I've got an overstock of shells right now. Maybe I need to get some friends to go clay shooting. I've been taking the rifles to the range every week. That 45/70 is going to bankrupt me, but it's so fun to shoot. I'm going to take out the youngest one friday for a morning squirrel hunt. He's all excited. I bought him a new cabelas upland field cap for the occassion. He wears the darn thing all the time. Even insist on wearing it when he goes out to town with my wife.

Yea I know what you mean man my kids are right into to it already but they are still to young I take them hunting almost every weekend but they usually sit on the quad or in the truck while I shoot. I cant wait till my son is old enough to walk with me but until then Ill let the suspense be a good one. For the 12 guage I buy bricks and 25 bucks for 250 shots is pretty damn good if you ask me. When it comes to my 30 odd that think will bankrupt me fast specially when I pay a minimum of 30 bucks a box, but I love shooting it , can never get enough.

Good luck with your son man.

... Very nice ...that spruce grouse looks an awfull lot like a franklin grouse are they the same bird ?

Im not sure Ive never heard of a franklin grouse but here they are called spruce and ruffed grouse the spruce are dark meat and the ruffed are white. We get the odd sage but you are lucky to see one a year.

I guess they are I just went and looked it up, they are the same bird. I guess other places call it the franklin grouse. Spruce grouse aka franklins grouse.
We call em sprucies.

http://70.75.7.140/WildBirds.html

Its under grouse-like birds in the menu

....ahha thought so here in new brunswick we call them spruce partridge (also known as stupid bird ) when i was in BC we called them franklins same as a ptarmigan except for the red over the eye ,,, when i was 8 or 9 years old my uncle tought me how to catch them with an alder cane and rabbit snare wire he said save your ammo they would get right up against a spruce tree and freeze just had to reach over and slip the snare over their head lol try it some time takes a bit of practice , I went out today must have covered 5 miles on foot only flushed 2 but didn't get a shot off i did see a big doe on the way back she stood on the road for ten minutes staring at me not 50 yrds away I have a doe tag for that area it opens on oct22 zone 22 wouldn't you know it left camera on kitchen table !!!

Ive never tryed ptarmigan we dont have them around here I dont believe Ive ever seen one while hunting. We have an open season but I dont know where they can be found probably more southern Ontario then where I am. I think Ill stick to taking thier heads off with my twelve guage, plus I like to be able to take them out of the air when need be. I think partridge hunting where I am is a little different from where you are because they dont stick around too long and they deffinetly wouldnt let you put a noose around thier neck.

More good numbers this year. It's going to be a good year again I presume.

I went and got myself a used 12 guage double barrel for this year. Savage. Hoping on a good year too.