Just read this article on hunting ruffies in MN this year. So much of it, while well-intentioned, is wrong. Here goes: > The good news is, counts were up 34 percent this spring in parts of northern Minnesota. Counts remained stable in southern Minnesota. This COULD mean that there’s more easy birds (young ones) early […]
Ran across this quote from an article about Iowa’s pheasant count: > “I haven’t even gone pheasant hunting the last couple of years because the birds just weren’t there,†said Tim Wolf, a 61-year-old bank president who lives in Waukee. YES THEY WERE! They most definitely were there. Maybe not like this… > “But I’ve […]
We realize that people bid hunt the way they want to, which may not be the most productive way to do it. That’s fine…but that’s not for us. We’re always looking for every advantage we can get. So a brief reference in a recent issue of Field & Stream led us to a couple articles […]
Don’t know if we’ve fully recovered yet from our not-quite-a-week of hunting Maine and New Hampshire for ruffies and woodies. We all actually bailed 2 days early, having put in 5 consecutive days instead of our usual 7. Felt like wimps about it, but hey, we were BEAT…from 5 days of the most brutal hunting […]
by Jay We’ve been getting a bunch of “where are you guys?” emails the last few weeks – must be getting closer to bird season! Definitely getting there, thank goodness. The waiting…the anticipating…. In response to all the inquiries, wanted to bring you all up to speed about the hiatus here at SBH, in no […]
by Jay Saw this column the other day: What Makes a Shotgun a Classic? I’ll give you my own opinion in a minute, but here’s a little of what the post – by Phil Bourjaily of Field & Stream – said: > The dictionary definition of “classic†reads: “Judged over a period of time to […]
Quail, the most beleaguered of our beloved gamebirds, is getting a helping hand in Kansas. Or rather, a bigger helping hand. The state just announced that it’s “launching a new quail restoration initiative aimed at making a difference in declining bobwhite quail populations at a landscape level.” Here’s more: > Includes the designation of two […]
by Jay Take a look at that image. That’s one of the upland-focused images you’ll see on Franchi’s new-ish website. Did you get that? “Upland-focused” – that never happens anymore! Upland hunting is treated as the redheaded stepchild of the hunting biz, but not for Franchi, aka Benelli USA. Not only that, Franchi’s new Instinct […]
(Beretta photo, click to see bigger.) by Jay Brendan is a Beretta guy. The guns fit him, he likes them, he has a few. I’m not a Beretta guy, mostly because they don’t fit me. Or haven’t. At Pheasant Fest this year, I walked into the Beretta trailer and – like I always do – […]
Believe we’ve talked about this at least once, but a recent Wall Street Journal article on the plight of Texas quail got us thinking about it again. Here’s the applicable stuff: …Rolling Hills Quail Research Ranch, a 4,700-acre spread an hour west of Abilene. Last month, researchers there found that the levels of parasitic worms […]
Sounds like ruffed grouse will never be as much a part of the landscape of southern Pennsylvania as they once will. “Never” sounds ominous. Permanent. But that’s the conclusion of an article by Bob Frye in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Why should you care if you don’t live or hunt in PA? Reasons: > Pennsylvania is […]
Iowa has had the quintuple whammy when it comes to pheasants. Bad winters, bad springs, bad forecasts, less hunting and less habitat. In an attempt to shift the momentum the other way, the Iowa Legislature is mulling over a bill for a pheasant-stocking in southern Iowa. Problem is, pheasant folks say that won’t work: Improve […]
Hey…I Can Shoot! by Jay This season – or before the start of bird season – I was going to have my 20ga Citori fitted to me. Even had the appointment to do it. But it was last-minute and I ended up running out of time. Why I wanted to do it was any easy […]
by Jeremy Criscoe Everyone has probably heard the statement, “My 6-month-old dog picked up six birds this year!†Or, “My 8-month-old dog started out great this year, but now he/she isn’t getting into the water and seems shaky around guns.†This is quite common. Hunting young pups always turns into too much of a good […]
by Jay Who’s Hank Shaw? I guess a couple ways to answer that. One is that he’s a guy who only eats wild meat, has for years. That’s meat he himself “harvests,” much of it birds. Another way is that he’s a pro cook who started hunting because of the meat – meaning he came […]
by Jay Well, if you weren’t there, you missed it. Seriously. Pheasant/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic in Kansas City, MO was what you, a Serious bird hunter, wish every hunting and outdoor show would be. Namely bird-focused, full of like-minded and nice folk talking about dogs, guns and that kind of stuff, and […]
by Dana Farrell “A gun like this, from a gun dealer’s standpoint, has always been a sleeper,†Bryan says. “The BSS has been a tremendously good value, right along with guns like the Winchester 23 – boxlocks made for the American market before SxSs took off. And that’s one of the reasons they never really […]
[This post is by Dana Farrell, a Serious birder who writes about bird hunting, guns and sporting clays from the liberal bastion of Ann Arbor, MI. He spends each autumn in northern Michigan grouse hunting with his Brittany, Woodrow. Email him at tamaracksporting AT comcast DOT net.] In a world of smart phones and laser […]
Field & Stream recently had a rundown of “New Gear for Waterfowl, Turkey and Upland Bird Hunting in 2012,” aka new gear from the SHOT Show in annoying slideshow form. Once again, we save you the trouble by running down our favorites of theirs. We do wonder how much cool stuff was missed or didn’t […]
Pheasants/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest/Quail Classic is coming up soon at KC, MO (see info in right column), and just in case you’re thinking it’s too far or whatever, here are the Top 10 – really just 10 of many – reasons to go. We’re doing it Letterman-style, 10 to 1. 10. What else are you […]
Just read this article on hunting ruffies in MN this year. So much of it, while well-intentioned, is wrong. Here goes: > The good news is, counts were up 34 percent this spring in parts of northern Minnesota. Counts remained stable in southern Minnesota. This COULD mean that there’s more easy birds (young ones) early […]
Lessons from 2012 Maine-NH Hunt
Don’t know if we’ve fully recovered yet from our not-quite-a-week of hunting Maine and New Hampshire for ruffies and woodies. We all actually bailed 2 days early, having put in 5 consecutive days instead of our usual 7. Felt like wimps about it, but hey, we were BEAT…from 5 days of the most brutal hunting […]
No Grouse Comeback in SW Penn?
Sounds like ruffed grouse will never be as much a part of the landscape of southern Pennsylvania as they once will. “Never” sounds ominous. Permanent. But that’s the conclusion of an article by Bob Frye in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Why should you care if you don’t live or hunt in PA? Reasons: > Pennsylvania is […]
Hey: All Ruffies Drum Differently!
Did you know that? Not until now…. This info won’t help us hunting, but it’s interesting – and makes sense. Here’s more, from newscientist.com: Male ruffed grouse are the first animals known to make unique non-vocal sounds. Humans and many other animals, particularly birds, can be identified by their voices. But no one had looked […]
Ran across this quote from an article about Iowa’s pheasant count: > “I haven’t even gone pheasant hunting the last couple of years because the birds just weren’t there,†said Tim Wolf, a 61-year-old bank president who lives in Waukee. YES THEY WERE! They most definitely were there. Maybe not like this… > “But I’ve […]
Top 10 Reasons To Go to Phez Fest
Pheasants/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest/Quail Classic is coming up soon at KC, MO (see info in right column), and just in case you’re thinking it’s too far or whatever, here are the Top 10 – really just 10 of many – reasons to go. We’re doing it Letterman-style, 10 to 1. 10. What else are you […]
Across the Pond Bird Follies, Vids
Ah the UK, the land that gave the world 17 pieces of silverware on the table, animal rights and other questionable stuff. Okay, it wasn’t all bad – that’s where our bird hunting came from too. But it’s different here…or there, depending on your perspective. Here’s some recent bird news plus some interesting vids. Katie […]
Do Congress, Tea Party Hate Pheasants?
We make it a point to try not to get suckered by political hoo-ha, so that’s not what this is about. We ran across a blog post on the Discovery-owned treehugger.com titled “Why Does Congress Hate Pheasants?” and a related one, “Do Tea Party, Heritage Foundation Oppose Hunting?” Interesting stuff, written by the same gent, […]
Quail, the most beleaguered of our beloved gamebirds, is getting a helping hand in Kansas. Or rather, a bigger helping hand. The state just announced that it’s “launching a new quail restoration initiative aimed at making a difference in declining bobwhite quail populations at a landscape level.” Here’s more: > Includes the designation of two […]
Worms and Birds: What Else Don’t We Know?
Believe we’ve talked about this at least once, but a recent Wall Street Journal article on the plight of Texas quail got us thinking about it again. Here’s the applicable stuff: …Rolling Hills Quail Research Ranch, a 4,700-acre spread an hour west of Abilene. Last month, researchers there found that the levels of parasitic worms […]
Top 10 Reasons To Go to Phez Fest
Pheasants/Quail Forever’s Pheasant Fest/Quail Classic is coming up soon at KC, MO (see info in right column), and just in case you’re thinking it’s too far or whatever, here are the Top 10 – really just 10 of many – reasons to go. We’re doing it Letterman-style, 10 to 1. 10. What else are you […]
Lone Star Outdoor news recently carried an article on a speech given by Dr. Dale Rollins of the Rolling Plains Quail Research Ranch near Rotan, Texas. Seems that a major threat to quail, at least in the Lone Star state, may be an eyeball worm. News to us! Highlights: > Especially mysterious were the continued […]
