Cold Hard Facts
If you like snow, ice and extremely cold weather, go to Alaska. If you want expert Alaskan advice on cold-weather care and optimizing performance...
Scattershot
Modern Gun-Butt Treatments
In the November/December 2021 issue, we explored the evolution of gunstock-butt finishing—tracing the development of recoil pads, buttplates, and heel and toe plates in...
Changes in Dog Training
Bill and I cantered through the piney woods, and when we came to the clearing, I reined my walking horse to a stop. “You...
How to Improve Your Duck Shooting
In the early days of sporting clays, some clubs set stations where you sat in a tippy boat surrounded by decoys while they threw...
Fabulous Pheasants
From a distance, I saw Rick’s springer push the bird into the air. The pheasant staggered at the shot, dropped a leg and kept...
Preventing Soft-Tissue Injuries
Is that just a little limp or hitch in the gait, or is your hard-charging bird dog about to succumb to a season-ending soft-tissue...
Brains Before Brawn
Not that long ago it was customary to wait to train a gundog until it was a couple of years old. Maybe the thought...
Browning A5 Hunter 20-Gauge
John Moses Browning’s Auto-5 set the standard for semi-automatic shotguns. Introduced in 1902, the long-recoil Auto-5 enjoyed an illustrious run until it was discontinued...
The Traveling Wingshooter
In my career as a shooting instructor and guide, I have had the opportunity to travel to a good part of the wingshooting world—14...
Prepare to Peak: Getting Your Gundog Ready for the Season
In mid-April 1996, the night before Patriot’s Day, Jeff Doyle told me he wouldn’t be at the dock at 3 am to go fishing....
‘Re-Booting’ An Upland-Boot Guide
Putting upland boots through the paces With upland hunters, there’s no piece of gear that takes a worse beating than boots. When pushing through...
FAIR Iside 702
Every upland hunter should have a 28-gauge side-by-side. Not only is the gauge plenty for most upland opportunities, but also guns chambered for it...