Where I hunt in CT it's legal to put out a feeder and with my time being spilt across so many things these days, I'm not able to get out more than maybe once a weekend, so I have to maximize my chances of getting deer in the area and in range (and in the freezer). Last year I was just dumping corn on the ground, but I came up with something much better this year. Moultrie has an all in one automated feeder that you can mount to the bottom of any bucket or barrel. I picked one of those up and grabbed a Home Depot bucket I had lying around. Also picked up a screw top lid for the bucket so I can easily refill it. I had the game cam already, so now it's a pretty slick all in one setup I can move pretty much anywhere. I'll wrap a tie down strap around the handle and around a tree to keep it off the ground. The whole setup cost around $80, but not including the bucket and camera that I already had, it was only $40 for the feeder motor/timer and the screw top lid. (Also, yes, the camera is mounted upside down in the picture. Courtesy of my daughter helping me).
I just went with the Benelli Super Black Eagle. Saved a lot of confusion. Testing it out this weekend. Me either but if you can hang it from a tree it’d be much less cumbersome than the big tripods people put them on.
Based on everything I've read and watching them in action with the guys I've hunted with, you'll have no issues. Just keep it clean.
these are super common here. Didn’t even know it was something unique elsewhere actually. Most people just hang them from a branch using the bucket handle, like an ornament on a tree. If you want a portable feeder, this is what you use. If you want a permanent one, you use a formal tripod setup.
A nice gun does not equal better shot. I think I’m at 25 to 1 hit ratio. One goose. One hooded merganser (that honestly could have been one of the other two noobs I went with the other week.) Need to shoot some clay pigeons and figure out what the hell im doing wrong.
Could be so many things. I'm very used to my 870. Shot at least a few thousand rounds through it and can definitely hold my own on land or from a boat. I picked up my dad's Browning gold a few times, and couldn't hit anything. Grabbed his Remington SP10, and laid down anything flying that came my way. Tried a friend's SBE, and sucked. Every gun is different and you should definitely work through a box of clays to figure out the nuances. Maybe you need to mess with shims, LOP, etc. Maybe the rib is higher than you're used to and you're bringing it up and setting your cheek wrong. It's tough and frustrating to try to figure that out on live birds and watch them fly away.
For sure. My friend who scored a duck blind this year is in the same boat. First year duck hunting and missing everything. We had two flocks of geese come within 40 yards this morning and walked out with a goose egg. These things were gliding in at half a mile and hour and dodged our volleys like The Matrix. Was fun just calling them in. I know my dad's laughing at me from somewhere. He was a crack shot on birds and would take a .410 Thompson Contender to make it interesting for him. He was getting sick by the time I was old enough to go pheasant hunting. I made it out one time with him and was really never taught how to shoulder and lead birds properly. I took his 870 out a few times shooting clays with friends and I was aceing them. Though I just got good at the "snap shooting" technique where I was picking a spot in front raising and shooting at that spot with no follow through. Think I was closing my left eye as well then too. Im trying the various swing throughs now. Ive been doing shoulder mounting drills and such a bunch at home. But in the field when the birds are coming in boy that adrenaline gets you. Same thing happened when I played softball. Never played organized sports outside of gym class. Did some batting practice a few times prior to the season. Live, in the game, I choked enough easy plays in the outfield and pathetic batting average I was riding pine by our 3 or 4th game. I just want to crumple one fucking bird this year. Completely smoke it. Both birds Ive gotten have been hit by a single pellet and sailed awkwardly down to the water.
One other thing to consider is clothing. The butt pad on my 870 was basically an old hockey puck. Shot it that way for years. Eventually I replaced it with one of the new Remington foam pads. Made a world of difference, but the material would get snagged on the fabric of my jacket when I shouldered and completely fucked up my aim, shooting way high. I ended up having to develop a very specific way to shoulder the gun (kind of an out and in motion, not just straight up). Took me a while to build the muscle memory, but all is well now. Just something else to consider that you may not even realize is happening as half a dozen geese are oak-leafing in to you.
Yesterday was the last day of goose season and as was endemic of my inaugural season I got a group well within shooting range and missed the whole lot. Very defeating way to go out but it's been the whole season. On top of last weekend where I had my newbie friend at my place with me, we got a flock to land 35 yards from us, six rounds, one bird (hit with two pellets). No crumpled birds for me. Womp womp. Am happy my decoy, blind, and beginner calling game came together a bit. Not sure if it is technical or I feel a lot more it is target panic (dont know what is called in the waterfowl). Live in the moment I do stop perceiving things with all the adrenaline. It's like a car crash. Luckily a coworker offered to let us be his shooters for live birds when he's training his bird dog this spring. Hope his dog likes long retrieves.
Spend time shooting clays in the spring. My guess is that the gun is fine, and so are you, you're just not in sync and you're likely over or under. Unless you're pass shooting geese at 50mph, you're not likely suffering from a horizontal aiming issue. I'd bet that you think you have it set on your shoulder/cheek right but you're actually pretty far off.
First investigating this is certainly part of it. I was shouldering then making a cheek weld at the beginning of the season. Didnt realize how far over the rib I was looking initially. Ive been doing the check weld drills every time I would through my living room. When Ive done a handful of test shots at water or ice when I was specifically aiming the shot pattern seemed right on. So I really think you are right that it is all me and not so much the gun.
Well, I've got some good news and some bad news. Good news is that the ice is off some of the BC mountain lakes now, and a bunch of people, including some friends, enjoyed a nice day out on the lake catching fish like crazy. The bad news is, others did not. Spoiler
I pre-ordered a fishing kayak last year, and finally get to pick it up next weekend. I'm so looking forward to it.
Busted my rod in total newb fashion trying to shake it off a branch the line got wrapped around. Can something like this be fixed or is it trashed? Broke at the handle where the reel seats.
I'd think something that low could be easily fixed... trim up the two busted ends and jam a shaped dowel or something similar inside the rod and flood it with epoxy. It's not like that part of the rod will impact any action of the rod, I don't think... if it were me, I'd grab some aluminum rod I have, score it up so epoxy adheres, shove the rod pieces over it, clamp in place. Should be an easy try, anyway... I say give it a shot and worst case New Rod Day!