when I recognized that I had to snap the gun closed after reloading, and not close it gently, as I would on an empty-chambered gun.

Does that sound possible in your case? Has anyone else had the same experience?

The top lever not being centered should have been a give-away that the gun was not closed, but I don’t know where it had stopped-short. My eyes were elsewhere, with a bird about to go.

It is still a strain of Buck Fever, as I analyze it, but with a mechanical assist.

[Ed Norman]

Russell,
I am so glad you posted this!!! I have had one other time when my gun did this, and I believe I had a small twig or pine needle stopping the gun from fully closing. I had taken 2 shots at 1 woodcock earlier that hunt, and one other shot at another woodcock. In the heat of the moment things were not making sense. If it was a "mechanical assist" version of buck fever I am ok with that too. I will tell you that I will admit buck fever every time I ever get in that situation again, if I am ever lucky enough to have that situation happen again. I am sure that 40 year lay off has something to do with how excited I am getting. I ask a lot of questions in here and with my buddies because of my lack of knowledge/experience hunting. I will take more time now making sure that gun is closed properly. I am glad you posted this. Thanks, Ed