Big birds/little birds

[sjemac]

Early morning on a peafield. View from a poor man's layout blind (a small trench in the dirt). Bigfoot floaters, Big Flock Silos, and Horace, the stuffed mascot.

Shot like crap for the first 3 flocks. 9 shell ($27.00 of Hevi Shot) and not one dead bird. Connected on three with the next 7 shells. Still not great. During a lull I went to a wet spot in the field and shot a couple of snipe, switching out the modified choke for cylinder.

Heard geese coming and ran back to the blind. Forgot to switch the choke back. Killed 4 geese with the next five shots. When I measured the range I was shooting at it was 15 to 25 yards. The constriction on the modified had made it like trying to shoot a rifle at them. The cylinder choke opened it right up and crushed them. Gotta get more practice in shooting from the layout position too, since on water hunts I normally get to shoot standing.

 

[todbartell]

good job

it pays to pattern your gun with a certain shell and choke combo

 

[Ahsan Ahmed]

It's been a while since I've come across pics of (bagged) Snipe.....nice images!

 

[sjemac]

There were a dozen of the little buggers in that one wet spot. Going back this week in the afternoon with the dog just to shoot snipe (and the Hungarian partridge I saw there this morning.)

 

[Grouse Man]

Forgot to switch the choke back. Killed 4 geese with the next five shots. When I measured the range I was shooting at it was 15 to 25 yards. The constriction on the modified had made it like trying to shoot a rifle at them. The cylinder choke opened it right up and crushed them.

Amazing, isn't it? You were probably cursing your stupid gun and those lousy shells, right? "Why the hell can't I hit anything?!"

The open cylinder on my A-5 is a terrific duck slayer, anywhere over decoys.

You have seen the light. Now spread the word.

 

[H4831]

Snipe?

Are you sure that is a snipe? It looks to me more like a long-billed dowicher.
I definetly do not want to start a fuss here, and I am only stating what I think it may be. Perhaps someone with authority on the subject could put me straight.

 

[sjemac]

Amazing, isn't it? You were probably cursing your stupid gun and those lousy shells, right? "Why the hell can't I hit anything?!"

Naw. The gun performed flawlessly the night before on ducks and geese over water (8 ducks with 15 shells including those used to swat birds fallling to the water with their heads up). I just figured I'd lost my "mojo" and that the waterfowling gods were frowning on me that day. I think it was difficult for me to judge the range from the laying down position. Had I realized I was that close I would have had the cylinder choke out from the beginning.

 

[sjemac]

Are you sure that is a snipe? It looks to me more like a long-billed dowicher.
I definetly do not want to start a fuss here, and I am only stating what I think it may be. Perhaps someone with authority on the subject could put me straight.

How about I do it then? I spent two years of my university life working with Fish and Wildlife on PEI ID'ng and counting shorebirds (among other furred and feathered critters).

Dowitcher

Snipe

Snipe

Note the barred belly which the dowitcher lacks. Also the birds were flushing as singles and were making the characteristic "scaip, scaip" as they flew. Anyone who has hunted them would never mistake them and their flight pattern for anything else.

 

[H4831]

Snipe

Thank you for the positive ID.