Hunting

We clays shooters all know that rabbit clay station all too well; it’s fun but suddenly we feel all bets are off. The rascally thing bounces and jounces across the ground so fast and frenzied and unpredictably, it can leave us scratching our heads. And missing. Here is a short video on how to shoot rabbit clays with more success.

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Every turkey hunter gets excited about the upcoming season as soon as they see birds strutting out in the fields. So we start doing a little scouting to find some turkey tracks and fresh scratchings, and this gets us even more psyched for opening day. Most of us will check out our old gear and maybe break out some calls and start to practice our calling a bit. Some will get some new gear and look at new guns. We try to get every advantage we can, including buying specialized turkey loads and new extra full chokes. It’s all part of the fun of turkey fever.

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Mid-March and the snow is finally melting here in Southern Vermont. Snow drops and day lilies are popping up in every scrap of bare ground in my yard. Birds awaken me in the morning and the creeks and streams are swollen with runoff, the Battenkill near its banks. I have the Battenkill on my mind, dreaming of chucking streamers in April’s high water, then looking for the noses of big wild brown trout during the Hendrickson hatch. But I have something else on my mind too: turkeys

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Grouse Cover Scott McEnaney

Ruffed grouse always make me smile, sometimes it is when I have watched my spaniels change as they get a snoot full of scent and the bird flushes, sometimes its when I get lucky and actually connect with one, and most times it is when they fly away from the pattern of my 20 bore and live to see another day.

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Shooting instructor James Ross sights down the barrel with me to diagnose any problems with gun mount, follow through, or anything else that may cause me to miss the clay target. photo by Sandy Hays

The final straw was my last shot of the 2010 Vermont grouse season. I’ve never been a good (or even mediocre) shot, but for the first time since I had moved back to the Northeast almost a decade earlier, I had gone the whole season without downing a single bird. I was determined to rectify the situation on that cold day before New Year’s Eve.

But after an hour of fruitless hunting, I was ready to give up and started walking back toward the car along a logging road. I remained alert, but hope was certainly waning as the last gate came into view. Suddenly, the whirring of wings bursting into flight sounded from a pine tree to my left, . . .

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Orvis has instituted a new endorsed program of hunting guides that specialize in the true wild bird experience. This day and age, true wild birds are not easy to find. Access to land that has wild birds can be difficult and for that reason the hunting lodge is now the preeminent form of guided upland hunting. But there are those out there who still want to walk further and hunt harder for the opportunity to shoot birds that have never seen a pen.

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Murph (photo by Tim Bronson)

Given the weather up here in the Northeast, not only do I feel sorry for Murph having to go outside but I feel pretty sorry for myself sometimes. Standing outside at 3 AM and waiting for Murph to take care of business is actually pretty comical, but not much fun, particularly when it is below zero. In retrospect, I would avoid getting a puppy in the dead of winter again unless I lived south of the Mason Dixon. But, and it’s a big but, I wanted this breeding. I’m thrilled with Murphy, and I’m finding ways to work around the weather both inside and outside when it’s reasonable.

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Recently, I have heard a few shooters, on the front deck, chattering about different shootings styles and techniques. One conversation struck me as particularly odd. A gentleman mentioned to his friend that recently he had made a big break through with his shooting. His friend inquired as to what the epiphany might have been. The gentleman responded, “I am focusing on the target now when I shoot.” I found the comment puzzling. I have seen this man shoot before and he is a reasonably good shot. What has he been looking at for all these years? The gun.

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Dream Ranch

We recently added a new endorsed hunting lodge in northeast Alabama called Dream Ranch. It’s located on a hill overlooking Lake Guntersville and that in itself is significant; I’ll tell you why in a minute. Dream Ranch is a family-owned operation and I called manager Austin Ainsworth to see what they have to offer. It was a bit more than I expected. While they offer great quail hunting, there are some unique opportunities there that make made it stand out for me.

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