Vh 28

[John Taddeo]

I checked and a letter is available, so lets see where that takes me.

[Jeff Christie]

Interesting grouser (?); I think it should be practically perfect!!! All the kids I pal-ed around with in Spencer, Iowa all shot their first rooster with a neighbor lady's 28 VHE. It was her 16th year birthday present.

[John Taddeo]

Not to pry ,but about what year did she get that birthday gift? And I sure wish that had been my 16th birthday present. My father got me a part time job instead.

[Jeff Christie]

I would guess about 1920 or 21. She also got a horse (we all rode) and a dachshund (which bit most of us- we needed it). The horse lived to the high 20's and the dog was put down at 20 or 21. She was originally from French Lick, Indiana. She was truly a legend in her own time. We all loved her. They broke the mold after her.

[John Taddeo]

Thats good stuff, I could only imagine the roosters and hunting at a time of old farming practices. It does hold true the meaner the dog,the longer they live.

[Dean Romig]

Jeff, what a great lead-in for a Parker Pages story!! We'd love to read about the gun and the lady if you care to send me something we can publish for all to enjoy. I had to start off with a 12 gauge Trojan but it would sure have been a better experience with a 28 gauge VHE.

[Bill Murphy]

Jeff, when you told that story, all I could think of was "Summer of 42". Everyone should have some sort of neighbor lady to bring them along.

[Dean Romig]

I have such a memory. I was thirteen and she had just graduated high-school. A buxom redhead with freckles all over.... *blushes*

[Jeff Christie]

Dean- I'll think on it but probably will give it a try. There are a great deal of sensitivities to the memories.

John- Yes it was pheasant Mecca. Birds were everywhere. It was the era when most corn was harvested by a 'picker' attached to or towed behind a tractor. It was generally left on the ear and dried in cribs. The fields were left full of stubble, stalks, husks, etc and were lousy with birds. Combines were unheard of for corn. It all ended in the late 60's-early 70's with the end of the Soil Bank Program. The birds did not return until the advent of CRP. Sadly, that program is dying (budget) with the high price of corn and beans. Fallow land is history.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Jeff Christie

Dean- I'll think on it but probably will give it a try. There are a great deal of sensitivities to the memories.

John- Yes it was pheasant Mecca. Birds were everywhere. It was the era when most corn was harvested by a 'picker' attached to or towed behind a tractor. It was generally left on the ear and dried in cribs. The fields were left full of stubble, stalks, husks, etc and were lousy with birds. Combines were unheard of for corn. It all ended in the late 60's-early 70's with the end of the Soil Bank Program. The birds did not return until the advent of CRP. Sadly, that program is dying (budget) with the high price of corn and beans. Fallow land is history.

I grew up in a farming community - not like the vast midwest but a lot of folks had small market farms and most grew their own family produce. There were cornfields but rarely exceeded twenty acres in my area. The best times I remember from my youth were the mid-fifties to the mid-sixties. We too enjoyed pheasant mecca but it ended by the late sixties to early seventies.