The part about NO bird brought back one of those, Been there, Done that memories. The box opens, the bird sits before you can get the first barrel off. You HAVE to keep on it until it either takes wing or the puller calls NO BIRD. Some pullers waited longer than others. Especially if they didn't know you. As in you weren't one of the local boys. Now you are standing there with the gun on it and it is walking around, sometimes behind the box where you can't get a good bead on it. I guarantee you those are some of the longest seconds you have ever experienced. All kind of stuff is running through your mind. All bad stuff. If he calls NO bird, you smoke him on the ground. You don't have to pay for it, and you get ready for the next one. If you wait, well, like I said, bad stuff can happen. I tracked one once when I first started for what felt like a minute and when I lowered the gun to my side and looked over at the puller to see if he was awake the damn thing decided it was a good time to blast off and head for the next county. I hit it twice and killed it but he had about three wing beats on me and cleared the top of the fence. OUT! Bring me four. It took me that one time to realize that when you have that much money in entry and option fees on the line the right thing, the only thing, to do is kill that little screw neck SOB where he stands. You finish that ring, pay the puller before you take your ticket, and move to the next ring. The best money I ever spent at a pigeon shoot was the few dollars I had to pay to take those seconds of doubt out of the equation. I can tell you exactly when and where that first, and the only one, happened. Things like that have a tendency to stick with you for a very long time. I liked the part in the article about "refunds". Like we would ever see THAT at a '"registered" shoot. Could have used that a few times when I missed a couple on the first trap and knew it would take a hundred to win. Shamus and I always said that when it went bad on the first trap we should have just went back to the truck and saved the other 75 Fed papers.
I thought it interesting that the weight of the gun was a rule. No guns over eight pounds. Compulsory money too. Thanks for the look at History. I always shot a pigeon on the ground if I could, I hoped maybe the ref would give it to me but if not I'd pay for the chance.
Yep, after that first one I never waited. As soon as it landed I gave it both barrels. The ones that you had to watch were the birds that you only feathered with both barrels, it happens, and they landed in the ring but were walking around with their heads up. If you were lucky you stoned the next one with the first barrel and it landed lined up with the walker. You aimed a little over the dead one and caught the walker. You had to make sure you caught the dead one with a few pellets since you were not allowed to just shoot the walker. If you were unlucky, when you killed the next bird using both barrels, or even 2 or 3 birds later, the damn walker got up enough steam and flew away. OUT! Bring me 4. I had shot 4 in the second ring, 3 dead as a doornail and 1 walker when I realized I was one shell short. I apologized and told the puller, he said, No problem, go get shells, don't rush I'm not going anywhere. My bag was at the first ring so it took only about two minutes to grab some shells and walk back. When I got there he had a dejected and somewhat embarrassed look on his face. Uh, sorry Tom, I was watching that walker and thought I could send the kid to get it for you. When he got close the bird flew out. I killed the last bird in the ring for a nine but that one cost me a couple hundred in the First 10 option. The puller knew he screwed up. It is MY option to send the bird boy. Who knows where the last bird would have landed. I might have been able to line them up and got out straight in that ring. Still my fault. I should have killed it outright. So goes pigeon shooting. I watched a pretty good shooter lose what we figured was around 4K when one tried to land on top of the fence after being hit twice. Sat there for a few seconds, then fell on the wrong side. OUT! Bring me four I WAS fortunate enough that I never had to have a puller say those dreaded words, LOAD EM'
Cover photo of a rare hard bound edition from The Interstate Association Grand American Handicap Live Bird 1900... Trap3
You`re welcome & Thanks! Beating the bushes, attending cartridge/collectible shows and contacts with collectors... Trap3
