There was a really strong response to the Fish Hat, but I also had quite a few requests for different colors and a for a Quail Hat. So, without further ado, here they are
Olive Fish HatKhaki Fish HatCharcoal Fish HatBlaze Orange Gambel’s Quail HatOlive Gambel’s Quail HatArizona State Flag
All of the hats sport some Arizona pride with a state flag embroidered on the side. The hats are high quality, unstructured, low profile hats and are extremely comfortable. I really couldn’t be happier with how they turned out, so head on over to the Arizona Wanderings Shopand pick up one of the Fish Hats or Quail Hats. Thanks for your support.
I’ve been waiting to see that first covey rise for quite a while now. On Friday morning as the sun started to lighten the morning sky, the first birds whirled off the desert floor, and time slowed down. There is still something unbelievable about shooting a bird on the wing. It almost surprises me every time it works and the bird ends up in my gamebag, and sure enough, those birds took flight and everything came together. Gun to the shoulder, swing, and boom. As I held the quail in my hand and smelled the mixture of gunsmoke, mesquite, and the desert smell that clings to the bird’s feathers, I was happy that it was quail season.
Winchester and WingWorksJust sidehill itThe first of the season
Fly fishing Arizona means that you take what you can get. Jake and I explored a trickle of a stream where surprisingly we found a few small rainbows living. There wasn’t a whole lot of real estate, but the fish were fairly aggressive, attacking our flies on the surface. It was amazing to see these wild fish thriving at such a low elevation and in so little water. Thankful for such beautiful fish, we released the spotted specimens back into the water to be caught another day.
Wild Rainbow TroutCattailsMini-hopperWorking some water with fiberglassRainbow Trout
It’s been a long time coming. I have been looking at over/under shotguns for quite a long time, all the while, pinching pennies and biding my time. In that several year period, I had too much time to gawk, lust, fondle and sometimes even shoot different guns. I finally pulled the trigger (pun intended) on the new Winchester 101 Field and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.
Several friends asked the question, “Why the new Winchester 101 Field?”
I thought that was a pretty good question, and although I plan on writing a more extensive review somewhere down the road to help others who are looking at the Winchester 101, here are some of the reasons that led me to my decision to buy the Winchester 101 Field Over/Under Shotgun.
Winchester 101 Field
Preface – My needs
I am under no illusion that every hunter is the same and even more specifically that everyone looking to buy an over/under shotgun is the same. I am a pretty normal guy who likes to get out, walk around, and find quail. Often times, the terrain that I am in can be pretty brutal on my body and on my gun. I wanted a hearty, stout field gun, that looked nice, built like a rock, and at the end of the day, I would not have to baby. Now please don’t get me wrong, spending this kind of money on anything, means that I am going to take care of it, but I like to use my hunting and fishing equipment, not just look at it. My price range was in that $800-1,200 which put me in the position of buying a lower-mid range “new” gun or buying a higher quality used gun. You can easily get a payday loan for benefits on $1,000 or more and while the payment can take around 3 days or so to get delivered to you, some providers even offer the express payment option so that you can get the payment within one single day.
Here are some of the things that stood out to me and ultimate pushed me to the Winchester 101 Field Over/Under Shotgun:
1. Made by FN – The new Winchester 101 shotguns are being made in Belgium. FN Hertal has a history of high quality gun manufacturing since the late 1800s.
2. Quality walnut stock and forend – Although their are finer pieces out there, the Winchester 101 is definitely the finest gun in my safe.
3. Interchangeable chokes – I liked the idea of interchangeable chokes, ready to go out of the box.
Winchester 101 Field
4. It fit me – I’m not a qualified gun fitter. Neither was the guy behind the counter. Having said that, I mounted a bunch of shotguns up to my shoulder with my eyes closed and opened my eyes. On the Winchester 101 when I opened my eyes, I was consistantly looking down the vent at the bead on the end. Again, not a professional, but I felt comfortable with the gun and the fit.
5. Price – My price range was in that $800-1,200 which put me in the position of buying a lower-mid range “new” gun or buying a higher quality used gun. I felt like the FN built Winchester split the difference. The FN name and reputation is extremely strong while the “new” 101 hasn’t picked up that Browning price tag yet.
6. 12 gauge – I like hunting, but I also like to eat. In my opinion, the 12 gauge is a better gauge for me because I feel like I bag more birds. It also has unlimited possibilities for other quarry. Ammunition is also readily available
7. Overall weight- At 7.2 pounds, the Winchester is not the lightest shotgun on the market. In my case though, I was already toting my 870 which is about the same weight. I hemmed and hawed about finding something in 20 gauge, just so it would be lighter. I eventually grew a pair and decided I could mange to carry 7 pounds around.
After a couple times out for dove and several rounds of clays, I really feel like I made the right decision. The Winchester 101 Field is a beautiful gun with a solid feel to it. I’m looking forward to quail season and really putting it to the test.
The WingWorks Upland Vest and Winchester 101 Field Over/Under: The perfect match for a day of breaking clays.
I blame Randy Babb and Johnathan O’dell. Ever since hearing these two biologists talk about small game hunting and specifically grouse hunting in AZ, I’ve had the bug. So this past weekend while my wife was doing the baby shower thing, Jake and I headed up to the San Francisco Peaks to stretch our legs and see if we could find one of these elusive birds.
Long story short, we didn’t find any. We did quite a bit of walking and looking around and seemed to be in the right habitat. Truth be told though, after everything I read about dusky grouse in Arizona, my expectations were extremely low. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day, as the San Francisco Peaks in September are about as heavenly as Arizona can get. I’ll be back again. This little trip did more to boost my curiosity about Arizona grouse hunting than anything else. Here are some pics from the day.
Arizona quail hunting season is almost here. The Gambel’s and scaled quail season runs from October 4 – February 9, while the Mearns season opens on December 6 and also runs till February 9. With the 2013 Quail season right around the corner, I’ve started to organize some gear and take stock of what will be in my vest opening morning. Here are some of my favorite pieces of gear.
Vests – Although I have always loved my Filson Guide Strap Vest, last season I was fortunate enough to pick up a Q5 hunting vest and a WingWorks Upland vest as well. The Q5 and Wingworks are both top of the line vests that are fairly similar in style, but with each having some unique attributes.
Vests
The Q5 Hunting Vest is significantly lighter than the WingWorks and the vest is well vented to keep your back cool. With multiple pockets you can stash water bottles where you need to and secure calls, gps, shells, and first aid in the out of the way pockets. With a strong waist belt the load is carried on your lumbar and really saves your shoulders.
The Wingworks Upland Vest is a bit on the heavier side, but with a similar suspension system to the Q5, the weight is almost negligible. The WingWorks vest does have two holsters designed specifically for the WingWorks 32 oz water bottles from your corporate bottled water supplier which helps in carrying lots of water. WingWorks has been around for quite a while and does have quite a few followers that swear by these vests.
Both vests are winners in my book, but the price difference alone may be the deciding factor for most. Another winner is the Filson Guide Pro Strap Vest. Not quite as “techy” as some of the new strap vests, but it’s a rock solid vest.
Gun – It’s important to get out before the season and break some clays. The one thing that is nice about the Arizona quail season is that it comes right after Arizona dove season. I like to get out for a morning or two to get some practice and knock a couple of doves down. I’ve spent many seasons with my Remington 870 and just added a new Winchester 101 to the lineup as well. Whatever gun you end up reaching for, it’s essential to know your tool and feel comfortable with it.
Boots – I’ve always been a big fan of the Merrell Moab Ventilators and am actually on my 2nd pair. Prior to the season though, I’ve been breaking in a pair of Lowas that will hopefully do well on our Arizona hills.
Pants – I’ve spent many seasons in a pair of thick Carhart denim, but this year for the early season, I’m going to be putting the Colombia Full Flight Chukar Pants to work. They are a lighter weight material up top to fight the heat, with a heavy fabric overlay on the bottom for busting through brush.
Hydration – Opening weekend when temps can climb into the 90’s, I carry lots of water. I like to carry about a gallon of water with another gallon of water and some Gatorade back at the truck to hydrate after the hunt. Early season temperatures are no joke.
GPS – Although I know the area that I hunt well, I like to carry my GPS just in case we decide to check out a new area, or someone else in the group is unfamiliar with where we are hunting.
Radios – For a two or three man team, we usually are hunting pretty close to each other. On occasion we may split up or be out of shouting distance, and a pair of two-way radios can be very helpful. I tested out these Motorola Talkabouts last year and really like how versatile they are. They fit nicely in a vest pocket or a Maxpedition CP-L case holds them perfect on a strap vest.
Motorola Talkbouts
There are two big things to be aware of during early season quail hunting in Arizona.
Snakes are still out. Watch were you step. A pair of chaps or gaiters can be nice too.
Stay hydrated. Last season on opening weekend, I was pretty dehydrated and should have been drinking more water. It can be easy to get caught up chasing birds, but it is really important to take a few breaks and get some fluids into your system.
The sun rose this past Sunday on opening morning of dove season. Birds were flying at daybreak and I was ready with shotgun in hand.
Saturday, the day before the season opened, I had received a phone call that my grandfather had passed away after a short battle with cancer. My grandpa had a passion for the outdoors that was contagious, and I always looked up to him as an outdoorsman and a gentleman. From a fairly young age, he took me fishing and plinking in the hills of Pennsylvania and instilled a love for the outdoors in me. All these memories came rushing back as we remembered his life this weekend back east. Gramps, you will be missed.
Arizona fly fishing is all about making the best of what you have. Stating the obvious, we don’t have as much water as some of our neighboring states. So, if you want to fly fish in Arizona, you better be willing to explore.
There’s always that one piece of water that you’ve talked about exploring for a long time and never do. With the weather in the north country always volatile, we decided that today might be a good day to go walk this section of water and see what it looked like. The road we drove in on hadn’t been used in a while, which is always a good sign and when we finally hit the water, it seemed as if there was no one for miles around.
We worked our way up through some promising looking water and although a few fish came out to play, the creek didn’t have as much structure and depth as we would have hoped. After several miles of creek, we called it a day and headed back to the truck.
Not every exploratory trip ends with a stellar new stream exploding with big trout, but there is a certain satisfaction in knowing a new area and the potential that it could have. It may not be as rewarding as holding a gargantuan fish, but it was a rewarding day on a new stretch of stream.
Brown TroutCreekHoppersArizona Wanderings Fish HatKorkers Blowout
