# Guns, Doodles, Old Dogs and Men 2020-2021



## GLS (Jan 18, 2021)

Guns, Doodles old dogs and men 2020-2021

As I sit typing on the last day of the Georgia season, I am somewhat pulled to go today notwithstanding I’ve been the last two days.  Legs are tired and with a slight back ache, it’s 50-50.  Soon to be 73,  I will probably have more seasons left in front of me, but not as many as  I have behind me.  Abby will be 10 by month’s end and Willa will be 7 just before my birthday.  In the natural order, they will run out of time before me.  I have left some birds on the swamp’s edge, but I am not angry with them, and I may just grant them peace on this last day.  I still have two weeks left in South Carolina.  There are a few hours left before I decide, and Willa is snoring beside me on the couch near me and Abby to the side of her wishing Willa would just get up and leave so she could take her spot.

An old dog does good

Knows the short cuts doodles take

She chuckles at miss.

This season where we hunt, we didn’t have birds as numerous as the past few seasons.  The birds will normally stack up fairly well where we hunt, but that is both weather and moisture dependent of which were both missing this year.  We still found birds, but the difference was notable.  The silver lining was that we explored areas that we had ignored in years past and were rewarded.  My bird hunting partner Floyd and I learn something new every season.

Tugs a worm from ground

Twitters without an Iphone

Flies through pick-up sticks

This season I mostly shot a new to me gun, a 1930s 2” 12 ga. by Skimin & Wood, from the U.K..  Why a 2” 12 ga. proofed for 7/8 oz.?  Wouldn’t a 20 or 28 do?   Well, weight for one thing.  With 28” barrels, when I got it, it was 5 lbs., 5 oz.  I needed to extend length of pull with a leather pad which brought the weight to 5 lbs., 8 oz.  Weight is saved from a standard 12 gauge by using less metal in the barrels and a slightly slimmer action bar.  The wood is probably less dense than fancy walnut and that is a weight saver, too. It is lighter than any 20 ga. and most 28 gauges currently on the market today.  Ammunition sources are limited to one manufacturer, RST, and shells aren’t Wally World cheap.  I handloaded and roll crimped trimmed paper hulls with fiber wads and 7/8 oz. of #8 lead.  While the majority of time I carried the 2” 12 ga., I hit a streak of misses and changed my luck with my Ithaca SKB 10 20 ga.  Floyd was as dead-eyed as usual with his Ithaca SKB 100 20 ga.  Beware of the man who only shoots one gun.  Because of the Covid era, we drove separate trucks and as usual, for social distance, I dragged 20 yards behind him in the woods, a product of my shorter legs on which sits a tenth of a ton.











Old man missing birds

Nothing startling with that news

Business as usual

Here are a few photos of this season.  Abby is rolling in something that smells worse than she.

Rivercane hideout

“Gotcha” mumbled Brittanys

The nose knows all






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## trad bow (Jan 18, 2021)

Time spent with hunting companions both two legged and four legged are what great days are made of. Birds harvested or not, is a joyous part of the trip to be sure. Sounds like another memorable season.


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## ghadarits (Jan 18, 2021)

I enjoyed the look into your season. Great post.


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## Nicodemus (Jan 18, 2021)

Enjoyed this greatly. I do like that straight stock double barrel.


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## Beagle Stace (Jan 18, 2021)

Glad you and dogs had another good season. We all hope for good health to carry on another season.


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## coachdoug87 (Jan 18, 2021)

Always enjoy these posts. Looks like another good year for you and the dogs.


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## NCHillbilly (Jan 18, 2021)

Great stuff, I really enjoyed this post.


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## AceOfTheBase (Jan 18, 2021)

Awesome read, TKS.
Have fond memories of my brittany Jed, an old 20 ga SKB O/U and a few doodles taken home.  Alternated between 1100 in avatar and "fancy" O/U.


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## whitedog (Jan 18, 2021)

Good stuff! I didn't even realize there was such a thing as 2" 12 ga


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## KS Bow Hunter (Jan 18, 2021)

Cool read...


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## GLS (Jan 19, 2021)

Addendum

Thanks, fellas.  I appreciate the comments.  I managed to take advantage of the last day and used it to scout another place.  Five flushes, shots at two, but no cigar over the course of an hour and a half.   Members of the MuttPak, Willa and Abby, participated.

Here’s an excellent history of the 2” 12 ga.  It’s definitely a niche gun used in a niche pursuit of birds around these parts.

https://shootingsportsman.com/short-shell-12-2-guns/

Where we found birds ranged from low to high terrain and parts in between.  Around these parts, low to high is several feet.  Deep in the rivercane is Floyd.  Look for the orange.  At one time we thought birds would exclusively be in the cane.  We couldn’t have been more wrong.

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Nic, here are some more photos of the gun.  Not too fancy, nor too plain.  Is it a practical gun?  Of course not, but since when does that matter?     Gil



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## nrh0011 (Jan 19, 2021)

Thanks for sharing, great read.


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## steveus (Jan 20, 2021)

Thanks Gil, for sharing the joy of all this that we love.


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## redneck_billcollector (Jan 26, 2021)

Enjoyed the post.  Love the shotgun.  I believe I won a bid on an L. C. Smith Featherweight Ideal Grade today in 12 Gauge. I have been chasing my upland birds with an L. C. Smith Field Grade 16 Gauge this year.  I do not know about you, but the older I get, the worse my shooting gets.  The days of me taking a double on a wild covey rise with a .410 are long gone.  I am lucky to get a single on a covey rise with my 16 Gauge any more.  My woodcock have been rather spooky this year, it might be my dog is getting too old, she is in the double digits now....or I am just mentally making that fact up as an excuse for my bellow par shooting.


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## twoheartedale (Jan 26, 2021)

Nice pics!  Looks like fun.  We have a bunch of them around our club, I've killed a few in the past.  Taste great!

BTW, I have a shotgun that looks almost identical to yours.  It was given to me almost 45 years ago from an old judge in Alabama.  I don't use it or know the name of it.


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## GLS (Jan 29, 2021)

My Older Dog, Abby, turned 10 yesterday.  Here’s her after a great hunt 7 years ago to the week, just after turning 3.  Jeff, Floyd , Floyd’s late great Snap (Pop and Sadie's mom), Abby and I had a great day.  I thought I killed her from exhaustion.  She was worn out and I had to carry her from the truck to inside home where she laid by her food bowl and ate lying down.  In the morning her stub of a tail spun like a propeller ready for action.  While I hope to get more seasons with her in the woods, her legacy is in what she has passed down to half-sister Willa.  Willa became a fine dog by hunting with her; other than “whoa” and coming to command and whistle, she learned it all by tagging along with Willa, Sadie and Pop.

Floyd, Sadie, Willa and I celebrated her birthday hunting new areas and had 7 flushes and 3 down.  At 10 according to tracking collars she covers 10% more ground than 6.5 years old Willa.  Today, 6 flushes and two down.  Tomorrow will be our last day.  It was an interesting season in the Covid Era; not as productive as the past two seasons, but rewarding in so many ways.  Dog work is dog work whether it’s pinning down a covey of quail or a solitary woodcock.  The flush is always an adrenaline pumping  surprise regardless of how often we experience it.  I’m  looking forward to tomorrow and next December.


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## GLS (Feb 3, 2021)

This year, as in the past, we have killed birds within 150 miles of this sign.  With the sign as a starting point, look for rivercane, dense thickets with wet woods.  When conditions are dry, go high.  Hope this helps.  Gil


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## AceOfTheBase (Feb 3, 2021)

GLS, Senior hunting Britts have a special place in my heart, mine was named Jed.
Jed was the best hunter I had the pleasure of hunting with, also carried him back to the truck once. Got a big ol slurpy kiss from him half way back.


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## GLS (Feb 3, 2021)

Ace,
That's a great story.  Floyd's Pop will be 12 this May.  He's a big male Britt, 60 lbs. before the season.  The spirit is willing, but the strength of his flesh is of concern.  He dropped some weight and still had some get up and go which improved.  He hates being left in the kennel when Floyd takes Sadie to areas we wouldn't want to have to carry him out.   We have a loop route we hunt Pop that takes an hour and a half to circle.  We never get more than a 150 yards from roads that complete the loop.  While he hasn't required us carrying him, this circuit would make it easy to get him to one of our trucks.  He's been a great dog.
In my vest is a dog carry harness that we haven't had to deploy for carrying a dog on our backs out  of the woods.  I hope I never have to use it.   Gil


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## Duff (Feb 3, 2021)

Great post! Enjoyed it


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## Nimrod71 (Feb 5, 2021)

Great Post.  I love Brit's too.  I miss my two, Ben and Belle.  We spent many a day in the fields and woods.  Good Luck and Keep Going.


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## BBond (Mar 2, 2021)

Last year I gave y'all an update on GADNR participating with Univ. Maine on woodcock research.  Last year we banded 63 and put transmitters on 12.
This year was a little harder.  We banded 48 and put transmitters on 11.  

Of the 11, 10 have gave locations and 4 of those have moved off the WMA.  3 of the 4 have left the state (1 in KY and 2 in NC so far).  Last year the half the birds had left by 2/27/2020 and so far this year about a third have left the state.  So it seems the Spring migration is a little later this year.

I will try and update every so often when I can.

Out of last year's birds 2 went back to the same WMA they were captured on.  One was harvested (transmitter bird no less - had traveled over 1,300 miles to News Brunswick and returned back to same WMA) and the other we caught again this year during our banding efforts.  So that was pretty cool


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## BBond (Mar 9, 2021)

Out of the 10 birds giving locations
3 are in KY
1 in VA
1 in TN
1 in NC
the other 4 still are showing on the same WMA that they were caught on.


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## BBond (Mar 16, 2021)

Still 10 birds giving locations.
Only 1 is still on the WMA that it was trapped on.

4 in KY
1 in each of the following: MD, NC, TN, VA, WV


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## trad bow (Mar 16, 2021)

Thank you for the updates.


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## Redbow (Mar 17, 2021)

Thanks for your story I really enjoyed reading it. Nothing IMO is better than being afield with a fine Dog and a shotgun. May you have many more years of hunting with your Dogs.


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## 7dawg9 (Mar 18, 2021)

I have a few old British SxS 12 gauges that I use from time to time. RST shells, 7/8 oz. I agree with you, British guns are light, but durable. Some turn their noses at 12 ga for quail, etc, but 7/8 oz is 7/8 oz, no matter what gauge it’s in.


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## BBond (Mar 23, 2021)

UPDATE:
The birds have all left GA now and they have scattered.
There are 2 in KY and 2 in VA.
There is 1 bird in each of the following: IN, MA, MD, NC, OH, and WV


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## BBond (Apr 1, 2021)

UPDATE:
There are 3 in IN, 2 in NY and 2 in WV.
There is 1 bird in each of the following: MA, OH, and VA


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## BBond (Apr 6, 2021)

UPDATE:
There are 2 in each of the following: IN, NY and WV.
There is 1 in each of the following: MA, MI, OH, and PA


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## asc (Apr 8, 2021)

Good read, thanks.
My Lucy is 13 and blind, winter 2020 was the last wild bird hunts for her, however i did take her to a preserve this year, bought some birds and turned them (and her) loose in an overgrown field. The nose still works fine.


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## BBond (Apr 13, 2021)

UPDATE:
Pretty cool that one bird is now in ME and another bird is in MN (this bird actually recorded a location as it was flying over Lake Superior)

So our birds are in the following:
IN = 1
ME = 1
MI = 1
MN = 1
NY = 2
OH = 1
PA = 1
WV = 2


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## trad bow (Apr 13, 2021)

That’s pretty neat to know where and when the birds are. Thank you for the updates.


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## BBond (Apr 14, 2021)

Yep. So far this year they are widely scattered than last year.


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## BBond (Apr 20, 2021)

All of the birds are in the same counties as last week.
So our birds are in the following:
IN = 1
ME = 1
MI = 1
MN = 1
NY = 2
OH = 1
PA = 1
WV = 2


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## BBond (Apr 28, 2021)

Just one change this week.
So our birds are in the following:
IN = 1
ME = 1
MI = 1
MN = 1
NY = 3
PA = 1
WV = 2


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## mlandrum (May 13, 2021)

Well, my season this year was interrupted by me and my wife's battle with corvid! From January2021 we were really sick, took the shots and got sick with both of them. This was little "Scouts" first year but got to make only 3 hunts but the first hunt was fantastic with one flush and one retrieve and the second and third hunt were great with 4 flushes deep on the Altamaha River , then the covid hit? This year were getting ready with retrieves every day and I can't wait for December! See yall in the fall


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## SLY22 (May 14, 2021)

mlandrum said:


> Well, my season this year was interrupted by me and my wife's battle with corvid! From January2021 we were really sick, took the shots and got sick with both of them. This was little "Scouts" first year but got to make only 3 hunts but the first hunt was fantastic with one flush and one retrieve and the second and third hunt were great with 4 flushes deep on the Altamaha River , then the covid hit? This year were getting ready with retrieves every day and I can't wait for December! See yall in the fallView attachment 1080691


Glad you guys recovered and doing better!
Great picture of Scout!


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## coachdoug87 (May 14, 2021)

Glad y'all recovered. It was a rough year for a lot of people. Hope we have a normal season next year.


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## GLS (May 14, 2021)

Mike, glad you pulled through. We're less than 7 months from the season.  A friendship of 50 years ended with a buddy's death from covid complications this winter.  We hunted quail on his place on January 19th, he got sick the next day and went downhill fast. 
Here's a tribute on another forum I posted about him.
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=593214&page=1
 Did I understand correctly that you got the virus after the shots?  Gil


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## mlandrum (May 14, 2021)

We lost 3 great men in our church  earlier this year. It was quite sad?


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## trad bow (May 14, 2021)

Praying for you Mr Mike. Hope you and the Lady of the house fully recover.


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