Originally Posted by Paddler
Had a very nice afternoon. Convinced my wife, who is by no means an outdoorsy type, to go for a ride to see the Fall colors. She even allowed me to take the dog and a gun along. I took her up to the mountains east of here, about 9500'. She took the photos. First, a good dog on point:

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Next, a funny looking guy with a dusky grouse of the year, taken on the wing with a SxS, just like God intended:

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Last, a lovely little 20 gauge Piotti Westlake. This isn't as ornate as a King I, but is every bit as well made on the inside where it counts. It just may be my favorite gun:

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To answer a couple of previous questions. No, I don't catch and release much. I fish for just a few types of fish, all of which I like to eat. When I catch them, they go for a boat ride. We put about 600# of albacore in my boat in two days of fishing this year. Could have caught more, but I only have a limited cooler space and ice capacity. Since tuna can be 25F warmer than water temp, cooling is extremely important in order to produce sashimi grade fish. That means a flake ice/salt water slurry, so ~15 fish is all I can hold.

Two, I like Ruger Number 1s. I had own two of them, a 257 Roberts and a 375 H&H. Couldn't tolerate the vertical stringing and so sold them. Cool guns, though.



Beautiful country, dog, and fowling piece there.

Regarding the "intention" of the "Universal Power that Is" ( God or maybe another appellation, depending on one's belief system).

I'm not sure but my thinking lies along the lines that the intention was for us to treat our fellows on this planet as we would like to be treated. To respect the planet we were given ("His" creation, provided to us for free... See also "The Holy Earth" for ideas also). And maybe to make sure we do our best at dispatching our food without causing undue pain and suffering?

The intentions of a "Universal Ruler" have never been given directly to me, so I'm not always certain what they are. I attempt to do my best. Others attempt to dictate to me what they understand those intentions to be based on various pieces of literature and perhaps "word of mouth" information they have recieved. One thing I am fairly certain of, one of the intentions was for me to use my "free will" ( a line of thought based on my upbringing? mmm?) and "God given" intelligence (little tho there be) to determine a way through the world.

I'm not sure about the intention being that birds are only shot "on the wing", perhaps only with a double gun? If you were not trying to offend others here, we have these little "winky" and "smily" things available that let readers know we're joshing a bit. Take this with a "grain of salt". I'm trying to "get your goat", or "pull your leg".

If you really believe that grouse should ONLY be taken on the wing, preferably behind a good dog (why not a bad dog, are you being discriminatory? smile ) may I ask you a question?

If you are serious about thinking believing it is unsporting to use other methods, do you petition or lobby your state game agency to regulate grouse hunting to ONLY allow the methods you percieve as sporting? That way everyone could be on the same page, except for certain scofflaws.

Enjoy your fine double there, would that "God's intention" was for me to win the lootery so I could afford one. And the dog and the time away from work so I would have more time to spend with the dog, and my wife who probably would tell me "drive your own d--n self to the hunting woods" .

I think the intention right now is for me to continue to do my best and maybe hunt within my own ethics and ideas of "sportsmanship".

Good day and thanks for the pics.

Geno

The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men.
In it is contentment
In it is death and all you seek
(Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)

member of the cabal of dysfunctional squirrels?