Beretta Blog

It's late in the season, and that means a lot has changed since we first cut loose the dogs in the fall. Instead of winds blowing from the warm south, they now come from the cold north. Trees full of leaves first turned colorful and then dropped to the ground. Seasonally warm-if-not-hot temperatures and their associated dryness are replaced by colder weather and accompanying moisture. Scenting conditions are better with the cooler, windier, and damp weather, but what does the weather change do for hunters? If you're not careful, you'll certainly stay warm but you'll miss one heck of a lot of birds. Or you might stay too warm and overheat.

Hunting seasons are opening up across our country, and everyone is excited. Dogs shake with nervous excitement to get out of their kennels, and we hurry up to get back into the fields where we belong. There is no shortage of enthusiasm anywhere. You all know the drill, but it makes sense to do a quick refresh of some commonly missed safety practices.

For seemingly forever, layering systems have been an integral part of our sporting lives. Back-in-the-day we wore a t-shirt followed by a cotton shirt accompanied by a wool sweater and then a waxed-cotton coat. If the coat was tan, it doubled in a duck blind, and if not it was traded for one with a camo pattern. These natural materials felt great, they worked well, and we were comfortable. Sometimes we got wet, other times we got hot, but usually, we were cold. No one complained for it was part of hunting.

Stuffing seems to be the most loved ingredient that we enjoy on our Thanksgiving and Christmas menus. This year I had rave reviews on my stuffing, and it could've been due to the secret field-to-fork ingredient. Dare I tell the story of how I made the "best stuffing ever?" What's the secret ingredient that is derived from a challenging hunt? Read on, and I'll share the story of how well-trained dogs, a beautiful mountain environment, and a challenging hunt lead to delicious eats on the table.  

There was only one person in our household lucky enough to draw a big game tag this year. My daughter turned 12 in the spring making this her first opportunity to hunt big game in Colorado. Now, she has a late season cow elk tag for the northwest part of the state.

It’s a scenario I’ve seen dozens of times: a frustrated shooter with spent cartridges all over the shooting bench and still no zero. Sighting in can be frustrating if not properly approached, but if done correctly, it’s a simple and painless process.

The first objective is to remove all variables possible. That means making sure the scope is properly mounted to the rifle, using a steady and solid rest to allow repeatable shots, and setting up a target large enough to record any shots fired. Once this is accomplished, check the scope for parallax by moving your eye back and forth behind the ocular lens and watching to see if the reticle moves across the target. If the crosshairs move, you have a parallax problem that will affect your ability to fire accurate shots. If your scope has adjustable parallax, make sure it's set to the proper distance.

Being outdoors, hunting, is a great way to spend time with family and friends. Most people come to hunting by way of a family mentor. They spend time in the outdoors with their parents or grandparents. Ideally, they’ll enroll in a hunter’s safety course. They get their certification and then head out to the field with their trusted gun to become an official member of the hunting community.

For many of us around the country, early goose season is here. If you’re at all like me, you’re not even remotely ready for it. What would a hunting season be without a last-minute, late-night scramble to remember where the blind bag is, where I stashed my calls, and what did my wife do with my gear? I swear, I think she hides some of that stuff just because I tease her about her shoes. When you finally get everything around and get out to the field, you can take a breath and relax. At least that is the theory, right? Never works for me either. Through all the craziness of getting out into the field, there is one thing you can always count on – something is going to go wrong. Do you just pack in and go back home, or do you deal with it? Well, duh – you deal.

Last year I passed up my annual Louisiana waterfowl hunt to join Beretta and Sako on an epic journey to Finland and Russia. While that trip has trumped all other birthday events, I have fond memories of cutting birds from the Southern skies on the date of my birth celebration.

For multiple years I headed south to the warmer, humid temperatures to take aim at the mini-F14-like Blue Winged Teal. If you haven’t partaken in the hunt, I must warn you that it’s an addicting one. While I’m not a fantastic shot at the zinging orange clay targets at the range, I’ve become quite proficient at blasting the little speed demons from the sky.

For many of us, our first crack at duck hunting every year comes from those tasty, winged speedsters – teal. It is a great way to kick off a long waterfowl season and is a lot of fun. With more states adding early teal hunts, and the popularity of duck hunting still rising, there are a lot of newcomers to the hunt headed to the waterways this year. While you can screw things up and still luck into a good hunt, there are plenty of ways a rookie can foul up a teal season. Heck, even a seasoned waterfowling expert can mess things up, so a refresher may just be in order.