This has nothing to do with upland hunting, habitat restoration, the bird dogs or what’s happening on Capitol Hill. It has everything to do with one of my vices. I collect vices like some collect antique firearms or classic cars or art. Vices, I have found, are easy and fairly inexpensive to acquire, and there's no need for gun safes or garages since this particular vice you can carry in a shirt pocket. In fact unlike other collectors I can even enjoy multiple vices at the same time. I practice with a cigar in one hand and a finger of whisky in the other. It takes some practice to be able to enjoy numerous vices at once so I intend to practice at every opportunity.
When you go to Bermuda visit the parish of Pembroke and the city of Hamilton. I found a cigar shop on a corner street not far the
Hog Penny Pub. The Montecristo brand is premium cigar produced in two places: on the island of Cuba for Habanos SA, the Cuban state-owned tobacco company, and in La Romana, Dominican Republic for the Franco-Spanish tobacco monopoly Altadis SA. I have had the Dominican variety but wanted to taste the Cubans. I won’t go into the embargo and why we can’t have Cubans in the states. Cigars not people. The Montecristo No. 4, I have been told is the most popular cigar in the world and has been in business since 1935. By the way being the patriotic American I am, I made sure these cigars were gone before I reentered the states. Did you know they also limit the amount of alcohol you can bring back duty free? As a good American I made sure I only took back the allotted amount. Who want to carry around all those bottles anyway.
Here are the stats:
- Origin: Cuba
- Manufactured: Hand Made
- Gauge: Medium
- Length: 129
- Format: Mareva
- Ring: 42
- Weight: 8,46 gr.
Post Script: there will be no Unboxing Follow-Up like with other postings. Just picture a splendid cloud of smoke and gray ash.
Being the Luddite I am the thought of strapping more electronics around my dog’s neck makes me wonder if they are GSPs or F-16s. A few gents this past season had some infernal contraptions around their dogs’ necks to make sure that the said gentlemen don’t lose their dogs. The collars beeped and buzzed so much I didn’t know whether to get up or hit the snooze button. I like the old school sound of bells and I use two distinct sounds so I can identify when Cooper is ranging or Bella is working a patch of briars. Bella is seems was used to bells and would wear a pink tutu if it meant she was going hunting. Coop’s first reaction to a bell was pure fright. He was afraid to move fear that the jingle emanating from around his neck would cause dire consequences. He soon learned the clank of the bell meant time in the field hunting. I now need to handle the bells as if they were highly explosive. The slightest clank or tinkle and the dogs are on me. Since it is the time of jingle bells and the art of having dogs is about compromise, Ms. Deborah thought the two gun dogs would look cute in festive gear. The dogs immediately thought grouse or pheasant was in the near future, but the stereophonic collars with the jingle jangle only meant a steady stream of holiday well-wishers and food the likes not seen all year. Coop and Bella liked the collars and minced pie. At least they didn’t have to wear a silly hat or eat fruit cake.
A few days ago mother nature dumped a heck of a lot of snow here. I figure it was about 2 feet or just high enough to chill a GSP's belly. Cooper is like a kid and loves the snow. Bella is more reserved and prefers to keep her paws on dry ground. So what do you do with two dogs that are wound up? Shovel and shovel some more. I dug a path from our house to the main road, which is about 100 yards. And these two used the path as their own private drag strip nudging each other into the banks. Eventually we cleared the snow off the entire driveway and their new trick is to run like bats out of hell up and down the 100 yard stretch. Cooper was on the scent of something and plowed through the snow, more like leaped through the snow. But he's still a kid and kids like snow.
There are three contests we thought were interesting enough to mention them here. Benelli has a contest and the lucky winner gets to hunt with the Duck Commander himself. You will need to submit a video to showcase your personality (no lame ducks allowed) and your desire to hunt with Phil Robertson and his cronies. The 
The History Channel is also offer a contest of sorts with a casting call for skilled marksmen and markswomen for a shooting competion show called 
When you hear words like: “Sleek.” “Beautiful.” “Italian.” The first thing probably not to come to mind is a shotgun, but Benelli is teasing us again this year. Last year it was with the launch of the Vinci. Remember the video that was like an action movie? This year they have gone visceral. Benelli is comparing their 
Since this is only the second season that I have hunted over Cooper and Bella I notice a few things that needed attention. They work great, locking and holding point until I flush the bird. The problem I saw most this season was fetching or the lack there of. At fun trials they both refused to pick up the bird an retrieve it. I have seen dogs do this with woodcock and it is thought that the woodcock’s diet of worms maybe distasteful to dogs. These were downed pheasant they refused to retrieve and I’m not sure if they refused on grounds they were pointers and nowhere in the pointer definition does it say retriever. Perhaps they thought it beneath themselves. Regardless, they were going to retrieve. To a canvas dummy I tied real pheasant feathers and doused the canvas with scent. I then had the dogs sit and I opened their mouths and placed the dummy inside, while I praised them profusely. I then continued by playing a game, ironically called “fetch,” that involved me throwing the dummy a few yards away and me speaking the command “fetch.” They took the game quickly and retrieved the dummy without haste. From there I placed the dummy in the field and told them to find the bird. They pointed and held the point until I could flick the dummy in the air to the sound of blanks. They ran over to retrieve the bird and placed it at my feet. I think we may have cured or rather taught them how to retrieve.
