MAINELY OUTDOORS
I truly enjoy hunting upland birds and waterfowl throughout the Crown of Maine. After my first 10 years or so, I branched out from local partridge, woodcock, puddle ducks and Canada geese to other species. I tried turkey hunting and sea duck gunning along the Maine coast and traveled to Quebec for spring and fall snow goose hunts. During trips to Maryland, Texas, Connecticut, Alaska and Hawaii, I sampled several styles of hunting for a few more exotic types of game birds.
Getting hooked on wingshooting slowly creeps up on an outdoorsman and soon you’re seeking a bit more of a challenge. The first step is bagging a double on flying birds, even if it takes all three shots, then it’s just a step to knocking down a pair with two shells. The big step is a triple; on fast moving ducks and wary geese it’s a rare feat and one to be proud of and may be even brag a bit.
I’ve experienced both of these accomplishments and a few other nifty shots. I downed a flushed wild turkey on the wing, going away, using a 20 gauge with #4 bird shot. Once I downed two mature male wood ducks with one shot, and one was at least 10 feet behind the other as they winged quickly past. Luckily I had a witness and I have both birds mounted for posterity and a great memory. Another once-in-a-lifetime feat, also witnessed, was downing five greenwing teal from a tight flock of at least 25 birds with my brand new Ithaca MAG-10 shotgun. In truth I aimed at one bird!
About 10 years ago I decided to attempt to bag at least one Canada goose with every legal gauge of shotgun. I knew the 10- and 12-gauge posed no problem but the 28- and .410 scatterguns would truly require just the right situation to assure a quick, clean kill. On top of that I didn’t even own a 16- or 28-gauge at the time, but what better excuse to add a gun to my collection.
As it turned out, I actually downed at least two honkers with each shotgun and got a double with the little .410. Going a step further with my goal I also used a single shot black powder shotgun one afternoon to tumble one bird from each of two flocks that decoyed. Lately I’ve given some thought to repeating this goose with every gauge scenario but using only double-barrel guns this time around.
The feat I’ve yet to accomplish, and one that other Aroostook sportsmen might like to attempt, is what I call an October “mixed bird grand slam.” The idea actually originated with Bill Norsworthy one morning over breakfast after a dawn hunt where everyone enjoyed great luck. Bill, who always owned a couple of top rate bird dogs, decided to supplement his waterfowl with an afternoon outing for woodcock. As it turned out, he not only got three timberdoodle but also a partridge the dog pinned down and Bill flushed expecting another woodcock.
For County bird hunters, a true mixed bag slam would include partridge, woodcock, Canada geese and ducks. Eventually, we may even be able to add wild turkey to the quest. It’s been several years and a bunch of friends and I have attempted the grand slam only to fall short. Try as we might, three out of four seems to be where we get stuck. Oh, perhaps I should have clarified that the wild fowl tally is not a week, or even a season; it has to be done in one day.
According to the guidelines of our little group, it’s not necessary to have a limit of each species, just one of each fills the bill. If you think this sounds simple, consider some of the hurdles. Days are much shorter during October and the prime gunning grounds for each of the species are diverse. Woodcock, which seem to be the stumbling block for most of us, are flight birds; here today, gone tomorrow, and perhaps a week before a new flock arrives. Most of all, you’ve got to actually shoot and recover each quarry, difficult enough solo, even harder when two or more buddies are also shooting.
My game plan that has almost worked several times is to hunt waterfowl in the morning and upland birds in the afternoon, or as soon as a duck and goose have been bagged. Finding a grain field or pond that attracts both honkers and quackers may be difficult, and it takes precious time to change locations. While partridge may be sighted pretty much everywhere, top rate woodcock cover is limited, and only occasionally do the two birds cohabitate. Also, while the small flighty timberdoodle may be flushed by stop-and-go hunting in thick cover, a trained bird dog is the true key to success.
From all reports, ducks, geese and partridge had a banner hatch this spring and should be plentiful. Woodcock are always a question mark, but like many things in life, they’re always easy to find until you really need them; and these quarry run and fly!
Whether you decide to take up the challenge of wing shooting and try for a “mixed bag grand slam” or just enjoy the regular tactics of bird hunting, it should be an eventful autumn. Be safe, have fun and shoot straight.
