What Makes a Red Letter Day?

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Garry L Gordon

It all makes me cringe. I had a male Gordon that could not leave porkies alone. The last time he tangled with one we had to take him to the vet to have the few we could not get in his mouth removed. While he was under anesthesia, his heart stopped. They revived him, but three days later he dropped over dead after beginning to retrieve a grouse he'd pointed. We are still not sure what happened, and it haunts me to this day, but I shoot porkies on sight now when I come across them.

I hope Otis is okay.

Garry I really do appreciate the thoughts and I will keep rechecking him. Compared to the first two times, this was a lighter one. The very first one was terrible they were very large quills in his eyelids and nose and gums and lips, probably 100 after he kept grabbing the damn thing. I'm not one to just kill something to kill it, but this one is dead today. My vet told me about the quills migrating to the lungs and heart and I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Didn't mean to hijack this thread, it's supposed to be a happy thread : )

[mobirdhunter]

No worries, Andy, just keep a close eye on Otis. Threads go where they may!

[Phil C]

A recent RLD.

[mobirdhunter]

Originally Posted by Phillip Carr

A recent RLD.

I'd like to see that in person -- what a sight! I'd probably forget to shoot.

[Gary Laudermilch]

Ah, nothing much better than bird dogs at work.

[Dean Romig]

That’s a really nice picture Phil - definitely should be framed!





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[Chris Pope]

I’m new to PGCA and thought I’d add a late note to this great chain of hunting “red letter days”. Last October a friend of mine had to return home from hunting camp and “lent” me his 28 ga Parker Repro. A little background on him- he’s the only one of the five of us not yet retired (we all rent a log cabin every October up north for bird season) and the youngest, in his fifties. He works in a very large gun store and has a life long passion for doubles, especially the classics. Every year when he arrives at camp we drool over the 3 or 4 new (old) shotguns he has acquired or is “trying out”. In any case, he found himself in a quandary. He owned this 28 ga repro with a pistol grip stock but he had just tried out an identical 28 ga repro only with an English stock and liked that better. I knew what he was up to. He thought if he “lent” it to me that I would fall in love with it and buy it from him so he could re-invest in other Parkers since he liked the English stock version better. I don’t fall for this trick any more because I’ve known him for too long and have bought many shotguns from him. On the other hand, I wasn’t about to turn down the opportunity to try out this little beauty. I was now alone with my 2 Griffs (and my loaner 28 ga repro) to fend for myself in the northern woods infested with woodcock and grouse. We hit a sweet little woodcock covert that runs along a stream that empties into a larger stream. 15 minutes into the covert, my 2 year old griff crosses in front of me and jambs on the breaks skidding to a stop. It was as though his nose had been snagged by a large fishhook dangling from an alder. But it was no fishhook. It was the sweet scent of a woodcock. I promptly walked up. The bird launched with that classic whistling twitter from behind an old apple tree. I could not see the bird at first. But the direction was right before me so I began to mount the 28 side by side. Suddenly the timberdoodle appeared right in the notch between the two main branches of this old wild apple tree. As it sped away it imbedded an image that shall remain forever in my mind. Because the Parker Repro fit me so well the butt found my shoulder and my cheek the stock and all I could see was this bird on the bead at the end of the barrels as it moved out to about 25 yards. I pulled the forward trigger and down went the bird. The griff fulfilled his duty by bringing that beautiful woodcock to hand. It’s that fall dance that all of us who hunt know- dog, bird, scent, point, flush, gorgeous Parker to shoulder and bird back to hand. Then I shouted a really bad expletive because that darn friend of mine had done it again. I violated that golden rule. If you don’t want to buy the car don’t test drive it! And yes, now I own it. My first repro. What a fine memory.

[mobirdhunter]

Chris, welcome! It is a Red Letter Day when a new gun proves it fits you. Congratulations.

[Dean Romig]

That’s a really nice red-letter story Chris.





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[Ed Norman]

Chris,
Thats a nice story for sure, and welcome to the forum. I think I hunt with the "twin" that sold you your gun