Those Concord Grapes took me back a lot of decades. When I was a kid, I mowed the lawn for a guy that had a lots of them. Skins are bitter, but the fruit and juice inside, is sweet as candy. If I remember correctly, they had to be hit by a frost first, before they'd sweeten. Nice photos.
You nailed it, friend. I was wondering if any Yankee/northern types would make the ID.
Well done. And yes, as sugary and sweet as candy. If anyone is familiar with Welch's grape juice that's the exact flavor. We were hunting honkers over corn stubble and while running down the young goose pictured above came across a pile of the wild Concord vines.
BTW, that young bird (2nd year I'd bet) seen next to my Beretta was a little badass. I hit him with two pellets in the head but a tiny bit too far back to disengage his motor skills, but also hit him going away with a raking shot that must have gotten a piece of wing bone as well as firing up his topside.
It was one of those freak deals where the structural damage caused by the shot wasn't initially bad enough to knock him out of the sky, but at 120 yards and pumping wings straining for altitude I watched as the bone gave way under load. It went from looking like he'd given me the slip to straight down in the span (ha, ha) of half a second. The bad wing that was providing lift a moment before was seen trailing vertically above the body as limp as a wet rag.
When I laid eyes on him, I couldn't help but feel badly. He was in survival mode, his body pressed as flat as could be, with his neck outstretched and chin in the dirt, very much alive but badly hurt. As we locked eyes together realized the jig was up, but rather than turn and flee he hissed and came right at me. Wasn't expecting that! I had my 12 at port and in an instant had it on him, and came within a moment of cutting him down but since I wanted something left to toss on the grill instead jabbed him in the chest with the barrel, then used it to roll his neck over and pinned his head down against the ground. with my left hand I then grabbed him up and broke his neck. A game bird, that.
The other fellows that called smelt on the fish ID also were dead right. Some of you boys are g-o-o-d. Real good.
Appreciate the words and input, all. Kind thanks.
