Wet weather delayed harvest and tillage this fall, so much so it was doubtful we’d get any shooting in before the first half of our split season ended 30 Nov. Unfortunately for the crows, it froze up hard enough to halt plowing about ten days ago. Numbers have been slowly building over the last month and after several days of scouting, a suitable spot was located for the long awaited first shoot of the season.
It was determined the conditions on the day before Thanksgiving would be nearly perfect.
The day dawned overcast, low 20’s, with negligible air ENE. The first hour provided more passing than decoying shots as they made their way to feed. Then we started getting them off the feeding area and a guy couldn’t ask for better decoying. After 9:00 the ENE wind slowly increased to about 10 mph. Perfect for the set-up. As noon approached we had about an hour when many stayed up. We managed to coax quite a few down, but the shooting was tougher. The sky was clearing and the temperature was edging into the low 30’s. Shortly after 1:00 things slowed down but we’d have flurries of action, with the crows back down on the deck. At shortly after 3:00 we called it a day.
A little more than a year ago I acquired a Model 12 Heavy Duck. She’d been cut to 24" and had Tru-Choke threads installed. I practiced with her exclusively this summer/ fall and this was her first day of live action.
#1 blind set-up the night before
#2 gathering outliers
#3 view from the blind
I’ve made a crude first attempt at editing an aerial photo.
I passed through Iowa years ago around 1998. I came by this huge cornfield where piling into the center was this huge tornado made up of crows-I could not believe my eyes; it was dead winter north of Iowa city I think..all the prior cornfields had nothing but this one location. In credible!!
Your shoot is in incredible too...Iowa is a big crow state of the northern plains!!
Randy, I'm jealous ! Very impressive day. What were they feeding on ???
They were feeding in picked corn fields and bean stubble over a couple square mile area. Then it snowed 3-4" and they concentrated into about a square mile. There was also a tree line about a half mile west that a good number spent time in.
Enjoyed the report's detail and photos. Do you have a photo of modified model 12?
A '52 with solid rib, lead in the stock and 13 5/8 LOP. Replaced the extractors last summer, then started having some misfires. Thought I had that solved but had a couple more last Wed. I'd hoped to use her all season but maybe not. I sure like the way she feels, handles and shoots. The six round magazine capacity is nice too.
A nice report and a good hunt from the looks of it, how many shooters? Did you know the solid rib on the barrel of a Model 12 Heavy Duck is an integral rib? The barrel and rib are made from one piece of steel. Will your gun slam fire, i.e. hold the trigger and work the pump and it fires when the forend goes full forward? I can't imagine what would possess somebody to gut down the barrel of a Heavy Duck, obviously they had something in mind, perhaps for use in a sneak boat given the short barrel and length of pull. I find great satisfaction taking birds with vintage shotguns myself. Congrats on a great day of crow shooting.
Enjoyed the report's detail and photos. Do you have a photo of modified model 12?
A '52 with solid rib, lead in the stock and 13 5/8 LOP. Replaced the extractors last summer, then started having some misfires. Thought I had that solved but had a couple more last Wed. I'd hoped to use her all season but maybe not. I sure like the way she feels, handles and shoots. The six round magazine capacity is nice too.
Randy
Good looking and clearly easy to swing/handle. Thanks for the photos.
Though just one over our state's limit of 6-round capacity, I can get 7 (2 3/4") in mine. Not worried, because COs don't care much about crow hunters here, except I heard one say recently, "I wish more people would hunt them."
-- Edited by Old Artilleryman on Tuesday 27th of November 2018 11:27:37 AM
__________________
"Arms are the only true badges of liberty. The possession of arms is the distinction of a free man from a slave." -- Andrew Fletcher 1698
A nice report and a good hunt from the looks of it, how many shooters? Did you know the solid rib on the barrel of a Model 12 Heavy Duck is an integral rib? The barrel and rib are made from one piece of steel. Will your gun slam fire, i.e. hold the trigger and work the pump and it fires when the forend goes full forward? I can't imagine what would possess somebody to gut down the barrel of a Heavy Duck, obviously they had something in mind, perhaps for use in a sneak boat given the short barrel and length of pull. I find great satisfaction taking birds with vintage shotguns myself. Congrats on a great day of crow shooting.
NH,
Two shooters.
I'm told the Model 12 will slam fire. I haven't felt the need to try it and hope never to engage in trench warfare.
I thought the same thing when I saw it. Why would anyone want to cut such a fine looking gun? A few days later I got to thinking it might make a fast handling crow gun and bought it. Only a guess, but she's been shot a lot and came with an IC choke, so maybe the previous owner used it for skeet. I purchased LM, M and IM chokes for her.
Your satisfaction/success with vintage shotguns is very evident.
I've purchased one new shotgun in my life. A Remington 870 Magnum Wingmaster in September of '79, the year I got out of HS. 30" barrel choked full. Never felt the need to have anything else. I won a Mossberg 500 as a door prize in the early 80's, but until last year, it sat unused in my cabinet along with the Stevens 311 double gun I used as a teenager. The 311 was my grandpa's. I've added an 1100 and an 11-87 in the last couple of years and hope to put them to use in the future. Find out for myself if they're as good as everyone says. I've never shot an auto loader so I'm looking forward to it.
Enjoyed the report's detail and photos. Do you have a photo of modified model 12?
A '52 with solid rib, lead in the stock and 13 5/8 LOP. Replaced the extractors last summer, then started having some misfires. Thought I had that solved but had a couple more last Wed. I'd hoped to use her all season but maybe not. I sure like the way she feels, handles and shoots. The six round magazine capacity is nice too.
Randy
Good looking and clearly easy to swing/handle. Thanks for the photos.
Though just one over our state's limit of 6-round capacity, I can get 7 (2 3/4") in mine. Not worried, because COs don't care much about crow hunters here, except I heard one say recently, "I wish more people would hunt them."
-- Edited by Old Artilleryman on Tuesday 27th of November 2018 11:27:37 AM
Including one in the chamber I can get seven in as well. Lessens the chance of being caught out when things get hot.
