Ava Cauley and her father Kevin often razz each other about which of their Perazzis is better. But all kidding aside, coached by legendary shooting instructor and Perazzi advocate Mike Simpson, the three of them have centered on Perazzi to shape the 16-year-old into a world-class, bunker-trap competitor.
Shotguns are one of the most versatile weapons out there. They are a favorite choice of hunters, and with the right choice of ammunition, can be used to hunt everything from upland birds to big whitetail bucks. Shotguns can also be used as home defense weapons. But with so many uses, a lot of people are not aware that there are actually many different types of shotguns.
At this point, shotguns for female wing and clays shooters are really nothing new. But until Krieghoff’s introduction of its new K-80 Victoria, what most of its competitors lacked is exactly what the German premium gunmaker brings to the 12-gauge marketplace: pedigree, both in terms of superior workmanship associated with the brand, and social accolades through its support of women shooters who serve as role models for recreational and aspiring competitive shooters.
Among the pine trees of Quail Country Plantation, Anna Van Nostrand, CZ over/under broken open across her shoulder, kneels next to her five-year-old daughter Hallie Jo “Bird Dog Tater,” talking to her about the bobwhite quail she holds that was recently downed by her mother.
If you ever shot a Krieghoff K-20 Parcours you might walk away thinking that this 20-gauge over/under is the best handling shotgun, period. That could be attributed to the Parcours approach that pairs barrels lighter than the standard model with the low-profile K-20 action. For ladies, the K-20 Parcours now gets even better with the new purpose-designed Krieghoff K-20 Victoria.
Two years ago, I was living in an apartment in the basement of a brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I was working in private practice as a psychiatric nurse practitioner and spending most of my weekends driving two hours both ways to upstate New York to do something in the outdoors. I was tired and burnt out and when a relationship I had been in ended, I needed a change. Little did I know that the catalyst for that change would be my seven-year-old black Labrador, Goose.
Don’t be shocked to see Amber Haynes wear ritzy Christian Louboutin heels with upland field pants. As the only child of a Houston oil-and-gas guy, he brought his young daughter along on the Texas quail and pheasant hunts that ultimately became her fashion muse.
“I’ve been tagging along with my dad hunting since I was little,” said Ms. Haynes.
In 1803, London sporting dog expert William Taplin published the first of two volumes titled “The Sportsman’s Cabinet” – an elaborately leather bound and illustrated compendium described as “A correct delineation of the canine race.”
In 2003 Chris Mathan paid homage to Mr. Taplin by starting her own business called The Sportsman’s Cabinet, which brought her highly acclaimed dog photography to an Internet audience. Ms. Mathan’s Sportsman’s Cabinet started when, after seven years as a senior designer and art director at one of Portland, Maine’s most prestigious advertising agency, she opted to become professionally immersed in upland bird hunting and pointing-dog field trials.
There’s no shortage of self-help books, blogs and TV shows on how to maintain a successful marriage. They often dispense predictable suggestions such as romantic getaways, better communications and compromise.
While those tactics are certainly useful, my friend Paula Formosa and I have discovered that hunting with your significant other strengthens personal bonds in ways that are more meaningful and longer lasting than a dip in a heart-shaped Jacuzzi.
Alicia and Monica Dale are red-haired sisters that make up a duo of successful clays shooters.
And their shotgun of choice? Well, coincidentally, it’s the CZ Redhead Premier Target as it happens, which actually marked an upswing in their games by providing better fit and improved reliability over their previous shotguns, according to the sisters.
The new Syren USA line of ladies shotguns and accessories underscores an encouraging trend of premium shotguns designed for the shape of a woman’s body.
In the wingshooting universe, the principles of conservation and ecology underpin habitat stewardship. Lyndall Bailye, founder of Good Shot Design tweed shooting apparel, is integrating those ideals into a line of traditional British shooting clothes and accessories made of high-tech fabrics now imported into the U.S. by her company.
The GRITS (Girls Really Into Shooting) is the easiest group to find on the sporting clays course or the upland fields of bird hunting. That’s because their raucous exuberance of hooting, hollering and laughing has earned them a reputation as hardcore enthusiasts fearless in their solidarity of female empowerment through the shotgun sports.
Summer had arrived with a vengeance here in the northeast with soaring temperatures and very little rain. Even so, as James Taylor croons in one of my still-favorite songs, “It’s my favorite time of the year.” It’s that time of year when we can sit back and kick back and yes, focus on our spiritual life.
Irwin Greenstein
Publisher
Shotgun Life
PO Box 6423
Thomasville, GA 31758
Phone: 229-236-1632