It looks like Tye will be taking me hunting next fall. I haven't hunted in about 25 years. So, I have a few questiuons.

1. My Beretta AL2 has been in the closet for 25 years. I took it out last night and was happy to see very little rust. Should I have a gunsmith check it out , or just go shoot it?

2. I have a lot of old shells, some paper cartridges - all lead shot. Can I trust 25 year old ammo? (It has been in a cool dry place all this time.) And, if so, can I use lead shot in E Wash when pheasant hunting? I assume that I will need steel shot if I shoot at any ducks I jump?

3. I bought a small game license . Is that all I need to hunt phesants in E. Wa? I know I will need a duck stamp to shoot ducks. I do not plan to spend any time in a blind, but might occassionally jump a duck or two.

All advise appreciated. Some may be followed.

The gun - I'd just take it apart and give it a good cleaning.
The ammo - should be fine but I'd have to look at it to make sure.

Lead can be used in most of E. WA for upland. Some places you hunt do require you to use steel though. Kind of similar to Selective Gear rivers, all the areas are different. If you're in a upland/waterfowl combo area, the only way to be legal is to carry/shoot steel only. Can't mix lead and steel in your vest as far as I know.

Yep, all you need for upland is the small game. For waterfowl you will need the Federal Stamp, and a State Migratory validation...no stamp.

Ike

HAHA I knew it when I herd your last message. Hope I can attend one of these trips.
I would buy some new ammo. It would hate to see ya have a misfire on a nice big wild rooster and have Tye turn around and give ya the WTF was that and why didn't ya kill it look.(ya need to have tye's 1st mounted)
With what you will have invested into a trip in just gas why skimp on a $15 box of shells. Practice with the old ones and some of the new ones. I have a big old wood ammo box full of old shells that I want to use as a deceration someday so save me a few of what you have. If they are in original old boxes in good shape I may trade ya for new ones.
Lets do this rite. SOUTH DAKOTA
Damn ya got me giddy just thinking about it.
Bucket, No Fish...maybe a little help here

Yeah, I think I better!!!!

Isnt there a sporting clays course close to Duvall. I would love to hit one.

Fall city and Kenmore
Anyone shot either or both???

One more thing Dave...some people may tell you otherwise but I would also purchase the Westside Pheasant, especially considering your location. Kind of spendy, I think it's like $92 this next year, but well worth it.

The Cherry Valley and Stillwater units can be crowded because they get all the King County guys, but the Crescent Lake site in Monroe is not crowded on the weekdays at all. Mon-Thurs it will just be you and a couple of guys tops. Wednesdays are a release day and you might have some more hunters. Weekends can be crowded in the morning but you can pretty much hunt by yourself most afternoons.

Just like everything else, practice makes perfect. The only way a dog gets to be a good hunter is with experience....the number of hours spent in the field. Alot of guys have the "I only hunt wild birds in E. Wa attitude." But when you are training a young dog they are really missing the boat IMO.

How many trips to the eastside would an average guy, busy with family stuff, get to make per year? Two per month at best, if they're lucky? So at the end of the first year the dog who just hunts the eastside has maybe made 4 or 5 trips, and has 8-10 days of hunting experience...say 50 hours in the field. Contrast that to a guy who hunts 3 or 4 days a week on a W. Wa site, plus goes east a couple of times. At the end of the first year that dog has hundreds of more hours of experience.

In short, use the Westside sites for your training. I figured my dog probably had more hours in the field at the end of her first year or two than a dog who "only hunts the eastside" has in its' lifetime....and she turned out to be a pretty damn good hunting dog.

Art,

I will give ya some old shells. I have a couple of boxes of Mountgomery Wards Red Head paper shell. The price on the the box is $3.15.

When do we go to North Dakota? I'm serious, let's do it.

I would be surprised if I hit one.

After Grays Harbor slows down this fall....

Kenmore, yes. They have 3 traps and do 16yd American style with voice activated releasing of the targets. It's about $6 a round (25 clays). They sometimes do continental- you get 2 shots at 1 target at various ranges. They have a five stand clays, but I haven't tried it.
The range is open tuesday and Thursday nights and Sunday during the day. I've been wanting to do a semi-regular thing for some time. How about Tuesday nights? I'll be gone next Tuesday, but the following one would be good for me. How about you fellas?



Willy

I'm in when I'm in.

Right on, Dave. BTW, I wouldn't shoot those old shells, give em to art. I shot some old surplus stuff out of a 1944 Mauser one time. Ended up with little powder burns all over my face stuff sprayed right out of the breech. Good thing I was wearing glasses. Not worth it IMHO. I'd be in for the Dakotas, just not this year. For me, that's a one in a loooong time type trip. I'm going to wait for the pup to get a season or two down first.



Willy

Dave, you will want to get your dog used to the sound of a shotgun going off. Excellent, basic obedience is a must afield.
My Chesapeake was gun shy as a pup but I had an older Lab that helped to steady him. It didn't take long for the Chessie to associate the noise with fun.

I never got heavy into training like the ol' man did with his pigeons and field trials.

Nothin' like a crisp October morning chasin' wild chickens on the Eastside.

Edit:
Don't take Dick Cheney.

I shot at Renton Rod and Gun Club last month. I hadn't been there in a long time. They have a skeet range (closest to Seattle as far as I can find). They also have trap.
I'm training a young gunner so I wanted to mix it up a little. The 5 station at Kenmore is a little much for him and trap is too limited to just do that.
Renton does not have (at least when we were there) a range master on the skeet range so you control the release which was fun. Would be funner with a group. I plan on going back in a few weeks and will post day/time if anybody would like to join us.

I'll have birds, ringnecks, available in about a month if you want to raise your own from day olds. Or I'll have full grown birds in a few months ready for the training season. Getting 3-5 eggs a day.

I can see me buying a few for training.

There used to be pheasants 25 years ago in E. WA (make that 35), but very few anymore.

I hear there is a place near Ritzville that sells phesants and has trained dogs that they will have help your dog learn. I may give that a look.

There ya go. There's quite a few of them outfits around. Some have chukers too.