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If you leave Full Choke in all the time, you can let the close flushers get out there a ways before you slap the trigger and still have enough choke for the long birds

😁


Originally Posted by Bristoe
The people wringing their hands over Trump's rhetoric don't know what time it is in America.
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battue Offline OP
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Originally Posted by rcamuglia
If you leave Full Choke in all the time, you can let the close flushers get out there a ways before you slap the trigger and still have enough choke for the long birds

😁


Three problems for me is when come into focus, the trigger gets it slap.🙄 Second is all are fixed choke and third I’m short on patience. 😀


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Very nice, Battue!

Looks like a great hunt. The dogs looked to have had a blast.


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If you have a Dog and want to get him/her into Wild Roosters on public land, then I can highly recommend a week or two at the Bird Dog Bunkhouse.

It is not traditional groups walking the fields SD Pheasant hunting....more like one or two one on one hunting. You, a friend, your Dog and Pheasants. Depending on where you are from, myself in Pa as an example, your dog most likely will have more contacts in a week than a couple years at home.

Last edited by battue; 12/08/22.

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Having just moved from out west to the Carolinas, a trip to SD for pheasants sounds like it needs to be in my future!


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First, we had planned to be in central SD until Thursday, or maybe even Friday morning, but I’m home already home, on Wednesday as I write this. We arrived in SD this last Sunday with the weather forecast looking grim but heck, many of were so passionate we had hunted in blizzards as teens..without dogs. The trip for us was about evenly divided between seeing and being with good friends, and shooting big, wild ringnecks. And for me, using and enjoying different shotguns. But, going mid-December to SD is not always going to be kind to you. There are a lot of advantages to this time period, but downsides too, to be sure.

Secondly, I apologize for the lack of pictures which Battue, Dukxdog, and others usually grace these pages with, but fog, rain, sleet, wind and snow didn’t make it easy, or to be so inclined. The dogs were less inclined than usual to pose. In fact, as we huddled yesterday afternoon, the Springers, soaked and cold, shivered at our feet. In fact, I had laid a canvas “possibles” bag on the ground and the youngest springer, climbed on top of it, huddling and shivering. Anything to get out of that cold snow.

We did get in two days of hunting before good sense overtook wishful thinking. I-90 closing from Rapid City to Chamberlain, predicted snow, and especially high winds, dictated more realistic plans.

Temps were rock steady in the lower 30’s which normally would be on the warm side for my bird hunting. But throw in humidity of ~ 98 % and a 20 mph wind and the cold penetrated layered clothing like #2 shot. And, you can only layer so much. Now add in the rain and sleet. The only good thing one can say about this kind of weather is, it feels so good when you get out of it.

I only took two guns along, leaving behind the one I really wanted to use, a Rizzini 20 O/U just because of the forecast. I took a Benelli 12 UL and a Browning 16 Superlight Feather O/U but loaded the ammo box 2:1 in favor of the 16. It was next in line to the Rizzini get a good workout.

Somehow, a box or two of Federal 12’s, 1 3/8 oz at 1450 fps got thrown in. I’m not aware I had even bought any of these, or how I otherwise would have obtained them. But the UL was beating the crap out of me until I started looking through my shells and identified them. Actually, I see no purpose in these for pheasants at all, and don’t recommend them. They are hard on the gun, the shooter, and are unnecessary. I switched to my 16. It’s a 6 lb gun — a wand, even compare to the UL 12 which is 6 1/4 lb.

The dogs were two very good labs, and three Springers, one a young pup that hadn’t figured out what the goal was yet, but that was what he was there for — to follow the two old veteran females. The birds were already working from the crops and grass on top, down into deep brushy ravines by a Monday afternoon. Somehow, they also knew about tje coming weather. Still, on Monday, with 12 guns, we reached our limit

Tuesday, we found very few in unsheltered country; we could see and hear them in the lower, rough and steep ravines. Even the one shelter belt we hunted surprised us with fewer birds than expected. Rain about 10:00 turned to sleet and the first thing was my 16’s ejectors were turned to extractors by all the moisture. Plucking an empty out with gloves while trying to keep from dumping the one live shell was cumbersome. Being glasses-dependent was an extra curse in this weather, with fogging, then being constantly wet. I had to press my gloved right index finger into windshield wiper service. Nothing was
ideal, but there it was.

We quit about 1 pm when fog dropped to about forty feet and the wind-driven sleet actually stung and bit like blowing sand. The point of the sorrows outweighing the joys had finally come for us. We called the game and headed in. We still took thirteen birds with six of us.

All of us left bailed early this morning as the storm slowed but the forecast called for a blizzard for later today into tomorrow. Yesterday morning, we were about the only ones in our motel. When I-90 closed to Chamberlain, it filled up fast with travelers having no other options.

It was worth it. Hunting is about the process, and the experience; about the sharing it with good friends who with a laugh, can tell you, “I’ve seen you shoot better.”

One photo of our last go — a mile long shelter belt. Two dogs inside with one gunless pusher. Fog had already pushed down to the tree tops and believe it or not, you could loose a high-riser in the clouds. Birds would bust out high with the wind and those outside would get European driven birds type shooting. It was a nice variation, but very difficult shooting. Notice the two walkers just about and above the middle of the fence, and the ice cycles hanging from the wire.


[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

Last edited by George_De_Vries_3rd; 12/15/22.
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battue Offline OP
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Damn, sounds like it was a rough trip. Especially when they start shutting down interstates.

In case you haven't seen this....maybe it will help ease the sting.

There are Rizzini shotguns that go to the UK and only are rarely found here. They are special.




Last edited by battue; 12/15/22.

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Yeah, I did I see that. Just about all the name shops can build to a shooting culture’s demands/price point.

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I was wondering! Good report. I think my hunting is close to over for the year sadly. This much snow isn't going to melt anytime soon. Glad you made it home. The truck stop at Vivian was full last night I'm told.


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battue Offline OP
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Originally Posted by George_De_Vries_3rd
Yeah, I did I see that. Just about all the name shops can build to a shooting culture’s demands/price point.

They make an excellent SxS. Custom shop guns are stunning.

Last edited by battue; 12/15/22.

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My little Rizzini Aurora 20 is not at the top of the pile; but isn’t close to chopped liver either. From what I could find it’s considered a well-made, attractive, upper middle class gun, a state of being I hope to aspire to one day.

It’s good we left when we did. I-90 was clear into Mn yesterday, while I read it’s a mess today and blizzardling in the Chamberlain area and north.

Of course if I was seventeen again….

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Originally Posted by BKinSD
I was wondering! Good report. I think my hunting is close to over for the year sadly. This much snow isn't going to melt anytime soon. Glad you made it home. The truck stop at Vivian was full last night I'm told.

Wednesday evening with interstate just closing, we made three attempts to find a place to eat before we did. People were filling motels from I-90, but the locals didn’t seem to want to work. In a town of ~ 2400, one would think they’d be ready to go.

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battue Offline OP
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Here is one that would be nice when you are comfortable with your aspirations....Hell you have paid more for throwaway trucks...a lot more. Rizzinis are currently a favorite of the Brits.

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...-regal-28-ga-30-bbl.cfm?gun_id=102123863

Last edited by battue; 12/15/22.

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Ouch! Get thee behind me Battue..😄

Very, very, very nice.

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Three of us went out yesterday to Sully County. Every bird from miles around has congregated on some friend's farm/habitat. Nice day but wow is the snow deep. Yikes. Anyway we shot eight fat roosters and called it a day. Too nice to stay home, too much snow to get around much. Pheasants seem to be doing just fine and so are the hawks and owls.


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battue Offline OP
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Had been arguing with myself about making one more run. Have hunted around Agar. Close to Sully Co.


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I don’t know Harry. The snow may be knee-high there. I’m sure BK will know as that’s in his general area.

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I had two trips scheduled to the Bird Dog Bunkhouse this Fall until my 1 year old pointing lab got hit by a truck and broke her leg. We had to cancel. Bobby was very understanding and I am ready to book for next year anytime he is taking reservations.

My dog has come back very well and I got her out the weekend before Christmas at a game farm in Mn. We put out 10 pheasants, shot 9 and found 7. Twelve inches of snow on top of the tall grass. She pointed 7 of them and retrieved all 7. I can not wait till next Fall.

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battue Offline OP
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George,
Too late now. The two times I thought let’s go I would see a report I90 was getting hammered or shut down. So the loooong wait begins.

Have they given you the new knee yet?

I’m going to the optometrist tomorrow for a refraction on the eye that recently received a new lens. They missed 20/20 by a couple hairs, but got it pretty close.

Last edited by battue; 01/23/23.

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Dean,

Prepare to make it an annual event. And as they say here….Hint: 5 days isn’t enough. You have been told. 😀


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