Year's End Ups and Downs

[mobirdhunter]

This has been a season of peaks and valleys as far as finding birds is concerned. It's also been marked by what we used to refer to in the 1970s as "progress," a euphemism for the destruction of cover.

I blooded two guns over the course of 2021's last three days' hunting, two good bookend hunts with a visit to devastated cover on the middle day.

I took a double on quail and two more birds from the 4 coveys Aspen found with me using my AH 16 (as I posted earlier), and then on New Year's Eve, a mild day before a strong winter storm, I used my new GHE 0 frame 16 to take a brace of wild Bobs.

Currently the computer in the house with 8" of snow on the ground and temperatures 10 degrees and plummeting. We'll be sitting things out for several days at least. Time in the waining days of the season, or the year, is precious. I hope everyone who still has some season left enjoys good conditions and abundant birds -- not the case here in North Missouri.

Photos:

1. A single gets up close (it's the blur just in front of me). The dark spot to the left and below the bird is Aspen. He had some nice bird work on this day, and is making good progress while Alder is laid up with a leg issue.

2 If you look closely at this photo, a "still" from a video Elaine shot, you'll see the second bird of a double taken with my AH 16. I've had this gun since 2017 and this was its first outing. It performed well, taking 4 birds with 5 shots -- all over points -- from 4 coveys of wild Bobs on a farm with "for sale" signs posted. I assume this is the last season I will hunt this wonderful quail farm.

3. A 1921 0-frame GHE after its first outing. It's choked M/F, so spreader loads worked well, taking two birds with 3 shots, a good average for my often average shooting.

4. The AH 16 (again). I love this gun.