Wing Shooting Articles

Caring for the Prairie Gun Dog Afield

There seems to be an endless array of gear that a dog owner cannot live without. Some things are more necessary than others. One of the items typically billed as critical gear is dog boots. They come in different styles and different materials.The most well-made boots I have used were from the Lewis dog boots company in Enid, Oklahoma.

The Light of Pure Heresy.

When a hawk-eyed reader questioned the use of No. 9 hard shot I knew I was in trouble. It meant I was going to have to earn my keep by delving into the realm of arcane knowledge that leads along less-traveled byways, chucking along the way the advice given on ammunition boxes to seek and find true No. 9 Nirvana. I draw sustenance for this view from two sources.

The Magic of Cast-off

The concept of a butt stock with cast-off (for right-handed shooters) and cast-on (for left-handed shooters) is a European import. The subject gets little exposure or discussion from American shotgun manufacturers or those who write about hunting.

Acoustic Trauma - How to Avoid It

Hearing damage is gradual, subtle, CUMULATIVE and PERMANENT. Normal conversation is in the 60-65dB level. The threshold of pain is about 140 dB. A 12 or 20 gauge shotgun blast from 28" barrels is about 152 dB, with shorter or ported barrels even higher. And as the audiologist I spoke to phrased it, we hunters are "moving up on the short list for the `Invisible Badge of Hearing Loss.’"

Big News In Small Gauge And Lightweight Shotguns

It seems like only yesterday that the echoing theme of the SHOT Show was Thunder Over The Marshlands as gun makers saluted waterfowlers with massed 3-1/2" magnums. But at SHOT Show ’02 -- the shooting industry’s annual trade show -- gun makers were on a well deserved diet, as excess pounds and ounces were shed to offer upland hunters good quality, moderately priced, lightweight (under 7 pounds) 12 gauge side-by-side beauties.

Thanks, Coach! The Real Secret to Better Shotgunning

The point was perfect. Hard and frozen like a rock, my young Brittany had investigated a small clump of brush in the middle of a plowed field and now had been seriously rewarded. I stepped in for the flush and saw a gargantuan pheasant blow out from under my feet. As he turned for the wind, my shotgun found my shoulder and rapidly fired. The pheasant flew, unhindered, to the next county. I can still see him jetting away while Ranger looked at me with an expression best translated as, “Doh! Why am I hunting with a guy who can’t hit anything?”

This is the Good Stuff - Baschieri and Pellegri

Although not exactly a household name in the U.S., among world class competitive shooters this is the ammunition used to win Gold Medals in the Olympics and other International shooting events.

It's Not Rocket Science

Shotgun chokes and patterns can be as simple or complex as one wishes to make it. I prefer the former. In his 1965, The Shotgun Book, Jack O’Connor related that his predecessor at "Outdoor Life", Captain Charles Askins, attributed the discovery of choke to Fred Kemble. Apparently, O’Connor misspelled the choke inventor’s name because Askins’ book, Modern Shotguns and Loads, 1929, lists the name as Fred Kimble, as do several other books in my library.

The Joy of the 28 Gauge

Please meet the darling of the grouse covert -- the elegant lady of the woodland and feisty daughter of the 16 gauge.

Basic Field Care for Gun Dogs

Many years ago a high school buddy and I spent a Saturday afternoon working his German short hair pointer in a small woodcock covert located in northern New Jersey. Having very little luck, we decided to explore a new area in search of some grouse. Shortly after coming upon an old home site we noticed his dog favoring its front foot which was bleeding. An inspection of the big dog’s foot revealed a large gash just behind the pad. We immediately hiked back to my father’s truck, which was some distance away.