Monthly Archives: January 2019

On another planet

An early morning walk with birddogs in last week’s -5 degree weather made me painfully aware that we had moved into winter. This morning’s pre-sunrise walk with the grim hand of the thermometer on the deck  pointing to the -30 … Continue reading

Posted in Bird Dogs, Country Life, Winter, Winter Hiking | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Packing, puttering, and prepping

Hunting seasons ended January 10 in the North Country. After a frantic and frenetic final week of pursuing pheasants, my neurotic drive to go afield dwindled and a sense of calm descended upon the Clubhouse. Abbey and Sasha are asleep … Continue reading

Posted in Bird Dogs, Bird hunting, Deer Hunting, Hunting, Hunting Humor, Hunting Keepsakes, Hunting Memories | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Grandfather clause

1925 – the year this Lefever Nitro Special was manufactured in Ithaca, New York. 2019 – the year the old 12-gauge was still taking pheasants on the wing at 94 years of age. Maybe the elderly double gun should have … Continue reading

Posted in Bird Guns, Bird hunting, Late season pheasants, Lefever Shotguns, Shotguns | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Pheasant loads

Late season pheasant hunts can test the character of the hunter, his birddog, his resolve, his equipment – and his shotshells. When the temperature at midday refuses to rise above nine degrees, the wind picks up to 15 miles per … Continue reading

Posted in Bird Guns, Bird hunting, Late season pheasants, reloading, Shotshell Reloading | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments