Steel duplex reloads+870=Sucsess
Oct 31, 2011 13:54:37 GMT -5
Post by slugger on Oct 31, 2011 13:54:37 GMT -5
WOW!
We went , we hunted, we got'm...
We both had Swan tags in an area where we could shoot either species of swan and where checked by the Mt FWP and deemed 100% in compliance
With that said for Big brother who IS reading this as we speek...
It starts very early here if you want to get a swan. At 4:00 AM we head out to the swan hot spot only to find we are not the first but the other hunter must have gone a different way. We trudge out caring all we would need for the hunt, SHELLS lunch plenty of warm clothes, and the Kayak. Where we hunt you have to have "Visible" means of retrieval, chest waders,dog, or boat. The sun won't come up till near 8:00 and its a 45 min walk so we sit. As the time nears there is a steady stream of would be swan hunters walking out only to find we are in the beast spot, Most went on to find a suitable spot,some just settled in ,in our laps, Ethics where not high on there prioritys...
All the activity around the lake disturbed the birds to the point that many thousands of them left in the darkness.In our minds that was a good thing. The sun came up and the normal war starts as the remaining geese and ducks went on there morning feeding. Some swans where still on the lake and would leave in small groups ,most would see the other hunters and flare and go in to outer space but the hunted would shoot any way limiting our opportunity's greatly.But true to form we had a string of 4 BIG swans come straight in to us out of any possible shooting range for the other squatters. Only 10 yards off the lake then a fast climb over the tall grass we where in , I calmed the left outside one and My partner said he,He shoot right,coming,coming NOW, we stood and took our best shot. When your shooting swan you Have to shoot for the head the body is covered with Steel shot armer and you gust can't punch through it.You have to focus on ONE bird and just keep shooting till it's dead. Just what I did, My first load of duplex #2XBBB out of the 870 3 1/2"( full choke) Hit home ,the swan crumpled in flight, I racked the action and put another 1 1/2 oz of red hot steel in it again. SPLASH done,over,tagged out. I could her my partners shoot his three shots as I was working. I looked around and only saw ONE swan, WHAT? He did not focus as wall as he should have, he said he saw mine get crushed and it through his hole game off. A long three hours with little or no opportunity's went, as we where about to declare it a rap some swans Take of the lake way out in front of us, by this time the wind is 40 mph and the swans hugged the water ALL THE WAY TO US. When the flared up he picked a likely target and cut loose. He's shooting a 12 also but only 3" I mixed up some shells just for this purpose. A 3" stuffed to the top with "Steel" powder and a 1 1/4 load of #2"s and BB . It worked this time his crashed to the ground 5 feet behind us. NOW where talking!!!!!
NOW where finished, no geese no messy ducks just a Great big Tundra swan and an even bigger Trumpeter. As expected we where greeted by a FWP warden at the parking lot and where thoroughly inspected, for Tags, license, shell ( have to be Non-tox) And plugs ( only three shells at a time)All was well We filed out our harvest cards and gave them to the warden , he was satisfied and left. I set them out to look at the swans, WOW BIG A$$ BIRDS. Mine was 7'2" from wing tip to wing tip and 56" long from bill to tail, Thats a lot of swan. I didn't have a scale but I would think it ran 25 pounds.
3" 1/2" -12 -1 1/2 oz- Steel load; Fio 3 1/2 hull - 6 point fold -Multi metal 3 1/2 wad, Half #2 steel on top of half#BBB steel- 37 gr Steel powder.
We went , we hunted, we got'm...
We both had Swan tags in an area where we could shoot either species of swan and where checked by the Mt FWP and deemed 100% in compliance
With that said for Big brother who IS reading this as we speek...
It starts very early here if you want to get a swan. At 4:00 AM we head out to the swan hot spot only to find we are not the first but the other hunter must have gone a different way. We trudge out caring all we would need for the hunt, SHELLS lunch plenty of warm clothes, and the Kayak. Where we hunt you have to have "Visible" means of retrieval, chest waders,dog, or boat. The sun won't come up till near 8:00 and its a 45 min walk so we sit. As the time nears there is a steady stream of would be swan hunters walking out only to find we are in the beast spot, Most went on to find a suitable spot,some just settled in ,in our laps, Ethics where not high on there prioritys...
All the activity around the lake disturbed the birds to the point that many thousands of them left in the darkness.In our minds that was a good thing. The sun came up and the normal war starts as the remaining geese and ducks went on there morning feeding. Some swans where still on the lake and would leave in small groups ,most would see the other hunters and flare and go in to outer space but the hunted would shoot any way limiting our opportunity's greatly.But true to form we had a string of 4 BIG swans come straight in to us out of any possible shooting range for the other squatters. Only 10 yards off the lake then a fast climb over the tall grass we where in , I calmed the left outside one and My partner said he,He shoot right,coming,coming NOW, we stood and took our best shot. When your shooting swan you Have to shoot for the head the body is covered with Steel shot armer and you gust can't punch through it.You have to focus on ONE bird and just keep shooting till it's dead. Just what I did, My first load of duplex #2XBBB out of the 870 3 1/2"( full choke) Hit home ,the swan crumpled in flight, I racked the action and put another 1 1/2 oz of red hot steel in it again. SPLASH done,over,tagged out. I could her my partners shoot his three shots as I was working. I looked around and only saw ONE swan, WHAT? He did not focus as wall as he should have, he said he saw mine get crushed and it through his hole game off. A long three hours with little or no opportunity's went, as we where about to declare it a rap some swans Take of the lake way out in front of us, by this time the wind is 40 mph and the swans hugged the water ALL THE WAY TO US. When the flared up he picked a likely target and cut loose. He's shooting a 12 also but only 3" I mixed up some shells just for this purpose. A 3" stuffed to the top with "Steel" powder and a 1 1/4 load of #2"s and BB . It worked this time his crashed to the ground 5 feet behind us. NOW where talking!!!!!
NOW where finished, no geese no messy ducks just a Great big Tundra swan and an even bigger Trumpeter. As expected we where greeted by a FWP warden at the parking lot and where thoroughly inspected, for Tags, license, shell ( have to be Non-tox) And plugs ( only three shells at a time)All was well We filed out our harvest cards and gave them to the warden , he was satisfied and left. I set them out to look at the swans, WOW BIG A$$ BIRDS. Mine was 7'2" from wing tip to wing tip and 56" long from bill to tail, Thats a lot of swan. I didn't have a scale but I would think it ran 25 pounds.
3" 1/2" -12 -1 1/2 oz- Steel load; Fio 3 1/2 hull - 6 point fold -Multi metal 3 1/2 wad, Half #2 steel on top of half#BBB steel- 37 gr Steel powder.