Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    
    sounds familiar...right down to the Savage Semi-auto, female dog (lab
    of course), and the shore blind.....
    
    couldn't of said it better myself.
    
    Kevin

    and the song remains the same.....yep, it's one of the greatest feeling
    i've ever had....and Mark you say it "Well". Now to get my kids
    involved !!!!   I also used a Savage semi-auto, Wienmanier(sp) and
    shore blind (ten minutes form my home).
     
      Signed: Maine bound over the next SIX WEEKS....KEN

    This all sounds familiar except I have a male black lab and a remington
    1100. Great story it makes me anxious for opening day. Just the cool
    air in the morning makes your heart go pitter patter. It's only a
    matter of days for the best time of the year.
    
                                           John

    Well, opening day went somewhat as described in .0, except substitute
    mergansers for mallards...:^P <=======  me saying "yecchh"
    
    5 shots, 2 ducks, which ain't too bad for the first day out...
    
    Looking forward to Inland season opener...
    
    Mark.

    
    Mark,
    
    I hear if you soak Mergansers in kerosene, it makes them taste better
    
    8*}
    
    p.s.  nice personal_name

    amen to that brother

    The black and mallard drake I threw in the freezer this weekend
    will make me forget all about those mergansers.
    
    Mark.

    A couple of interesting stories to tell about this weekend's
    waterfowling activities.
    
    First of all, we were setup about 30 minutes early on Saturday,
    with about 25 duck decoys (swimmers and feeders) and 6 magnum geese.
    About 5 minutes before legal shooting began, two guys go paddling
    by in a canoe, one wearing a blaze orange hat.  They wave, we wave
    back.
    
    Anyway, they proceed to paddle just beyond our spread and start
    throwing decoys out in the water.  Not only were they in our shooting
    field (30 yards max), but they were tossing decoys in the water
    right in front of our spread!  All this while ducks are flying in
    and bailing out when they see these two clowns throwing decoys.
    
    I hollered to them that I thought that they were close and could
    they please move to another area.  Mind you, I was fuming at this
    point as we were missing a lot of action because of them.  Well,
    to make a long story short, they moved, but we didn't see much action
    after that.  I managed to drop a black about 9:00 that was apparently
    looking for a flock to join.
    
    Boy, the loonies are out there.
    
    The second story involves my first run-in with The Man (Game Wardens)
    in 5 years of hunting in NH.  Evidently, we had inadvertantly accessed
    our hunting area illegally (private road).  This was strictly an
    oversight on my part as the sign at the top of the access road
    indictated that it was private.  The area is okay to hunt in; we
    simply have to put the canoes in from another spot.
    
    The gameys were extremely courteous and professional.  They check
    out our guns, ammo, licenses, stamps, signatures and made sure we
    had no lead on us.  They basically let us stay there, but made my
    buddy move his truck.
    
    WARNING: if you have plans to go grouse or pheasant hunting before
    or after your duck hunt, make DAMN SURE that you keep the lead shot
    in the truck.  If you have as much as 1 shell in your vest or on
    your person, you WILL BE cited for using illegal ammunition.  The
    game warden was adamant about this.
    
    Again, these guys were very courteous and it made the whole incident
    (which he agreed was an honest mistake) a very quick and painless
    experience.  They even played with the dog.

    Mark.    
    

    Mark, congrats on a nice opening day.
    
    We went goose hunting yesterday for opening day of the Mass Central
    zone, but saw mostly ducks.  I got a mallard and a pintail.  First
    pintail I've ever seen in this area.
    
    I've been checked twice by the game wardens so far this season.  Once
    in NH and yesterday in Mass by the "state Environmental Police" - an
    interesting title.  They were all very nice.
    
    The steel shot issue is a problem for mixed bag hunting.  I don't mind
    it sitting over decoys, but I do a lot of pheasant hunting and duck
    jump-shooting in the same area.  The NH warden said they would probably
    cut a little slack there if we weren't over decoys.  I'm not sure it's
    worth the chance, but I would hate to start shooting pheasant with
    steel.
    
    Mark,
    

    
    I have a question concerning the mix shooting (steel vs lead).
    
    I believe this would be illegal but would like to check.
    
    Say I am out partridge/pheasant/rabbit hunting, in a place that does
    not normally hold ducks. I have all lead shot.  If a duck/goose flies
    by, can I shoot it??
    
    --Bob
    

    Bob, shooting that duck or goose would clearly be illegal.
    
    I don't mind shooting ducks or geese only when I have steel shot in
    the gun, it's when I switch types of hunting without returning to the
    truck first.  One good example is a trip I usually take a couple of
    times each fall.  We float a small river in my canoe and jump-shoot
    ducks on the way.  At the end of the float we pull the canoe and
    hunt grouse on the way back to the truck.  Unfortunately, I don't
    see anyway they could make this legal without leaving loopholes that
    people would take advantage of.  Guess I will be shooting some
    pheasants and grouse with steel shot.
    
    mark,
    

 Why does it bother you to shoot pheasant and grouse with steel shot? Is it
just because lead is more effective?

 The Doctah

    
    re .12
    
    I'm running into this same situation in Vermont...and the only problem
    I see with shooting steel at grouse, squirrel, etc, is the availability
    of steel shot in the smaller pellet sizes, #5,#6...also the cost.  I
    can still reload a 1 3/8 oz. load of 7 1/2's for 1/2 the cost of a box
    of steel.  From what I've seen, steel shot is very effective.  In fact
    I pounded a goose this weekend at 75 yards (not typical range) with T,
    hit it with 4 pellets, 1 in the head and 3 in the side...dropped like a
    rock.
    
    Kevin

    I agree with steel being very effective in taking a bird down. 
    All the ducks I've shot so far this year were taken within 40 yards,
    and all went down like a bag of rocks.  After cleaning out the birds,
    I've noticed that the pellets went through the entire breast area.
    The black I shot this past weekend had a broken neck where a pellet
    hit.
    
    Mark.

    I don't have any complaints about the effectiveness of steel, the ducks
    and geese I've shot have been clean kills.
    
    My complaints are cost, this is made worst because I still have a
    large supply of lead loads I want to use up; and eating the birds.
    I am more paranoid about chomping down on a steel pellet.
    
    Mark
    

    
    I'm starting to worry about using steel shot.  Not because it isn't
    effective, I had no problem hitting ducks last fall. 
    
    My problem is this.......On opening day last wednesday, we saw quite 
    a few ducks.  I could not hit the broad side of a barn.  Couldn't
    figure it out.  I was hitting 'em fine last year.  Then I had a shell
    jam in the chamber on eject.  I got it out and looked at it and the
    crimp was blown off.  These were leftover shells from last year.  When
    I got home, I cleaned a mallard (which I had hit but my partner ended
    up having to finish off) and confirmed what I had suspected.  The 
    pellets were covered with rust.  I was probably shooting rusty slugs!
    
    Everything I read and heard said that you would have to DROP the shells
    in the water to get them to rust.  These shells had never been exposed
    to that situation.  I firmly believe that the summer's humidity made
    these shells rust. 
    
    Ended up just buying new shells, and will trash my leftovers. Makes me
    wonder about the stuff you buy though.  Maybe they should package them 
    in sealed containers with silica-gel or something.  You never know how
    long they've been sitting on the shelf.  I noticed that there are date
    codes and/or lot numbers on the shell boxes.  I'm definitely going to
    look for the latest stuff I can find.
    
    
    Anyone else shot any rust lately?
    
    Dave

    
    re .16
    
    I would like to see the results of a pattern test at 30 yards with
    those shells.  I do believe that rust can be a problem, just don't
    know to what degree.  Do the pellets separate upon ignition of the 
    powder?  Or are you shooting a pattern full of holes?  Are the crimps
    breaking because the hulls are made of cheap plastic?  I for one can
    atest to the fact that Federal steel hulls are the cheapest things 
    around.  Lets set up a piece of cardboard at 30 yards and do a little
    test...
    
    Being the guy who had to take care of that duck that Dave hit, I say he
    was shooting behind it....but you know how duck hunters are with their
    excuses... ;^)
    
    Kevin

    
    
    Re: .17
    
    Ofcourse I shot behind it!  It was going straight away!  How do you
    lead a duck that is going straight away?!
    
    You are a good shot, Kevin.....I just wish you hadn't gone to that
    "STEVENS SCHOOL of MODESTY"
    
    
    ;-)    gotcha
           

    I was under the impression that lead was O.K. for waterfowl, as long as
    you're not near water (like flying by the woods). Yes?
    

    RE: .19
    
    No! In Mass. you must use steel for waterfowl everywhere. I bet
    I know what your thinking......"WHAT DO I DO WITH THIS STOCK PILE
    OF LEAD NUMBER 2s AND 4s?".......me too. My brother and I have
    about 40 lbs. of the stuff that hasn't been re-loaded yet. Its not
    the best for skeet, but thats about all I can think of to use it
    on.
    
    

    re: 20
    
    How about using the leftover lead shot for bullets.
    
    Melt it down to ingots with your favorite alloy or whatever.
    
        

    AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
    
    
    
    CAN'T WAY ANY LONGER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    My neck is so swollen I can't talk !!!!
    
    

    Jim,
    
    		I know the feeling. I won't be able to head up to Vermont
    until the 15th and I've been packed since last week.
    
    	Red