Pheasants & memories

Last Saturday, drove back to the homeplace, for the Pheasant opener. NW Kansas on a perfect day, hunting with an old friend, and a couple of good dogs. After several years of severe drought, birds are coming back big time. Moving slowly, as I am having knee surgery next Thursday, managed to kill a limit of birds on Saturday and Sunday. Spent time with friends, farmers and and ranchers (the people that feed us). Drove a couple of rounds on a combine, harvesting corn..that felt good...Shot a good British Double, W J Jeffery mfg 1899....good guns, good people, great country...God Bless America!

Keep yer legs crossed Thursday; don't let 'em cut any higher....

oops

I used to skin 'em and cook in egg batter; but I found out if they were too tough, pluck 'em if they can't take a yolk.

Hi Mike, 62ºF is a bit warm in my book. When I hang pheasant, quail, partridge, or chukkar I generally do so in our garage, which here in cold-weather Idaho is usually in the 40-degree range. I have a couple of wall heaters and can adjust to mid-50s.

Although you'll find various opinions about length of time at what degree, I shoot for (no pun here) 3 to 7 days at 50º - 55ºF and daily check the "aroma" of the birds. I can't remember how I came by this rule, but it works for me.

Last year we were paid the highest of compliments by a long-time friend and bird-hunter extraordinaire. He's an octogenarian who lives in Hawaii and has traveled to N. America, S. America, and Europe to shoot game birds. He was having dinner with us and exclaimed on the pheasant Diana had prepared, saying "Without a doubt this is the very best pheasant I've ever had."

Dry-aging as you know is simply allowing meat to begin to rot and it's important to monitor the aging process. If you can find a spot in your cellar that is in the upper 50s, I'd give it a go, but probably for only a day or two (maybe three if near 55º). If you have a fridge that you can set to the low 50s, that would be better. Take one of the lower shelves out and hang the birds from an upper shelf. Again, it's important to not forget them.

Allen R.
BTW- still have my "Screaming Airlines" t-shirts, both long and short-sleeved. The long-sleeved one comes in handy up here.

We did hams like that, ALA Smithfields from VA....Roger the guy on the right in the last pic. would be your grandson?

Quote:

Originally posted by chuckie We did hams like that, ALA Smithfields from VA....Roger the guy on the right in the last pic. would be your grandson?

chuckie....you must be a psychic. Yes, that's my grandson, Lars, with his buddy, Randy, known as the Purple Sage.

p.s. uh chuckie...in your photo, which is older...you or the shotgun?

[Edited on 11-19-2014 by Pompano]

Eastern Wash way back




Leader my 2nd Lab


[Edited on 11-21-2014 by Russ]

Hunted mostly with my grandfathers model 97 and the others Ithica sxs 16 -- Mason my 1st Lab

Mason my 3rd Lab doesn't retrieve anything.

At 11 he's pretty laid back now


He did play beaver on my bathroom cabinet and door though this year.



[Edited on 11-21-2014 by Russ]

Good thread, chuckie. Talking guns and hunting is always a pleasant pastime.

The Baja shotgun below was a Model 1912 Winchester 12ga. pump, commonly known as a Model 12. Photo was taken at Playa Buenaventura during some disagreements about 4-5 years ago. The fellow rested the shotgun on my pickup window while he talked to me. During the discussion, I unloaded it. Which is quite easy to do...just push the release button and pump out the shells...1-2-3 done. (3 if the plug is in)






Like always, never a dull moment in Baja.

bufeo, just noticed your post about bringing shotguns to Baja for doves, quail, etc. Yes, we used to...but not anymore.


A Winchester Model 42 .410 pump was our shotgun of choice for hunting doves in Baja years ago...this trip was in 1977. We would hunt the areas around Pta. Chivato and inland ranchos. Also fly over to Navajoa millet fields for excellent dove, duck, and quail. We always used the same guide/outfitter...Oscar Santandar. Hah...I remember one evening sitting with Oscar at a waterhole hunting javalinas...with his Remington Model 66 nylon .22 automatic rifle. I had one back home exactly like it. He thought that was the ultimate gun for wild pigs...Hoo boy.

It was a lot easier back in the day to bring shotguns to Baja...today I would not want to lose a quality shotgun to someone's interpretation of the law.

BAJA AND MAINLAND DOVE HUNTS – WINCHESTER 42 .410 PUMP




edit to add...my white-wing hunting amigo is using a Browning A5 .12 ga. A lot of overkill in my estimation.





[Edited on 11-22-2014 by Pompano]

[Edited on 11-22-2014 by BajaNomad]

I hunted pheasants, quail and doves in Baja Norte two years ago, with Arturo Malo, south of Mexicali. Used his guns to avoid the paperwork, good guns, Beretta O/U's. Shot driven and flushed Pheasants, wild birds not pen raised...LOTS of em....limited out by noon then napped and shot dove/quail...Great experience....Roger? Your nephew keeps getting younger..

Quote:

Originally posted by chuckie I hunted pheasants, quail and doves in Baja Norte two years ago, with Arturo Malo, south of Mexicali. Used his guns to avoid the paperwork, good guns, Beretta O/U's. Shot driven and flushed Pheasants, wild birds not pen raised...LOTS of em....limited out by noon then napped and shot dove/quail...Great experience....Roger? Your nephew keeps getting younger..

chuckie...yup, I was a few years younger back in the day. My 'nephew' would have loved to have been with us on that shoot...if only he'd been born. I won a rather large bet for the Reno gambler who flew us over to the mainland...about who could hit what with .410's. Hitting doves with a full-choked .410 pump while they're flitting around in a millet field is a mite challenging. But then, it's all fun...even with a .12 ga.


Here's the present-day me in a honker field before the big snow storm covered us up. Yes, I guess I'm a little worn down and missing a few parts, but still hitting the mark. For this type of shooting I use my Browning Citori O/U 12. ga. Full bored ...still the way I like things.






Good grief..where did the time go?


[Edited on 11-23-2014 by Pompano]

Whatever shotgun you use, Mike...it is illegal to shoot any lead shot these days. NO LEAD SHOT ALLOWED FOR WATERFOWL SINCE THE LATE '70'S. You cannot even be in possession of lead shot while hunting waterfowl.

If you are against using the new steel shot, then try bismuth or tungsten...but both have problems and are rather expensive. Remember, lead shot is illegal for waterfowl hunting. Always check the state regs to see if lead shot is allowed for upland game.


Mike, your short hunt with newly designed steel shot shells will not ruin the chokes. The problem of steel shot scratching shotgun bores was solved by using thicker shot cups that cushioned the shot and acted as a barrier between the shot column and barrel wall. Damage to chokes was likewise either reduced or eliminated by using thicker shot cups, plus gunmakers were now tempering new screw-in chokes specifically for steel shot. It's up to you.


I'm been shooting my expensive Browning O/U's in 12 and 20 ga. with steel for many years now, since 1979. The screw-in chokes are still good...or they must be...

..as I save wear and tear by only shooting one shell per bird, but maybe that's just me.

This Saskatchewan hunting photo shows me with a daily limit of 5 honkers....5 shots total. (Plus some snow geese, which were a bonus.) I did that for all 3 consecutive days that I was at my Canadian friend's farm. Not bragging, as the huge honkers are like shooting at barn doors coming into your decoys. We hunted harvested pea fields...an excellent goose feed. All steel shot up there, too, by the way.






[Edited on 11-24-2014 by Pompano]