Hunting seasons

[northmn]

Hard to realize how time slips up on you but next weekend is the start of MN Grouse and squirrel season.  Almost have an itch to take out the homemade longbow, but deer seasons all screwed up this year with a very limnited take.  My daughter still wants to rifle hunt.  Still ahve to sight in the 25 to minute of squirrel as I think its still a little high and get a shot load for my 20 ga smooth rifle.  Figure if I hunt with it a bit it may be a way to understand its personality for deer.  Still have my 12 bore fowler and may try for a pheasant with it.  Wife doesn't like to take a pheasant or ducks so I may have to take out my steel loads.  Sorry Roundball, but I will not put a second mortgage on the house to buy eco-shot.  To get the hunting kits together.  I like to have a seperate bag for each gun as it saves confusion.  In my case getting confused isn't even a challenge.  Good luck to others.

DP

[hanshi]

Well, squirrel season has been in for several days, now, but true to Va form it's really screwy as to county and species.  ML deer season opens Oct 30 but again we have a patchwork, jigsaw puzzle that requires that you keep a copy of the regulations with you at all times to stay legal; too confusing to memorize.  Bear season isn't far behind but again it's a riddle.

Nevertheless, hunting is usually pretty good and game limits are quite generous at that.  If I had not gotten spoiled by the simple and very generous squirrel and deer regs back in Ga and the almost surety of limiting out, I'd be giddy with optimism about the F&G opportunities in this beautiful state.  It's just a matter of incredible vs excellent.  I just with the regs would be simplified a bit.

[YORKTOWNE54]

sounds like Va must be talking to Pa. in regards to game management. Sorry to hear that hanshi. I have an idea, lets just go to the mountains get back in where no one else hunts all the while shooting and doing what we the hunters see fit!! Sorry, got carried away there. I'm actually a conservative republican. Good hunting all.

[northmn]

Area I deer hunt in went this year to one deer limit from shooting 5 before.  Had to enter a lottery to get a doe permit and if I shoot a doe cannot shoot a buck.  Even so, it will be nice to get out again.  I have to do more sit hunting, like duck hunting and squirrel hunting, as the trails have gotten a lot longer.

DP

[northmn]

I load steel in modern shells and have quite a bit of steel laying around.  Also within the 30 yard ranges that I would likely shoot a flintlock fowler steel is pretty effective.  Steel is a handy scapegoat for misses and cripples.  I had both in the lead days also, but some tend to forget that.  Some of my fondest memories are the fantastic retrieves made by my retrievers on ducks crippled with lead loads.  While the sleeves are not PC, even chilled shot is not PC either as early shot was "drop shot" and very soft.  Some have had luck with paper sleeves made out of shopping bags and may have to try them.  I still like to carry a load that will take out a wood duck or mallard that may jump up while I am hunting grouse or pheasants.  Grouse like to hang around the edge of potholes.  A friend and I laughed at ourselves because we would let grouse fly while sneaking up on a pothole so as not to scare away any possible ducks.  Grouse tastes better than duck any day.  Now I shoot at the grouse. 
Grouse are getting warier and my reflexes slower so that I feel a little less guilt in ground swatting one and my flintlocks give me an excuse.  Some still will actually fly up in a tree and sit there to avoid the dog.  Shot more than one that way.  Can't usually ground swat with the dog along.  #6 steel works good on both ducks and grouse if one is so crass to shoot the ducks on the water.

DP

[smylee grouch]

Our Game and Fish Dept. started to thin the deer population down about 5 years ago and was issuing alot of extra doe tags so we have had alot of hunting oportunities since then. I was taking 10 does a year but have cut down to 5 tags this year and yes we eat all that we shoot. The good ole days have been happening now for my son and I. Can hardly wait for Nov.   Good hunting to all.    Gary

[northmn]

As far as shooting ducks while they are swimming I am reminded of a comment made by a co-worker one time.  Said he rarely shoots swimming ducks, he usually waits for them to stop.  In the good old days you would line up as many as possible for one shot to get as many as possible.

DP

[Daryl]

The results of one shot of a 1 1/2" bore punt gun, shooting 3 pounds of #1 shot at a flock of mallards, range 95 yards to the front of the flock (sitting on the water) was 123 killed outright and over 50 cripples that were collected by smaller boats and dogs.  The shot was aimed some 4' above the flock, as the writting stated.  Much of that was due to drop and to take advantage of more of the pattern that would otherwise drop short.  The higher shot cloud would also catch rising birds that spooked at the appearance of the smoke. I don't know what the powder charge was, but 1/4 pound seems to stick im my mind.

[northmn]

I have had season where I did not see 170 ducks.  They are making more of a comeback now and I will be doing more duck hunting.  I remember seeing a mallard sitting on top of a beaver hut on a lake.  I snuck up on it and the whole flock rose.  I got 3 with one shot.  Have not seen flocks like that for a long time.  Really enjoyed that type of hunting where you could walk a trail to a lake and maybe shoot a grouse and then jump some ducks.  One day I felt pretty good, I ahd a woodcock, grouse and duck in the bag. Today I pass on the woodcock.  See a few of them, but cannot figure out why they became a game bird.  They are small and barely edible.  I leave them for people that really think they are great.

DP