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We stopped the jeep to look/watch across a canyon were my buddy (he was the driver on this trip) had seen quail in the past.
After sitting there for a few minutes, a good sized covey appeared near the bottom of the canyon coming up from the bottom.
They climbed up through a rocky outcropping, then through some bushes and continued up through the rocks.
Eventually they made it to the top of the rocks and disappeared behind them, very near the top of the hill.
I never thought we'd be able cross the canyon without spooking them and actually have a chance to shoot at them, but we had to try.
As the dog and I got near the top of the rocks, they flushed and I harvested one with the 1st shot I'd taken with a brand spanking new 870 Field Master 20 gauge.
It was the 1st shot out of the gun since it left the factory.
However, I short stroked it (I determined later that the gun was a picky eater) and I wasn't able to take a 2nd shot as the birds continued to fly away from me.
Walking back to the jeep, I decided that I'd switch to my backup gun, something I wouldn't short stroke, a new to me Remington 11-87 Premier in 20 gauge.
Although I had never fired it, I had made sure the firing pin worked by putting some painters tape over a once fired hull and pulling the trigger.
Because it felt and mounted like an 870 Wingmaster that I shot a lot (decades ago), it felt really good to me.
We then drove further up the road and dropped back into the canyon to where we thought the birds had gone.
I was shooting Hevishot and that stuff just works, I made a couple of long shots.
On one of them, I had to shoot over the top of a boulder and I couldn't have dropped the gun any lower.
Some shot scraped the top of the boulder (dust/grit blew up in the air), but I managed to hit the bird and he was a goner.
I ended up with four and my buddy got three.
Needless to say, we had a great time.
After sitting there for a few minutes, a good sized covey appeared near the bottom of the canyon coming up from the bottom.
They climbed up through a rocky outcropping, then through some bushes and continued up through the rocks.
Eventually they made it to the top of the rocks and disappeared behind them, very near the top of the hill.
I never thought we'd be able cross the canyon without spooking them and actually have a chance to shoot at them, but we had to try.
As the dog and I got near the top of the rocks, they flushed and I harvested one with the 1st shot I'd taken with a brand spanking new 870 Field Master 20 gauge.
It was the 1st shot out of the gun since it left the factory.
However, I short stroked it (I determined later that the gun was a picky eater) and I wasn't able to take a 2nd shot as the birds continued to fly away from me.
Walking back to the jeep, I decided that I'd switch to my backup gun, something I wouldn't short stroke, a new to me Remington 11-87 Premier in 20 gauge.
Although I had never fired it, I had made sure the firing pin worked by putting some painters tape over a once fired hull and pulling the trigger.
Because it felt and mounted like an 870 Wingmaster that I shot a lot (decades ago), it felt really good to me.
We then drove further up the road and dropped back into the canyon to where we thought the birds had gone.
I was shooting Hevishot and that stuff just works, I made a couple of long shots.
On one of them, I had to shoot over the top of a boulder and I couldn't have dropped the gun any lower.
Some shot scraped the top of the boulder (dust/grit blew up in the air), but I managed to hit the bird and he was a goner.
I ended up with four and my buddy got three.
Needless to say, we had a great time.