Black Powder Percussion Shotgun & Bag

[tippit]

Finished up my bird hunting set up...Low Country SC poor boy.  18 Ga Percussion Double T. Blissett Shotgun with a backwoods style bag (unknown maker), powder/shot measure from a deformed deer antler, one of my small antler tine patch knives, and to finish it off with a Tim Crosby powder horn that he made with just a knife.  I wanted a nice primitive looking outfit to hunt some SC birds...tippit

[Bob McBride]

Nice looking outfit Tip. Tim whittled that horn, eh? Nifty. And right up my alley as all of Tim's stuff is. I might drill through the stopper and string it to my strap, but then I lose stuff...

[Tim Crosby]

 They all look good together. When I see "Bird Hunting" I think of Quail. Do you have many in your area?

  Tim

 I could have sworn I posted this once before, Oh well.

[tippit]

Bob,
I too loose things...string on stopper on list now.

Tim,
Very few native birds here anymore...but some nice hunting Quail on stocked birds in the old plantation country.  I grew up in northern Ohio and hunted Pheasants almost everyday of the season when in high school.  Later when I was in veterinary school at Ohio State, I started hunting Quail with black powder double barrel shotguns.  Southern Ohio in the late 60's had a lot of Quail and being a vet student we could get permission the hunt any of the farms that used OSU veterinarians. 

[Tim Crosby]

Tim,
Very few native birds here anymore...but some nice hunting Quail on stocked birds in the old plantation country.  I grew up in northern Ohio and hunted Pheasants almost everyday of the season when in high school.  Later when I was in veterinary school at Ohio State, I started hunting Quail with black powder double barrel shotguns.  Southern Ohio in the late 60's had a lot of Quail and being a vet student we could get permission the hunt any of the farms that used OSU veterinarians.

 Off topic but it is about hunting.

 Funny, I live in Lancaster Ohio just South of Columbus, I've been here about 13 years. Moved up here from Central Virginia, we used to have great Quail hunting and then things tapered off but you could still find enough coveys to have fun. I remember back in the 60's reading in Outdoor Life and such about the great Pheasant and quail hunting in Ohio. I though man it will be great, maybe I'll get a pointer.
Ha, I think I have seen a grand total of 8 Pheasants, 6 of those hens all in one group since I have been here and zero Quail, although I did hear one whistle a year or so ago.
 Miss those old Brown coat hunting days.

  Tim

[hanshi]

That's a cool outfit, Tip.  Very much 19th century.

[tippit]

I used to train Brittanies back in the day.  A couple of years ago a guy gave me a professionally trained to the whistle Boykin Spaniel so I still get out.  I 've found 3 coveys of quail around me...can't bring myself to shoot any but fun to work the dog on.

[John SMOthermon]

I have fond memories of those days....

That’s a great looking set up you have Sir! Congrats

[Tim Crosby]

I used to train Brittanies back in the day.  A couple of years ago a guy gave me a professionally trained to the whistle Boykin Spaniel so I still get out.  I 've found 3 coveys of quail around me...can't bring myself to shoot any but fun to work the dog on.

  I've known guys, I used to think them old, that would rather work with the dogs than have a shot. I honestly think I may have reached that stage. I have hunted with some Great dogs and Handlers.
 After we broke up a covey we never hunted the singles out just moved on to the next, that's how good it was.  Da mn! I miss it.

 Tim
 

[mossyhorn]

Yes Tim and Tippit I really miss those quail huntin day in Tn when I was much younger and we could walk a half day and get 6 to 8 covey up. They were delicious to eat also. How I long to here one whistle!

[tippit]

They are cool birds. When I was in vet school I kept a pair of quail in my room along with a Kestrel falcon that I tamed and sat on my shoulder studying at night. I was on team to capture hawks and owls to band and we kept Kestrels to figure out why the true falcon eggs weren't hatching.
 Ohio State had flight cages of Kestrels and Coloratdo State had flight cages of Peregrine falcons...turned out to be DDT. Kept that up through my 40+ years of practice career seeing all sort of birds. Sorry to keep going on about this...tippit

[Frank Barker]

When I was a kid back in the 1950's there was quite a few Quail here around Charleston WV. We built a house about 1 1/2 mile from the Charleston city limits and moved in in Winter of 1980. The area was small farms that they were selling off  acreage and we bought 6 acres. In the evening you could hear quail calling all around. The fox population picked up and the quail disappeared. There were lots of Grouse and they are becoming nonexistent with the coyote population expanding. Something else I have noticed is there are no more Pussy Willows here. Use to be that every Spring when I was in grade school the teachers would have a bunch of them setting on their desk in a vase and now they are gone. Oh well, enough rambling, one day we will become extinct. 

[snapper]

Tipit

Since you started this thread, and brought up Kestrel's, I dont feel bad going off topic.

I have always loved Kestrel's.   Here in Iowa we have quite a few of them.   Along the interstates on the back side of road signs are Kestrel nesting boxes.

When I was young and on the farm we had one fly into our pole barn.  I shut the doors with hopes of catching it.  After a minute or so with it frantically flying around and trying to get out I felt sorry for it and opened up the doors again to let it out.

Fleener

[Mike from OK]

Tippit, that's a handsome gun and the accoutrements pair nicely with it.

All you gents looking for quail, come on down. We have a nice long season on quail and liberal bag limits. My area of the state can be hit or miss on bird numbers. But just a short drive west of me they can be found in good numbers.

Season just closed Saturday. So you'll have to wait till next November.

Mike

[Daryl]

tippit, that is a good looking English shotgun, with accouterments to match.

[Mike Lyons]

Tim,
Very few native birds here anymore...but some nice hunting Quail on stocked birds in the old plantation country.  I grew up in northern Ohio and hunted Pheasants almost everyday of the season when in high school.  Later when I was in veterinary school at Ohio State, I started hunting Quail with black powder double barrel shotguns.  Southern Ohio in the late 60's had a lot of Quail and being a vet student we could get permission the hunt any of the farms that used OSU veterinarians.

 Off topic but it is about hunting.

 Funny, I live in Lancaster Ohio just South of Columbus, I've been here about 13 years. Moved up here from Central Virginia, we used to have great Quail hunting and then things tapered off but you could still find enough coveys to have fun. I remember back in the 60's reading in Outdoor Life and such about the great Pheasant and quail hunting in Ohio. I though man it will be great, maybe I'll get a pointer.
Ha, I think I have seen a grand total of 8 Pheasants, 6 of those hens all in one group since I have been here and zero Quail, although I did hear one whistle a year or so ago.
 Miss those old Brown coat hunting days.

  Tim

Tim,

I grew up in Fayette County, OH.   I pheasant hunted nearly everyday after school.  Deer Creek Lake used to have some good spots.  There was also a public field on Bogas Rd right outside of Washington Court House that was good pheasant hunting.  Meade paper company owned some property off of White Rd that was also good.  My days were before the coyotes were introduced.  Haven’t been there in 25 years. I surely hope they haven’t killed off the pheasants.

[wattlebuster]

I like all of it

[WadePatton]

Yes Tim and Tippit I really miss those quail huntin day in Tn when I was much younger and we could walk a half day and get 6 to 8 covey up. They were delicious to eat also. How I long to here one whistle!

I too remember the days of yore, with birds.   Last year, I heard some whistle, two different counties.   MAYBE they've staged a comback?  Hope to hear 'em again all around.

Nothing shocks the system much like a full covey blowing up in your face and you having no idea they were there.  Good medicine.

[Mike from OK]

Nothing shocks the system much like a full covey blowing up in your face and you having no idea they were there.  Good medicine.

That has happened to me a handful of times but one instance stands out. I was checking traps I had set along a creek. I parked the truck in the pasture and was walking down to the creek... I was in a little bit of a hurry and had not stopped to relieve a fairly full bladder. I was walking along going over mental notes in my head about my traps... And I flushed a covey of quail. It took a moment or two to realize what had happened... All I could process was the thunder of rapidly fluttering wings and movement all around me.

My bladder didn't let go. But after gaining my composure I immediately proceeded to the nearest tree and took care of business.

For something so small they sure can whip up a lot of noise in a hurry.

Mike

[rollingb]

That's my favorite style of bag.