Trad Gang
Traditional Bowhunting/Archery Videos => Tarz Antics => Topic started by: Terry Green on May 02, 2016, 01:56:00 PM
You want in next year?...Only one spot...
Stay tuned.....
You have piqued my interest. :coffee:
There will be a bow rack donated to St Judes for this years auction from the following memories....
Yep.....I'll be bidding.
Gracie the Wonder Dog is a 4-year-old French Brittany Spaniel. And in February she was part of a St. Jude's hunt.
In the last St. Jude's auction I placed for bid a quail hunt that included two half day hunts on a preserve with Gracie as the pointing dog and with me as the guide and dog handler.
Trd Gang member Bob Corbitt won the bidding for the St.Jude's Quail Hunt, but he was unable to make it to the hunt. So, ever the kind and generous gentleman, Bob gave the hunt to Terry Green.
Terry and I planned the hunt for a Friday afternoon and Saturday morning in late February and we had the good fortune of good weather, sporty quail and good dog work.
Gracie is a high-octane pointing dog that is steady to wing and shot. She retrieves on command and delivers the downed bird to hand.
More story to follow.
Gracie on point.
(http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg611/smokinjoepix/IMG_0283_zpsvjvyno6h.jpg) (http://s1246.photobucket.com/user/smokinjoepix/media/IMG_0283_zpsvjvyno6h.jpg.html)
Yes I was quite honored that Bob offered me the hunt and in return knowing that he smoked cigars I sent him a fine box of Obsidians.....One of my favorite smokes. I just didn't feel right going for nothing so I had to pay it back in some small way at least.
I was also honored to be able to hunt with Joe as we have developed a friendship over the years and created many memories together in a short period of time actually together in hunting camps. We spend a lot more time on the phone it seems... not really but sort of seems if you know what I mean..... and I was looking forward to spending a couple of days with Joe and his dog Gracie afield.
For those of you that have not met Joe he is an a-number-one Class Act and his wife Debra is a real sweetheart. I was lucky enough to not only spend time afield with Joe but I also got to spend a little time at Joe and Debra's house visiting with them.......
And for those of you that are new..... St. Jude's always gets a free pass for non-traditional bow hunting Adventures that are auctioned off. This happens to be one of them. Even though there wasn't a Trad bow involved it was still a weekend I will never forget......
And you won't either if you are the winning bidder this year. :readit:
More to come and pics loading......
Terry made the drive from his home in Georgia to mine in North Carolina on Friday. My wife, Deborah, and I had a lunch ready for him when he arrived.
After lunch, we loaded Gracie and the hunting gear into my Jeep Cherokee and headed out.
The gear for the quail hunt included a light, balanced and classy 20 ga. Parker Reproduction side-by-side shotgun for Terry to use. For those in the know, the Parker represents the zenith of American shotguns. It is a classic. The reproduction Parkers are so perfect that their parts are interchangeable with those of the originals.
Our drive was about a half hour to the River Ranch Sporting Club. We arrived there and went directly to the lodge to introduce Terry to Bob, the manager of the property. River Ranch is a beautiful, 500+ acre piece of property on the Yadkin River in North Carolina.
The weather was perfect, and one of the big fields was reserved for us.
(http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg611/smokinjoepix/IMG_1072_zpsalxjjt7n.jpg) (http://s1246.photobucket.com/user/smokinjoepix/media/IMG_1072_zpsalxjjt7n.jpg.html)
Yes sir after getting fortified with some heavy dose roast beef cheese mayonnaise and mustard sandwiches we headed out .....I was wearing my dad's old game coat I guess to be 50 years old at least that had game bags on the inside for such type hunts. It was an old canvas camel colored jacket with the corduroy greenish mossy colored collar.
I was set.....and was in awe of the Parkers Joe pulled out of the cases. .....not to mention the beauty of the place we were hunting.....even though I had gotten a good idea of what was to be only a few miles from his house.
Gracie was wired.....which was a prelude of things to come....
Shooting a single quail would only be a bonus....little did I know....
more and pics in the morning
This were some of the veiws I was greeted with....I knew it was going to be a great afternoon regardless due to the scenery.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail4.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail5.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail8jpg.jpg)
What a beautiful place to quail hunt!!!!!....just hoping to get a couple....little did I know!!!
:campfire:
After Sharing a camp with Joe, i think your description is spot on Terry! A finer gentleman you will not meet.
Looking forward to the rest of this thread.
Had the privilege of sharing a camp with both Joe and Charlie a few years back at Hog Heaven. As an avid bird hunter I'll be keeping my eye on this one as well.
After Gracie stretched her legs she was all wired up.... didn't take her long to point the first set of birds.....
Now you have to consider that I haven't shot a shotgun and almost 20 years and I have never shot a side by side double barrel with two triggers so I shouldered the gun over and over and try to train myself about the two triggers.... I grew up with a single barrel semi-automatic or pump so the double trigger was completely new to me even though I've hunted with shotguns all my life until I gave up gunpowder over 20 years ago...
That's easy to say until the moment of truth and when that happened yes I missed .......I missed on the first shot then I would have to hunt for the second trigger and I missed on the second shot ....however one of the birds landed in the edge of the Woods......
So, Joe sends Gracie to the edge of the woods for the single....not long after entering the timber she points again.....
Joe tells me 'I'm up'...so I move in....
Unbelievable how quail can blend in on the ground in the hardwoods....I never saw it till it flushed.
One shot and the bird folded up....(glad I didn't have to hunt for that second trigger ;) )]
Gracie was all over the retrieve.....it all happened so fast and we had our 1st bird!!!
(PS...St Jude Alert....I kept the 1st shell)
Gracie's point was solid and intense, and I knew she had strong scent from the quail.
Terry walked in and as he got near to the quail little Gracie stayed solid as a rock on point. Terry's footsteps flushed the bird and it rocketed through the hardwoods like its tail was on fire.
The little 20 gauge side-by-side flew up to Terry's shoulder like it was pure instinct and second nature -- and he made a perfect shot.
I could see that Gracie had turned her body to mark the fall of the quail and she quivered while she waited for the magic word...
"Fetch, Gracie" --- and off she went to get our first bird of the day.
As Joe and I approached the first point Joe said you take any birds that go to the right and I'll take the birds that go to the left ....it just so happened those birds went to the right ....
After a brief praising of Gracie the Wonder Dog we got back in the field and it was only a few minutes before Gracie was on Point again.... this time as we approached the birds flushed and flew to the left and Joe also instinctively shouldered his gun and folded up bird number two.....
Again st. Judes alert Joe's shell on the second bird was kept......
And again Gracie was quick to fetch at Joe's command .....picture and more details on the hunt tomorrow....
Sorry I didn't get to update this morning my day blew up and my daughter is in a play tonight but I will make up in the morning with more pictures and more to the story so bear with me
:campfire:
Beautiful country and looks like great fun.
I'll let Terry continue to tell the story, and I will chime in from time to time.
I will add that we had a great time. Terry is a terrific person to hunt and share time with. He has become a good and trusted friend. During our hunt we hatched some ideas about the next St. Jude's Quail Hunt that we will talk about at the end of the story.
Here is a photo of one of the quail that Terry got. Gracie is waiting for the "give" command.
(http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg611/smokinjoepix/IMG_1058_zpscm6r6frz.jpg) (http://s1246.photobucket.com/user/smokinjoepix/media/IMG_1058_zpscm6r6frz.jpg.html)
Interesting Joe......here is the 'give' command on YOUR quail.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail10.jpg)
And here's a couple of more pics of Joe and Gracie the Wonder Dog......
Joe Praising Gracie.....and she don't need it as she knows she's the gal!!!!! ( but takes it anyway as a 'yeah yeah yeah' 'I know'.)
She was a real trooper as I would find out......
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail6.jpg)
And of COURSE she can pose!!!!!
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail7.jpg)
This scenario played out over and over for the entire afternoon...well....for 2 and a half hours at least as we didn't want to wear out Graice for the next mornings hunt.
Gracie was all over the field, and was amazing to watch....much less killing birds....man was he a hunter!!!!
Points were solid...and I witnessed her creeping on birds that were walking.....that was REALLY cool!!!! She IS the price of admission!!!!!
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail1.jpg)
:campfire: :clapper:
Oh....don't leave yet....MUCH more to come!!!!!!!!
A few facts about Gracie:
She is a French Brittany Spaniel. This is a slightly different breed than the American Brittany, though the genetic stock of the American Brittany has its origins in the French Brittany bloodlines.
French Brittanys are slightly smaller than the usual American Brittany, and Gracie is on the small side of the breed standard. She weighs in at about 27-28 pounds and stands about 18" high at the shoulder. She has long legs for her body length and she can cover ground with good speed.
The French Brittany can have white, orange or black in the coat. Gracie has all three colors -- known as a tri-color.
Like all pointing breeds, she covers ground quickly searching for bird scent in the breeze. When she hits a scent stream she points the scent. She has learned through experience to execute a "walking point" on birds that are moving thus keeping the scent stream in her nose.
I am glad that Terry posted those photos. Other than the posed one, I had not known that he took those.
Stay tuned... There is a lot more for us to tell.....
In Atlanta for Rachel's showcase....hope to post tomorrow....but it's Mother's day.....bear with us....much more to come....
Hunting over a good dog is great. Hunting over a good dog that you trained, is unbelievable. Having others hunt over the dog that you trained is the most wonderful feeling!!! Congratulations to the 3 of you-Gracie, Terry, and Joe!!
Sorry my youngest daughter had a play last night the.... last one of the year so I'm back available now to post for a little bit until there's another thing tonight for the retiring band director which my daughter is the drum major also so May is very busy for me as any any parent that has a child in the school will know
Anyway I have many more pictures and Gracie was really really a champ in the field I have been bird hunting once before in my life and I've been pheasant hunting before and Gracie is the best dog of hunted over ...
She hunted her tail off literally she was all over the field back and forth and pointing with authority and creeping and just just a joy to watch if anyone is not really into hunting over a dog like that but it is shotgun savy will really appreciate the work of a dog like that....
And she retrieved every bird we killed more on that later some of those were after the fact .....more pictures to come..... it's one of those st. Jude's hunts that keeps giving and giving
As the afternoon progressed Gracie continued to point and we continue to shoot it was a beautiful afternoon and More Beautiful watching Gracie do her stuff.... we ended up two and a half hours into the hunt with 9 quail....
It was a great afternoon and now it was time time for dinner, and Gracie needed to rest for the morning hunt....
Again it had been many many years since I've shot a gun but I rethought a lot of memories on the way back to Joe's house of the day we had ....and the shots that were.... made even some of the misses were memorable..... yep to this day I will never figure out how I missed the quail that was in the Ravine .......I have no idea what happened but I had to laugh at it then.....and I laugh at it now.
That evening we would have Quail Stew after Quail 'poppers' and let me tell you this is also worth the price of admission.....don't get me started on the poppers!!!!
pictures to follow in the morning as they are being uploaded.....
Along with a few more tales and pictures Gracie on point and retrieve as well as meals
The recipe for quail poppers:
Ingredients:
filleted quail meat
sliced banana peppers or sliced jalapino peppers
sliced bacon
toothpicks
Process:
-- soak toothpicks in water (this is so they won't burn)
-- fillet the quail meet off of the bone and cut into bite sized pieces
-- roll a piece or two of quail, together with a slice of pepper, up
in a half slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick
The above makes one popper. keep making poppers until you run out of ingredients.
Place the poppers on a rack or broiler pan and bake at 400 degrees for about a half hour, or until the bacon looks crisp on top.
Remove the poppers from the oven and let them cool a bit and then ENJOY. They are G-O-O-D.
Quail poppers are a guaranteed part of the St. Jude's Quail Hunt.
And if you use thick slices bacon, zap the bacon in the microwave a bit to give it a head start so you don't end up over cooking the quail.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjude2016q1.jpg)
OR....On the Grill.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjude2016q2.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjude2016q4.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/stjude2016q5.jpg)
Those look good. Might just need a very cold quality beer to wash them down!!
Here's the Quail Stew!!!
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail17.jpg)
And Gracie on point in the edge of the wood line....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail16.jpg)
And Gracie and I with 6 of the 9 for the 1st day...hard to see them birds in the woods, ...but they are at our feet.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail15.jpg)......
More pics and stories tomorrow!!!
After a dinner of quail stew and quail poppers, we sat in front of the fire place and, with a tired dog at our feet, and talked well into the night. We talked about quail, pointing dog training, and bow hunting. Terry and I, and my wife Deborah, also talked about show business and Terry's incredibly talented daughters and our families.
Eventually it became clear that it was time to turn in and get some rest because we had another hunt scheduled for the morning.
What a great time. Thanks for sharing. Bet you this hunt will be a hot item this time around. Can't beat the TG St. Jude auction for a way to give back to a great cause. :campfire:
Yes, the evening spent with the Tilford's that evening was icing on the cake.......
Next up, ....breakfast and a beautiful morning hunt....
As my Uncle from Michigan use to say....we need to get 'fortified'!!!...and so we did.
Breakfasted up, well, Gracie and her two running buddies got served 1st :D . That was a hoot to watch them all line up and act so proper waiting for their bows from Joe.
He's got so really great dogs.
Anyhow, the morning was crisp, so I donned my Asbell Anorack instead of the older field jacket....that was the perfect attire for this morning that had a slight breeze starting out but picked up as the morning progressed, plus we were on a higher field.
The birds were a little spooky this AM from the wind, and we must of seen 8 or 10 just spook on their own from the rustling in the wind rows....but it didn't take long before Gracie did her thing....
POINT!!!
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail12.jpg)
Joe made haste with the 1st shot of the morning....and Gracie was off for the retrieve.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail11.jpg)
The morning hunt was tuff with the wind but we managed to take home 10 despite......
Thanks to Joe's steady shots and Gracie scenting a couple of downed birds we just new we'd wounded earlier.
This country is just beautiful to hunt and hints of that are seen on the ride to the property....but once inside the gate is just slaps you in the face.
So....we ended up with 19 birds total and more memories than I can count.....
More later......including pics meals, preparations and a small feast.......
I can't let Terry get away with downplaying his own shooting. For a guy who had not used a shotgun in years, Terry handled that little 20 gauge Parker pretty well., and he bagged his share of quail. He is a good hunter and a terrific field companion.
I will take partial credit for Gracie. I have had her since she was an 8 week old pup and training her has been a great adventure. She is out of Plum Creek Kennels in South Dakota, and I cannot say enough good things about their breeding program. Working with a dog that has drive, intelligence, speed, nose, instincts and aptitude makes training fun and productive.
For the sake of safety, we walk with the shotguns open and unloaded. We load up and close the guns after the dog points and as we are walking up to the point to flush the quail. With a good, steady pointing dog there is no need to do it any other way. This is one of the many advantages of using a reliable pointing dog. Of course, the biggest advantage is watching a good dog at work in the field. An enthusiastic bird dog who knows and loves her craft is a joy to be around.
As the host of this hunt, I could not have asked for a better hunting partner than Terry. And even though the windy conditions on Saturday morning made the hunting a bit tougher than normal, Gracie handled the conditions well and had us on quail repeatedly. So I can't complain about the weather. And, Terry is right, the property is just beautiful and the quail are plentiful.
The St. Jude's Quail Hunt will be up for auction again soon. I will revise the auction post in a few days so it describes the hunt as well as possible. Of course, the best description is Terry's story of the hunt in this thread.
Joe....being that I was always an auto and pump guy.....it did get take me a bit to get use to the 'double trigger'.....but I've got my GrandDad's side by side that I will be practicing with for next year let me tell ya....and it will be 2nd nature. I will visit T-Bone and get that squared away on the sporting clays!!!!
I didn't fair that bad, and did get my share of birds, and I felt good about the number I killed especially since I figured out later I haven't shot a shotgun since the 90s.
Here's my 1st meal at the house from the hunt....Parmesan garlic olive oil with Walts special seasoning.....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail21.jpg)
Stay tuned you do NOT want to miss the feast and the offering for next year!!!!...or the St Judes donation generated from this hunt....
Next meal.....Walt's Honey Mustard BBQ sauce (offered on St Judes)....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail18.jpg)
Just getting Caught up... Man all those quail meals look delicious.
It sounds like you had the perfect hunt, both opportunity and camaraderie alike.
my wife is at the emergeny room at the moment...so bear with me
Terry,
Prayers sent for your wife and hope everything is OK.
:pray:
She is fine...just a bug....
Here's another photo of another meal with again....Parmesan garlic olive oil and Walt's Parmesan garlic seasoning....
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail22.jpg)
Yum!
Quail makes a great meal. On the grill it is spectacular.
I had an absolutely bizarre day at work today .....I will wrap this up tomorrow morning with a picture of quote the feast and some parting words..... and let Joe have the final say on this year's auction hunt.
Terry is going to post some more photos soon. And I thought I would add a plug for the next St. Jude's Quail Hunt auction.
Terry and I have decided that we will both work together to host the winner of the next St. Jude's Quail Hunt. We will be adding a few features to the hunt to make it more attractive in hopes that the bids will get higher for the kids.
One thing is for sure -- the hunt will be fun.
No for the feast....
Parmesan lime olive oil with lemon pepper AND a bit of Parmesan Garlic spice....the best yet I thought!!!
I told you we killed some birds!!!! We ate quail all week.....never frozen....just couldn't do it!!!!
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail20.jpg)
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/terry/STJudesQuail19.jpg)
Again, I can't say enough about this hunt and Gracie.....she was absolutely amazing to hunt over and what a hard worker....she was the price of admission.....
You want a hunt with a Southern Gentleman?
You want a hunt with great action?
You want a hunt with beautiful scenery?
You want a hunt with great food?
You want to hunt with a WONDER DOG?
BID!!!!!!!!!!
Terry is right!
Get on over to the St. Jude's bid forum and bid on this hunt.
-- Terry Green and Smoking Joe will be your hosts on this hunt
-- You will have a feast of a dinner at Smokin Joe's house with quail as a featured part of the menu.
-- You will experience an afternoon hunt and a morning hunt over Gracie the Wonder Dog
-- We can't guarantee the weather, but with some flexibility in the schedule to avoid rain we can do our best to offer an incredible hunt an a very beautiful place.
-- We will give you some awesome quail recipes for the cooler of quail you will be taking home.
BID high for the kids, we will take care of the rest.
CLICK HERE FOR LINK TO LISTING (http://auction1.tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=212&t=000006#000000)
Are there any quail listed on the classifieds....
I'm having withdrawals!!!!
Good stuff guys!
ttt