If you’ve ever fired a side-by-side or over-under, there’s a 99.9% chance your hands have touched one of Westley Richards’s patents. Westley Richards & Co. opened for business in 1812, and in the 19th century, they invented the top-lever, the rib extension, the dolls head, and, as noted, the boxlock shotgun. Called the “Anson & Deeley Hammerless Gun” when it was introduced, the gun was a revelation—and a revolution. It had all the hammerless-shotgun benefits already mentioned plus it was easy to open, cock, load, and fire. A famous Victorian shooter wrote “... I most highly and thoroughly approve of this gun, and most strongly recommend it to my brother sportsmen.” So why didn’t the boxlock take over the British shooting world? One word: snobbery.

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We have all been there before. Duck season is at the halfway point. Opening day excitement has worn off. That sweet spot we call “mid-season” is upon us and, with it, comes...stale ducks! If this were a movie, we would now hear menacing music.

So, what are stale ducks? Honestly, I hadn’t heard the term until I was in my thirties. I now know the telltale symptoms of stale ducks in the first few minutes of a hunt.

• They begin to circle just close enough that you think they might decoy but just far away enough that doubt creeps in.
• They start to “bump and run” whereby they cup their wings and dive toward the decoys then pull up about sixty yards out for yet another pass.
• When you blow your call they either snub you or beat a path in the opposite direction.
• They begin to frequent off-the-beaten-path areas that offer less pressure from predators, both wild and human.

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In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt created the first National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Pelican Island, off the coast of Florida. Seventy-three years later, the J.N. 'Ding' Darling NWR was established in Lee County, named after the father of the federal duck stamp.

Now, there's a battle among Florida waterfowl hunters and developers, with the Florida Wildlife Conservation (FWC) Commission stuck in the middle. FWC has submitted a proposal to change the rule for establishing Restricted Hunting Areas, leading to pushback from hunters like Travis Thompson, host of the Cast and Blast podcast, and a full-time waterfowl guide.

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Discover the origin story of the rugged, versatile Spinone and how it has developed into the modern, versatile hunting dog growing in popularity with hunters around the world.

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Many things in Alaska have a uniqueness all their own, and ptarmigan hunting in the winter and spring is no exception. The ever-present challenge with hunting in Alaska is not only finding your quarry, but also getting to it. A ptarmigan hunt in the fall often presents the challenge of finding birds in a vast and endless landscape. When the mountains are covered in snow, however, the challenge is inverted. Almost every mountain valley will hold some amount of ptarmigan, and wherever you see exposed willow tops you'll either find birds or you'll find evidence that they had been there. The bigger challenge this time of year lies in getting to them.

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Ringnecks that have survived to January aren’t your average barnyard chickens. They know every trick in every book because they wrote the books. If you remember only one thing from this article, it should be this: think differently.

Your pursuit of ducks this season doesn’t have to break the bank. While duck hunting does require a few unique investments such as a good pair of waders, non-toxic shot, and migratory bird stamps, investing in an expensive, prefabricated duck blind isn’t required. With a little creativity, some sweat equity, and a few simple materials, concealing yourself from the wary eyes of working ducks is definitely possible.

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Explore the West/Gibbons method of training pointing dogs through the eyes of a novice bird dog handler who attended a training seminar with Mo Lindley.

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For the uninitiated, a healthy dose of preparation—both mental and physical—will go a long way toward making the most of your efforts. Going to Hells Canyon once does not make anyone an expert. If anything, it just exposes how little you actually know about how to hunt this canyon. It is from that humble perspective that I offer a few tips to anyone considering a first-time hunt here.

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It's a shame, really. The future of hunting hangs in the balance, and some folks would cut off their nose to spite their face. It's as if they simply can't comprehend that the more people exposed to and actively engaged in hunting, the more conservation dollars flow, the more people who care about maintaining healthy ecosystems and the more clout the hunting community has when it comes to the competing interests trying to divvy up our public lands.

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