HEVI*SHOT® product review

If you’ve kept up with my blog, you’ll remember that I had one heck of a time hitting anything last year, and I consider myself a fair shot. And on my final day of hunting last year it took half a box of shells to get 1 duck – and I had to shoot that one twice. After hunting season ended, I did a pattern test and found that my gun’s pattern was really bad. My gunsmith identified a bulge in the barrel that I hadn’t noticed, right about where my built-in choke started.

Above: pattern of shot at about 20 yards with my 12ga. having a bulged barrel.

Above: pattern of shot at about 40 yards with my 12ga. having a bulged barrel.

Overview
I attribute the bulge to the steel shot I was using, and even though my gun isn’t a vintage or antique – I believe that dad bought it for me around 1976 – it couldn’t handle steel shot. I also experienced problems adapting to steel shot a few years ago when I resumed bird hunting after about a 12 year hiatus. Steel shot doesn’t have the penetrating power as lead, due to the lighter weight of steel shot the range is greatly reduced and the pattern is not as compact, and one needs to adapt to larger shot size for the same effect.

More and more hunting areas require non-toxic shot. If you have older guns that you like to hunt with, the choice is either to use non-toxic alloys, or steel shot that can ruin a gun as it did mine.

After doing a little research, I selected HEVI*SHOT® Classic Doubles for vintage guns. Manufactured by Environ Metal the shot is made of Iron, Nickel, Tungsten, and two additional alloys. I received a box each of 16 gauge 4 and 6 shot, 1 oz. loads, 2 ¾ inch shells. These shells are non-toxic and designed to use in older and vintage shotguns; I tested them on a Sears & Roebuck Ranger shotgun manufactured by Harrington Richardson between 1912 and 1932.

Criteria and Review

Criteria 1-4 are from a Cabela’s web site advertisement. Criteria 5-7 are from information found on the boxes of HEVI*SHOT® shells.

Criteria 1- A safe, nontoxic alternative for older shotguns, this low-pressure, low-recoil ammo has 44% more energy than comparable steel loads, yet it’s as soft as lead for the protection of barrels and fixed chokes.
HEVI*SHOT® was not compared to steel shot due to the age of the gun in which it was tested, but it was compared to lead shot. The gun on which it was tested contains a fixed choke. A casual observation of the wood on which the targets were placed, appeared to have about the same number of HEVI*SHOT® imbedded in the wood as the lead shot, indicating that it has about the same penetrating power as lead.
Criteria 2- Buffered loads and sealed hulls ensure optimum all-weather performance.
The hulls are sealed in the same manner as older shells that I have been shooting. Some shells that I still use are over 30 years old, have been used in all types of weather, and have not been properly cared for (ie. left in hunting vests, vehicles, etc.), yet they still perform as new.
Criteria 3- For use in any firearm that can safely fire modern lead trap loads.
The shells normally used in my shotgun are high power 2 ¾ inch, containing 4, 5, 6 and 8-shot.
Criteria 4 -The shells are loaded for the specific needs of waterfowl hunts.
Lead shot is banned in hunting waterfowl as well as many hunting reserves and wildlife management areas. The non-toxic shot used in HEVI*SHOT® shells are similar to shooting lead shot, and from experience, is much more effective than steel shot. In older guns such as my 16ga. steel shot is simply not an option.
Criteria 5- This ammunition maintains down range energy, resists cross-wind effects and delivers devastating lethality.
The pattern tests of both lead and HEVI*SHOT® were conducted in a 20-plus mph tail wind at 40 yards. Both lead and HEVI*SHOT® shells used were 2 ¾ inch, 4-shot. The wind conditions are attributed to elevating the lead shot, while it appeared to have little if any effect on HEVI*SHOT®.

Above: pattern of shot at about 40 yards in a 20mph tail wind with my 16ga. using 4-shot lead.

Above: pattern of shot at about 40 yards in a 20mph tail wind with my 16ga. using 4-shot HEVI*SHOT®.
The HEVI*SHOT® resulted in approximately 81 bb’s within the target area (the wind tore out a small section of the target containing several holes). That same area for lead shot resulted in 62 bb’s.
Weight and velocity are the greatest factors in lethality. I did not conduct specific gravity tests on HEVI*SHOT®, lead or steel shot but as a general comparison, Steel has the specific gravity of 7.8; lead has a specific gravity of 11.35; each of the alloys used in HEVI*SHOT® have specific gravities of: (cast) iron, 7.85; nickel, 8.9; and tungsten, 19.
Criteria 6-HEVI*SHOT® shells create a remarkably tighter pattern and group.
Compared to lead, the HEVI*SHOT® produced a tighter pattern when tested in an approximate 20mph tail wind. HEVI*SHOT® was not compared to steel shot since it was tested on a vintage gun and experience with my 12ga. made it clear that steel shot could not be used in the vintage 16ga.
Criteria 7- This uniform pattern and group allows fewer misses and less crippling.
The uniform pattern does allow fewer misses and less crippling since the tighter pattern puts more shot in a smaller area, but the biggest part of the equation is your shooting style. The shot won’t improve your shooting if you are a bad shot or take chances, but will certainly improve your chances for a kill if you hit what you shoot at.

Disclaimer and Safety Information
There is always some risk in shooting older and vintage guns due to the wear and tear over the years, how well the gun was maintained, and the quality of manufacture. Before shooting vintage guns, it is always a good idea to have them checked out by a reputable gunsmith.

Summary
In summary, I recommend the HEVI*SHOT® shotgun shells not only for older and vintage guns but wherever nontoxic shot is required. The shells average in the neighborhood of $2.30-$2.60 each but knocking down your birds with fewer misses and wounds may make them more cost-effective; with steel shot I oftentimes had to shoot ducks twice or 3 times, which I resented having to do since I make every attempt to make my first shot a kill.

Response from Environ Metal
The pattern shot looks like it was high on impact- nice review- Non-tox and steel are in same category– and non tox is required on all waterfowl nationwide! Nice review!

Back to the pasture

Our garden, yard work, and other commitments have kept me from working with the dogs, but Tuesday night I resumed their training on tracking and the “hunt” command.
Using cut up hot dogs, I worked with them on tracking, and then scattered pieces throughout the back yard and gave them the “hunt” command whereupon they scattered
throughout the yard hunting for their snacks.

Last night I took Mia out into the pasture for the first time – the weeds were taller than her and some taller than myself.
After a few minutes of hesitancy, she began sniffing and exploring, which tells me that she is now ready to begin some formal training.
Elvis was Mia’s size the last time he was out in the pasture, and enjoyed exploring as well.
I wanted to see how he negotiated the brush and weeds before taking him hunting next week.
Some pups have problems with weeds and brush in their faces but he was curious, excited, exploring and had no problem with it.
Sophie, Squirt and Dakota acted as though they were set free from prison.
While Sophie and Squirt went about their business of sniffing, Dakota bounded through the brush nonstop for a good ten minutes before getting it out of her system.

Urban Training

The following was sent to a chat group to which I belong and I thought it’d be great to pass along. The following article on urban training with your dog is posted with the author’s permission.

I, like many others, unfortunately do not have easy access to a lot of
land for training, and work as well as family responsibilities keep me
from travelling too far to work the dogs.

I’ve created a little “training course” at a small park (which I feel
VERY fortunate to have close) near home. I can do a little water and
land work.

I have been throwing bumpers from the shore for some time now, but in
the summer there is very little current so it’s not a great workout
for the dogs. And, I can’t exactly swim out there and drop a bumper
like I might do to extend their land based workouts.

I’d been looking up at the bridge for a few years, and it finally hit
me a few weeks ago…use the bridge. So, my loving and very pregnant
wife would take a bumper to the bridge and throw it off the side with
Reece.

I found a way to do this without her too.

This can take a little while to download on youtube, but if you care
to see some of the stuff that I do, click on the link below or copy
and paste it into your browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpD_p9V4xYk

Ryan

Updated Idaho bird hunting regs for 2009

Below are updated bird hunting regulations for 2009, but don’t take my word for it, always check with Fish and Game for the latest info since rules and limits can change up to opening day – or conditions can force changes during the hunting season. I believe that there are a couple of typos published in the newspaper which I will check out with Fish and Game, but go with this unless you hear otherwise.

Youth waterfowl hunt is Sept. 26 and 27 for licensed hunters 15 and younger. All license requirements apply and nontoxic shot must be used.

Canada and white-fronted geese:
Oct. 3 – Jan. 15, 2010 in northern and eastern Idaho;
Oct. 10 – Jan. 22, 2010 in the southwestern part of the state;
Daily bag limit is 4 first day and possession of 8 after first day.

Snow and Ross’s geese:
Oct. 3 – Jan. 15, 2010
A 2-part season runs in:
Southeastern Idaho and a portion of Magic Valley Oct. 30 – Jan. 22, 2010, then Feb. 20 – Mar. 20, 2010;
Southwestern Idaho and a majority of Magic Valley Oct. 30 – Jan 22, 2010, then Feb. 20 – March 10, 2010.
The daily bag limit is 10 geese and 20 in possession after first day.

Ducks:
Oct. 3 – Jan 15, 2010 in northern and eastern Idaho;
Oct. 20 – Jan. 23, 2010 in the southwestern part of Idaho.
Bag limit is 7 ducks but no more than 2 female mallards, 2 redheads, 3 scaup, 2 pintails, and 1 canvasback. The possession limit after the first day is twice the daily limit.
Scaup – Oct. 24 – Jan. 22, 2010 in northern and eastern Idaho;
Oct 31 – Jan. 22, 2010 in the southwestern part of Idaho.
Canvasback – season re-opens for canvasbacks in 2009.

Sage Grouse:
Most of Lemhi and part of Custer county is a 7-day season and bag limit is 1 bird, 2 in possession after opening day.
There were no changes in sage hen seasons from 2008 in:
Southwestern Owyhee County, Sept. 19 – Oct. 11 with a daily bag limit of 2, 4 in possession after first day;
Northwestern Owyhee County, Sept. 19 – Sept. 25 with a daily bag limit of 1, 2 in possession after first day;
Eastern Owyhee is closed.
Magic Valley, Sept. 19 – Sept. 25 with a daily bag limit of 1, 2 in possession after first day;
Big Desert west of I-15 and south of ID-20, Sept. 19 – Sept. 25 with a daily bag limit of 1, 2 in possession after first day;
Curlew Grasslands in parts of Power, Oneida and Cassia counties, Sept. 19 – Sept. 25 with a daily bag limit of 1, 2 in possession after first day;
Southeastern part of the state east of I-15 and south of ID-26, closed;
Most of the Upper Snake, Sept 19 – Oct. 11 with a daily bag limit of 2, 4 in possession after first day;
The southeast, north and most of the western part of the state is closed.

Upland birds:
Dove, forest grouse and Sandhill Crane seasons begin September 1.

Good luck, enjoy your dogs and the outdoors, and be safe!

A Bountiful Time for Grouse

The following is a “pass along” newsletter article from the Pointing Dog Journal.

Pass Along PDJ
August 2009

A Bountiful Time for Grouse
by Frank Jezioro

“Fruit and vegetable aisle, please.” I don’t know why but this comment came to mind as I worked my way toward the creek bottom where Deuce was locked on a solid, intense point that said, He’s right there at the base of the hawthorn . Maybe it was my college years of working part-time in a grocery store, where I heard that request from customers daily. In any event, this was a year of plenty for grouse, as it appeared every fruit- and berry-bearing shrub and tree had hit a peak. As soon as I left the truck that afternoon, it was plain to see that Mother Nature had been kind to the grouse, turkeys, deer, and bears this year. Normally we search for those spots where some food source flourished, hoping that the grouse would be there feeding or resting nearby. This year they could be anywhere.

The tiny red and yellow thorn apples hung on the trees and dotted the forest floor. We had moved through an oak grove where there were so many acorns that it gave the impression of walking on marbles. Now we were dropping into old sods–abandoned fields–dotted with haws, wild raisins, greenbrier berries, and tag alders. This valley is as pretty a piece of grouse cover as you will ever walk through. In the fall of 2008, grouse were spotty in our mountains due to cold rains that came at the worst possible time of late May and early June. But like every year, there were pockets of grouse, and we were standing in one of the best.

The hawthorn where Deuce stood transfixed was in the middle of a small sea of dead, but still standing, goldenrod. The haws here were thin and scattered to the point that a flushed grouse was in trouble unless it was able to keep the trees between us. As I closed the distance to the dog, I began to circle to the left. I caught a glimpse of movement near the base of the tree and saw the grouse take a couple of steps before exploding. When I see the birds on the ground, I get too confident, and this time was no different. No need to rush the shot, or so I thought.

The bird burst into view as the 28-gauge hit my shoulder. Just as I caught up with the grouse, it hooked hard to the right. My shot was right where the bird had been a split-second before. That bird kept the tree between us until it was beyond range, preventing a second chance. Disappointed, I still had to laugh out loud: another instance where Ole Ruff had outsmarted dog and gun.

The full article “A Bountiful Time for Grouse” by Frank Jezioro appears in the upcoming September/October 2009 issue of The Pointing Dog Journal . If you are a subscriber, stay tuned! That issue will soon mail!

If you are not a subscriber and would like to read the rest of this article, request an issue right now! If you do so by September 25th, you’ll receive the issue with this article in it! You can request an issue by following the links below or by calling 1-800-447-7367. Make sure you tell our circulation representatives that you’d like the September/October 2009 issue

If you haven’t already, check out The Pointing Dog Journal on both Twitter and Facebook! So sign up and become a fan, and invite your social networking pals to become fans and followers, too! And maybe drop a hint that, if they haven’t already, they should request their own no-obligation issue!

Please do us a tremendous favor and forward this e-mail on to your pointing dog friends!

Survival bars and other stuff

I took off from work yesterday to do some yard work on our property at Magic Reservoir, and lunch consisted of a couple of survival bars that I made 2 years ago. Other than being slightly stale, they survived the test of time being stored in nothing more than Zip Lock storage bags; although a little stale, they still tasted about as good as what you buy in the stores and are probably better for you as well. I had planned to do some fishing on the way home but with the 80+ degree temperature and cloudless sky, it didn’t seem like fishing weather to me so I bagged it.

We declared the dogs’ Parvo quarantine over last weekend and let them wander about the garden while we worked in it. Since ours and the neighbor’s dogs have been sniffing each other through the fence for the past month or so and Mia has not contracted Parvo, she seems to be safe from it. I now plan on moving their training from the back yard to the pasture.

Mia has shown us that she’s no dummy. Our pantry door doesn’t securely latch and Sophie has shown her how to pop it open to get in. Mia now tries opening any door that she wants to go through.

Finally, I’ve updated the Scrapbook Video page with new videos of Elvis and Mia.

Proper Ways to Spoil a Lab

The following is a “pass along” newsletter article from Just Labs magazine.

August 09

Proper Ways to Spoil a Lab
by Jason Smith

The term “spoiling” conjures up an image of a lazy dog that won’get off the couch; and when he finally does get the boot, his belly hits the ground. He does what he pleases, he sleeps wherever, he expects to finish off the dinner plates, and any other generally boorish and obnoxious behavior, all while the owner just smiles and shakes a head and chuckles and waggles a naughty finger saying, “Well you are just one bad boy, aren’t you punky-muffin? Here, have another piece of steak.”

In other words, “Spoiling = Bad.”

Dr. Dave Erlewein, a Traverse City, Michigan, veterinarian, puts it a little more tactfully. “People tend to use the word ‘spoil’ when they are describing some aspects of their pet’s life and/or the pet-owner bond that they either feel a little guilty about or think the person they are talking with wouldn’t understand. In the guilt arena would be feeding table food; and in the latter would be letting the dog sleep in their bed, relax on the sofa, or sleep with the kids.”

But you can make the equation “Spoiling ≠ Bad” if you just take a moment to think and plan. And the best part? Your Lab will never know the difference. It isn’t like you have to keep up with the Jonses: He won’t see what the golden retriever across the street gets to do and demand that he be allowed the same freedom. He won’t come home from the dog park with a story about that little pug that gets carried everywhere and wonder how come you don’t love him because you won’t carry him everywhere, too. What he will see is the extra attention you are giving him and his life, and he’ll utterly soak it up. It won’t matter that the surprise treats are Cheerios or his normal kibble instead of chunks of steak or bacon — all that will matter is that, Wow! I just got a surprise treat!

What areas of a Lab’s life can we make good spoiling decisions? Well, what does a Lab like to do most? That’s right: eat, sleep, and play. Here are some suggestions — with a little help from Dr. Erlewein — for “spoiling” your Lab that can actually lead to a longer, healthier, and happier life.

The full article “Proper Ways to Spoil a Lab” by Jason Smith appears in the upcoming September/October 2009 issue of Just Labs. If you are a subscriber, stay tuned! That issue will soon mail!

Click for corporate food donations

I received the following email from our local Humane Society and thought I’d pass it along. I’ve clicked on the Animal Rescue Site which is a partner with Petfinder.com and it seems legit.

I signed up for their (Animal Rescue Site) daily reminders so I don’t ever forget. There is no catch…it’s just to help the animals!

Hi, all you animal lovers!

This is pretty simple… Please ask ten friends to each ask a further ten today!

The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily so they can meet their quota of getting FREE FOOD donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute (about 15 seconds) to go to their site and click on the purple box ‘fund food for animals for free’. This doesn’t cost you a thing.

Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.

Here’s the web site! Please pass it along to people you know.

http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/

An afternoon of exercises

Elvis retrieving 8-13-9

I took yesterday off from work and this afternoon, took Sophie, Dakota and Elvis swimming while my wife stayed home with Squirt and Mia. I originally planned on taking the dogs to the nearby Wildlife Management Area (WMA) but at the last moment changed my mind and we went to McTucker Creek. I had thought about checking it out a number of times and today was the perfect opportunity.

There are a few ponds and the river is nearby, and it turned out to be a great place to work with the dogs. For whatever reason my CamStick failed to record the training but I had my camera as a backup and got some good shots.

Elvis, Dakota and Sophie 8-13-9

Elvis hadn’t swam for several weeks but today he took to the water like a Lab. I let him swim and retrieve when he wanted to and explore as much as he wanted – he hasn’t been out in the brush and I wanted to get an idea of how he acted with his freedom. After about 45 minutes I took the dogs for a little walk around the ponds to give Dakota and Sophie a chance to catch their breath. In all, the three of them swam for about 1 ½ hours, Sophie and Dakota a little more than Elvis.

Afterwards we went out into the desert where I shot some test patterns with the shotguns. I’m conducting a product review of HeviShot non-toxic shells. The shooting didn’t seem to bother Elvis so I think that he’ll be ready for hunting in a couple of weeks.

Track and Hunt commands

The trainers who helped me out a couple of weeks ago suggested that for field tests, the dogs need to learn a “track” command for tracking and a “search” or “hunt” command for searching. Previously, I dragged a wing across the grass and hid it under a coffee can for tracking, and planted wings in the pasture to train them to hunt in what I called my Easter egg game. So while I had the concepts down, their instructions allowed me to refine them.

I haven’t worked on their training much during the past couple of weeks – our garden and other commitments have taken up all our time. But last night I resumed their training with hotdogs. With each dog (other than Squirt) I dragged a piece of hotdog across the lawn and then allowed them to track it. Afterwards, I scattered half-a-dozen pieces of hotdog around the back yard and then let them out (including Squirt) with a “hunt” command.

They must have known what I was up to because they immediately began hunting for the hotdogs. By then it was dark and I have no idea who found what, but all the pieces of hotdogs were gone.

I had planned to enter Elvis in an upcoming NAVHDA Natural Ability (NA) test, but I haven’t been able to work with him and so I declined when notified that there was a spot for him in the test. While the NA test does test their natural abilities, there is some prep training that needs to be done first. For example, they should be able to have the rudimentary skills of pointing, tracking, swimming, hunting or searching, and not be gunshy. On the other hand, judges know if they are “over trained” as well.