Ducks, dove, quail, turkey, pheasant, grouse or anything else that flies. My only rule is I dont kill anything with eyelashes.....deer, elk, rabbit etc. I love to eat all of it though.
Ducks, dove, quail, turkey, pheasant, grouse or anything else that flies. My only rule is I dont kill anything with eyelashes.....deer, elk, rabbit etc. I love to eat all of it though.
There is no wrong way to do the right thing.
Hunting is great. I highly recommend bird hunting. Here's a picture of a couple of bufflehead from last weekend's hunt:
<img src="http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/6466/buffleheadsnm3.jpg" width="905" height="575">
It's a little early in the migration, so we only got 7. No mallards, but we got one goose.
If you're looking for a big bird for a holiday meal, go for goose. First, it's different. Second, as mentioned earlier, turkey are difficult to hunt. Third, goose hunting is more fun.
Finally, if you hunt over water, you might get to hunt ducks too! w00t!
"... whenever any number of men, calling themselves a government, do anything to another man, or to his property, which they had no right to do as individuals, they thereby declare themselves trespassers, robbers, or murderers, according to the nature of their acts." - Lysander Spooner
I leave Friday with my buds for a duck hunt in Arkansas. Season opens Saturday, but I'm not sure its been cold enough up north to push the greenheads down in any big numbers. Shooting the ducks is only part of the fun. Being with your pals and all the retrievers makes it good no matter how the ducks fly.
There is no wrong way to do the right thing.
"... whenever any number of men, calling themselves a government, do anything to another man, or to his property, which they had no right to do as individuals, they thereby declare themselves trespassers, robbers, or murderers, according to the nature of their acts." - Lysander Spooner
I've hunted wild turkey. Yes, they have incredible eye sight and easily spooked. But they're dumber than a brick. They do taste different. It's "gamey" is all I can say. I happen to like it. And I don't how your son, if he's "six," is going to do any shooting. You need to use a 12 gage shot gun with at least number four shot on a turkey, and I don't think a six year old is ready to shoot a shot gun. It'll knock him flat on his keester.
Last edited by Pale Rider; 11-19-2007 at 01:54 PM.
Yeah, I'm agreeing with Pale Rider here. You'd better check your regulations. I don't know of any places that disallow children on a hunt, but there may be limits on the age of shooters.
Then there's the gun issue. Though there's plenty of discussion to be had about the approptiate amount of gun for a particular amount of animal--you need to be careful about the amount of gun you introduce a new shooter to. Fear of recoil will cause all kinds of bad habits in a shooter. A .410 is about all the shotgun I'd put in the hands of anyone weighing less than 100 pounds. And with a six year old, I'd even be a little cafeful that the load is not too punishing. That being the case, small soft bodied birds are your only choice for hunting--try Bobwhite Quail.
Quail are appropriatly challenging; you have to walk around, which is better than sitting still for a six year old; they are fast and easy birds to process; and there are plenty of plantation hunts that are reasonable in cost, such that you can insure a certain level of success, AND have a more controlled environment for this first outing.
"... whenever any number of men, calling themselves a government, do anything to another man, or to his property, which they had no right to do as individuals, they thereby declare themselves trespassers, robbers, or murderers, according to the nature of their acts." - Lysander Spooner
Good advice LOki.
I remember the first time I hunted Grouse. They get up so fast and make so much noise that it scared the shit out of me. Walking along in a relatively peaceful and quite woods, and all of a sudden it sounds like all hell is breaking lose as two or three Grouse get up and fly. You have to get used to it and be expecting it, otherwise you'll never get off a shot if you're not composed in time. It surely is worth it though, because other than Pheasant, I think Grouse is the best tasting game bird. Well Goose it good too. Heck I like 'em all...
My son just got his first deer, a nice 8 pt. two days ago.
He was holdin out for a buck ,He had lots of chances for a doe.
I cannot rembember when I started huntin. Just have allways done it.
Sometimes I just grab a rifle and tell my son grab your gun let's go kill somethin. Elk or dove are likely my favs.
For Freedom's battle once begun ,
Bequeathed by bleeding sire to son,
Though battled oft' Is never won.
Corporal. 15th Combat engineers 77-80
I've hunted a lot since coming to Texas 30 years ago--deer, turkey, game birds of all kinds, etc. I took son hunting when he was 7 but he just sat in the blinds with me. I took a chance once and let him fire my 12 guage and it knocked him on his ass. I'll never forget how damn bad I felt.
Tip on turkey hunting--if you only have an ass shot -take it. Still knocks em down good and spares the good meat in the breast. And be prepared to be a "statue" for hours if you wanna see one.
For Freedom's battle once begun ,
Bequeathed by bleeding sire to son,
Though battled oft' Is never won.
Corporal. 15th Combat engineers 77-80