I decided late last night to venture out this morning and shoot one of the orchards one last time this season. I didn't expect to do that well as the two other times we hunted here we killed 78 and 62. The birds on neither trip decoyed well and shooting was tough.I thought this would be a good place to kill a morning and not mess up one of the better spots without my partner skeetshooter.
Well, I started a little late as I didn't have anything ready the night before. It was very cloudy and windy. Birds didn't move till well after 7AM and then didn't have a bird the first five minuets of the calling.
When I loaded my gun the bolt just crept home. The receiver was so gunked up that the bolt couldn't function. After trying to shoot a few I realized it is no use as the gun would snap every other shot and I was having to manually slam the bolt home. I had several birds at 10 yards that the gun snapped on. VERY LUCKY BIRDS! I knew I did not have a followup shot so I would "aim" and then miss. NOT GOOD!
I broke the gun down in the field and tried to wipe the coagulated oil out of the receiver but it was no use. I then ran the 1/4 mile back to the truck with gun in hand and found some mineral spirits which I poured in the receiver and then dried it out as best I could. I found some break fluid that I coated the bolt with and put the bottle in my pocket just in case I needed it again. Then another 1/4 mile run back to the blind working the action the whole way.
Sit down now out of breath with about 75 crows 300 yard to the south in a ball over a cripple. A few flew over the set squawking at the few birds I had killed and I managed to shoot one as I entered the blind. Turn the caller back on and on que the "ball" of crows head my way. Managed to kill one out of the 75.
Now the wind is howling and the decoys I placed in the trees are starting to fall. Started with 5 in the trees and soon was down to 2. So far this is not the relaxing morning of crow hunting by myself I had envisioned.
Well, I kept after it and started shooting better. I finally found my grove and was whacking them. After a terrible start I ended the hunt with a 92. I thought that is so close to a hundred I will do a little run and gun on the WMA to fill out the triple digit day. However, Fate said to me "not so fast there sparky."
I get back to the truck and realize how muddy it is and that I have pulled down the dirt road a little too far. Took forever to get the truck out and then after another 2 hours in the WMA was only able to pick up another 2.
So, very long story short, Killed 94 with 6 boxes of shells. Sorry, no pics as the place is very recognizable from the road.
__________________
"If money can fix it, it ain't broke" The great theologian and my crow hunting partner AW.