UplandFeathers

A few months back Ms. Deborah and I played snowbirds and flew down to FL to beat the cold in CT and start on our summer tan. While Ms. Deborah started on her tan, I used the trip to decompress. I was also in the mood to exercise the Ruger Red Label on sporting clays. At the outing with my brothers-in-law, I did more instructing than shooting. Ms. Deborah kindly agreed to be my trap girl for the outing at Deer Creek Sporting Clays outside of Tampa. I have busted clays at a number of ranges and Deer Creek is one of the nicer ones. They describe the courses by the relative distance to the target at the break point: White targets are 30-35 yards away, Blue are 40-45 and Red has targets out to 70 yards. The White course is best described as a hunter’s refresher. It was a real ego booster for me. Roger, the manager of the course, describes the White course “if you hit the first target at the sweet spot, the second target will almost magically appear in front of your gun. On the other two courses, this is not the case – you have to adopt a strategy that smoothes out the transition from the first to the second target. The first target may fly higher than the line of the second target, the best way to deal with this is to dismount and re-mount between the shots.” By the third station the Ruger and I were on such good terms I knew I needed to move this relationship in a different direction. I moved onto the Blue course where the targets are about 10-15 yards farther out and more evil than the White. The Ruger and I had a few misunderstandings with a high crosser but a few practice throws and we were back on good terms. I did not dare try the Red course because it was described as tournament-level. That ego boost on the White course would have fizzled and I’m sure I would have blamed the Ruger and would have called it quits, and put it on Gunbroker.com as fast as you can say upload image. Deer Creek electronically tracks the number of targets thrown and that keeps everyone honest. The stations were nicely nestled along trails that wind through pines. Score you say? I didn’t keep score. But I will say the Ruger and I are on much better terms. I need to invite the brothers-in-law again to the Fin, the skeet are calling.

Posted by SwampYankee at 07:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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I’m sure you have heard that PA designated the Pennsylvania rifle as the official firearm of the Commonwealth in May of this year. The WHEREAS’s of the bill weave the rich, gun-making tradition in PA and its important role in the development of the emerging U.S. During the settling of the northeast the rifle provided sustenance, security and survival and gunsmiths in Northampton and Lancaster counties created a new rifle well suited for a budding nation. Perhaps James Fenimore Cooper helped immortalize the rifle in his novels The Deerslayer and The Last of the Mohicans. The state of Kentucky has not yet weighed in.

To this day, PA continues to create great rifles in small lots by craftsman who know a thing or two about rifles. The E.R. Shaw barrel company has been making rifle barrels for over 95 years. They actually make barrels for some rifle manufactures as well as make barrels for custom builds. Their barrels are renowned for their accuracy. Something new out the PA factory is custom built rifles—the Mark VII—that mates a Shaw barrel to a Winchester, Savage or Remington action with either a walnut, laminate wood or synthetic stock. The price starts at $670 which is much less than some out-of-the-box, big brand guns. I’m sure Natty Bumppo or Uncas if they were alive today would chase whitetails with a Shaw.

Posted by SwampYankee at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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The 2009 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife service estimates the total duck population is about 42 million. This is 13% greater than last year’s estimate and 25% more than the 1955-2008 average, which is great news for waterfowl hunters. Here’s the breakdown of estimated population my duck type:

• Gadwall: 3.1 million and 73% above the long-term average
• Blue-winged Teal: 7.4 million (this population size is the second highest on record) and 60% above long-term average
• Green-winged Teal: 3.4 million and 79% above the long-term average
• Northern Pintails: 3.2 million, 23% more than last year but 20% below the long-term average
• Redheads: 1 million (similar to last year) and 62% above the long-term average
• Canvasback: 662,000, 35% more than last year’s estimate and similar to the long-term average
• Northern Shovelers: 4.4 million, 25% more than last year and 92% above the long-term average
• Lesser and Greater Scaup: 4.2 million, 12% greater than last year but 18% below the long-term average

The survey samples more than 2 million square miles of waterfowl habitat across the north-central and northeastern United States, south-central, eastern, and northern Canada, and Alaska. Overall, habitat conditions for breeding waterfowl in 2009 were better than conditions in 2008. Oil up that 3-1/2 fowling piece and put your lab on a diet. Duck hunters are going to need to be in condition this hunting season.

Posted by SwampYankee at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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