Birddogman
Forum Pro
The weather was bizarre again this week, but in the other direction – very warm and spring-like. One day, it got up to 78 degrees. Beyond strange for this time of year. Due to the warm weather and ability to hunt in shirtsleeves, I got the old .410 Model 42 out again and ended up using it all week.
Joy pointing for the .410:
As usual, it worked fine and reminded me, yet again, how effective a .410 can be if one actually places the pattern on the bird and doesn’t take any shots over 25 yards.
The cockbird on the left below was an interesting shot. Joy pointed this bird in a little clump of trees at a corner way down at the far end of a long field - maybe 300 yards away from me – Joy was a speck in the distance. I told her I was coming and began to move in her direction at my usual slow, old man's pace. She held the bird until I got within about 200 yards and then it (as roosters are likely to do) sensed danger closing in and flushed. It flew straight down the edge of the field that I was in. It started out as a tiny dot and grew larger and larger, flying at full speed with a 25 mph wind behind it – really moving! I was about 25 yards inside the field and figured that if the rooster didn’t veer off, it would be (just) within range of the little gun. Since Joy had done such a good job in handling the bird, I wanted to kill it if I could. Sure enough, it stayed on line. When the big rooster, colors flashing in the bright sun, was directly across from me, I swung on the bird and gave it a good 5 plus feet of lead because its flight line was perpendicular to me. The little gun spoke; that bird flew right into the pattern and came down HARD.
The more I use it under field conditions, the more I enjoy and appreciate the little gem RX1r II. Sadly, this has resulted in my excellent Fuji equipment sitting at home since I received the replacement for my original RX1 with the infamous light leak. Yes, you must “see” in strictly 35mm terms, which is limiting in a way, but freeing in another way. The ability to carry the camera in a pocket and the huge, detailed files for post-processing are wonderful. Focusing is plenty fast enough for all that I do and the high ISO capability give the camera a lot of flexibility.
Odd collection of cast iron balls found in our travels….
Joy pointing:
A “selfie” of sorts:
A Chase retrieve:
Maybe this door in an abandoned 18th Century barn is the very one that got closed after the cows got out?
Cooling off from working in the hot weather in a pond that until very recently was frozen solid. Weird.
Joy pointing in a woodpile with The Chaser honoring the point, as I walk in to flush:
Another retrieve. “Your bird, Boss!”
Yet another abandoned old farm reflected in the old wavy glass of the milk house window. I never fail to find these places evocative.
Another Joy point and Chase retrieve:
Well, I’ve bored you enough for now. There are about two weeks of our 2015/16 season left and we plan to take advantage of every possible minute we can before we are shut down to wait for five long months until the 2016/17 season rolls around. So, hopefully, more later.
Thanks for looking!
Greg, Chase and Joy
Joy pointing for the .410:
As usual, it worked fine and reminded me, yet again, how effective a .410 can be if one actually places the pattern on the bird and doesn’t take any shots over 25 yards.
The cockbird on the left below was an interesting shot. Joy pointed this bird in a little clump of trees at a corner way down at the far end of a long field - maybe 300 yards away from me – Joy was a speck in the distance. I told her I was coming and began to move in her direction at my usual slow, old man's pace. She held the bird until I got within about 200 yards and then it (as roosters are likely to do) sensed danger closing in and flushed. It flew straight down the edge of the field that I was in. It started out as a tiny dot and grew larger and larger, flying at full speed with a 25 mph wind behind it – really moving! I was about 25 yards inside the field and figured that if the rooster didn’t veer off, it would be (just) within range of the little gun. Since Joy had done such a good job in handling the bird, I wanted to kill it if I could. Sure enough, it stayed on line. When the big rooster, colors flashing in the bright sun, was directly across from me, I swung on the bird and gave it a good 5 plus feet of lead because its flight line was perpendicular to me. The little gun spoke; that bird flew right into the pattern and came down HARD.
The more I use it under field conditions, the more I enjoy and appreciate the little gem RX1r II. Sadly, this has resulted in my excellent Fuji equipment sitting at home since I received the replacement for my original RX1 with the infamous light leak. Yes, you must “see” in strictly 35mm terms, which is limiting in a way, but freeing in another way. The ability to carry the camera in a pocket and the huge, detailed files for post-processing are wonderful. Focusing is plenty fast enough for all that I do and the high ISO capability give the camera a lot of flexibility.
Odd collection of cast iron balls found in our travels….
Joy pointing:
A “selfie” of sorts:
A Chase retrieve:
Maybe this door in an abandoned 18th Century barn is the very one that got closed after the cows got out?
Cooling off from working in the hot weather in a pond that until very recently was frozen solid. Weird.
Joy pointing in a woodpile with The Chaser honoring the point, as I walk in to flush:
Another retrieve. “Your bird, Boss!”
Yet another abandoned old farm reflected in the old wavy glass of the milk house window. I never fail to find these places evocative.
Another Joy point and Chase retrieve:
Well, I’ve bored you enough for now. There are about two weeks of our 2015/16 season left and we plan to take advantage of every possible minute we can before we are shut down to wait for five long months until the 2016/17 season rolls around. So, hopefully, more later.
Thanks for looking!
Greg, Chase and Joy
Last edited:
