I pulled the truck off the side of the dirt road in roughly the same spot I had marked on the map. Shrugging into my vest and slipping the shotgun from the case, I flipped the tailgate down, dropped the dog dish into the dirt and opened the nozzle on the blue water jug. As the water splashed into the metal dog dish, I hoisted Sunny onto the tailgate and secured her GPS collar and watched the screen on my handheld to make sure everything was working. Sunny jumped off the tailgate and slurped water before turning away from the truck into the tall yellow grass. I slammed the tailgate closed and hit the key fab to lock the truck before turning and walking into the grass myself.
I scanned ahead looking for the brown body of my dog and felt the familiar buzz of the GPS. I looked down and Sunny was on point, 20 yards from the truck. I snapped the shotgun closed and walked towards her. The ground erupted in front of me as 12 Mearns quail popcorn flushed straight away. I picked one of the last ones to get off the ground and dropped it from flight. Sunny was on it in a moment, rolling, mouthing and savoring the taste of fat male Mearns quail in her mouth. That alone was worth the drive to the border.
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Ben, you are living the life.
Thank you Bob. I’m living a blessed life.
Ben
Looks like your success rate was comparable to mine–except the majority of birds my son, grandson and I harvested appeared to be immature birds of the year. All flew like adult birds, but upon examination, four of the five cocks were not fully feathered around the head, and the hens were smaller, all birds of the year. We, to, were hunting along the border, but perhaps west of where you were hunting. Thanks for your blog–as an old man, I enjoy watching your family grow and enjoy the “out door life”. I have also tried to pass it on to my children and grand children.
It’s great to hear about birds of the year and good bird numbers around the state. I appreciate the kind words on my blog. Take care.
Ben
I’m just a little envious that you’ve still got nice warm weather out there!
I went back east for Christmas and couldn’t wait to get back to the sunshine here in AZ. Gotta love the AZ winters.
Ben
whats the new double your toting here
It’s a 20ga CZ Bobwhite. I’m not shooting it particularly well and ended up going back to my over under for this season. The new site picture and double trigger is taking some getting used to.
Ben
What were your overall impressions of the CZ Bobwhite? Fit / finish and has it been reliable? I really enjoyed your post on the Winchester 101!
It was a very solid gun while I carried it. You get alot for the price. To be honest though, try as I may, I didn’t shoot it that well and chose to sell it to a friend. With what limited hunting time I have, I carry the Winchester. Glad you liked the original post.
Ben
D-No,
For the money, the gun is extremely nice. I carried it for about half the season and just never got comfortable shooting it. The SxS thing just never clicked for me. I ended up moving back to the Winchester, as it fit me better and therefore I shoot it much better. The Bobwhite though is a great option if you’re looking for an entry sidebyside.
Ben