20 minute read
Doggett at Large
by JOE DOGGETT JOE DOGGETT :: :: TF&G Contributing Editor
Pump Perfection
CERTAIN THINGS BECOME benchmarks of excellence. And these things gain traction through the decades.
For example, if you are talking about something as profound as gospel singing, where do you go from Mahalia Jackson and her rendition of Trouble of the World in the funeral scene of the 1959 lm, Imitation of Life?
If you are talking about something as basic as corn chips for snack food, where do you go from the original Fritos made by C.E. Doolin and sold from the back of his Model T in 1932 in San Antonio? e list of standard bearers goes on and on.
If you are talking about pump-action shotguns, where do you from the Winchester Model Twelve, conceived at the New Haven, Connecticut plant in 1912? To many shooters and collectors, it remains the pinnacle of form and function. It evolved from several previous slide-action guns, most notably the Model 1897 (with its exposed hammer). e Model Twelve is a trim hammerless repeating shotgun anointed by Winchester as the “Perfect Repeater”—and that advertising hype was pre y much on the mark. Or, perhaps more accurately, in the center of the pa ern. e rst guns issued in 1912 were readily available only in 20 gauge. at seems a strange decision by Winchester, given that the 20-gauge was a slow seller. Most of the pump-action shotguns were pointed with heavy loads at waterfowl. e rst 12-gauge and 16-gauge guns were listed in 1913, and available in stores a year later. A few 28s and .410s (built on a smaller frame, dubbed the Model 42, prized by collectors) were later added.
But the 12-gauge eld grade with a pistol grip walnut stock and a plain barrel was the huge favorite. Upgraded guns with solid ribs or ventilated ribs as well as select “fancy” walnut and hand-cut checkering were o ered on a limited basis. e run of the Model Twelve lasted until 1964, when Winchester famously and notoriously cheapened many of its popular models. e meticulously cra ed Model Twelve became too expensive to produce as a eld-grade gun.
Fortunately, almost two million “pre-’64” Model Twelves had already been manufactured.
I realize that the Remington 870 Wingmaster is America’s largest selling shotgun, outnumbering the
Model Twelve approximately 5 to 1 since its introduction in 1950, and it is an excellent pump gun.
I’ve owned three Wingmasters. I still have one. But, well, it’s not the “Perfect Repeater.”
Winchester took few, if any, shortcuts in the design, components and construction of the grand old gun—no stamped parts, no plastic do-dads, no pressed checkering, no ashy trimmings.
A book, “ e Winchester Model Twelve,” written by George Madis in 1982, details its fascinating history. According to Madis, “a partial list of the tooling for this model includes 271 forging and trimming dies, 427 milling, grinding and edging xtures and 1,643 gauges.
“Many small parts which could have been made from standard steel stock were forged, trimmed, machined and polished instead of being made in a less expensive manner. is resulted in much higher quality and raised the cost of manufacture.”
Each component was inspected a er each operation. According to T.J. Johnson, one of the masterminds behind the Model Twelve, there were an astounding 2,739 separate inspections performed on the parts of each gun before the nal proof testing. Mind, this was for the standard eld grade, not a special order from a custom shop.
Despite the graceful lines, the Model Twelve was built like a bank vault. Merton A. Robinson, ballistics engineer at the Winchester plant, stated that each Model Twelve was proof tested “with loads 330 percent more powerful than the heaviest factory loads.” is pump-action gun was made to keep functioning smoothly year a er year, decade a er decade, and under the most adverse eld conditions. According to a Winchester ad in 1943, Robinson grabbed a random gun from the regular assembly line on March 13, 1914. is gun was used in continual testing for 29 years, ring approximately 1,247,000 rounds. e ring pin and spring were replaced only once, a remarkable record for any “o the rack” rearm.
During the past 50 years I have owned ve Model Twelves, two with plain barrels, three with the hard-to- nd solid ribs. e newest was built in 1953, the oldest in 1931. I did not have a single malfunction with any of them.
All were ed with the early “corn cob” walnut slide grip. e grip is slim and cylindrical with a series of 18 deep circular cuts for a secure hold. To my eye, it is the most pleasing of the various fore-end con gurations. It (as well as the solid rib) complements the sleek pro le.
If a minor drawback exists with the Model Twelve, the typical stock of the earlier guns might be cut a tad short for today’s average man. is is ne for layered-up cold-weather shooting but maybe a bit stubby for shirtsleeve dove work. A quick x is to have a gunsmith add a narrow black spacer and a red hard-rubber Winchester recoil pad. Looks great, too. e cost for classic quality keeps increasing. Field grade, 12-gauge Model Twelves in reasonably clean and original condition are selling in the $600 to $1,000 range. Expect to pay more for an upgraded gun or a smaller gauge or an unusual barrel/choke combination—maybe a lot more.
But put your hands on one and you are holding a benchmark. So long as Americans proudly own guns, I’ll bet that the venerable Model Twelve will only increase in value. And I’ll also bet it will keep on shucking long a er you and I are gone.
ened many of its popular models. e meticulously cra ed Model Twelve became too expensive to produce as a eld-grade gun.
Fortunately, almost two million “pre-’64” Model Twelves had already been manufactured.
I realize that the Remington 870 Wingmaster is America’s largest selling shotgun, outnumbering the Model Twelve approximately 5 to 1 since its introa er decade, and under the most adverse eld conditions. According to a Winchester ad in 1943, Robinson grabbed a random gun from the regular assembly line on March 13, 1914. is gun was used in continual testing for 29 years, ring approximately 1,247,000 rounds. e ring pin and spring were replaced only once, a remarkable record for any “o the rack” rearm.
During the past 50 years I have owned ve Model Twelves, two with plain barrels, three with the hard-to- nd solid ribs. e newest was built in 1953, the oldest in 1931. I did not have a single
The Winchester Model Twelve pump-action pump-action shotgun.
Email Joe Doggett at ContactUs@fi shgame.com
EXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE Department (TPWD) biologists have recommended the following special trout regulations. • Past emergency rule provisions • Three fish bag limit • 17- to 23-inch slot limit. No fish over 23 inches.
• From Laguna Madre north through East Matagorda Bay. • Rule to expire on August 31, 2023 and revert back to previous rule.
These recommendations were made by TPWD staff November 2021 and were in response to gill net surveys conducted over the summer as well as fishing pressure. Although trout numbers declined in many areas, fishing pressure did not.
CRUNCHING NUMBERS
In mid-June 2021, Coastal Fisheries biologists completed their routine gill net surveys and began analyzing the data for trends. “Data from these sampling efforts were compared to sampling efforts from previous years in spotted seatrout populations,” TPWD officials said.
The officials reported that gill net data in both the upper and lower Laguna Madre found that the spring 2021 spotted seatrout catch rates were approximately 30 percent lower than the 10-year average.
The data also indicated that there were noteworthy declines in the Matagorda and San Antonio Bay systems in 2021 spotted
seatrout catch rates. Those catch rates were approximately 40 percent lower than the 10-year average.
For Aransas, Galveston, and Sabine Lake, the data showed catch rates that were at or near the 10-year average catch rates.
“Corpus Christi, in fact, saw a 10 percent increase in catch rates for 2021. Considering the natural annual variation in populations, the freeze impact to these systems appears minimal. Also of note were low salinity levels in multiple Texas bay systems when 2021 levels were compared to the 10-year historical average.”
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Although the February 2021 event impacted a large area of the Texas coast, the overall number of fish killed in this event appears to be lower than any of the three freeze events in the 1980s according to TPWD officials.
“Using history as a guide, we believe our fishery has the potential to bounce back fairly quickly as it did after the 1980s freeze event,” said Robin Riechers, Coastal Fisheries Division Director. “Based on our long-term monitoring, we saw the recovery in terms of numbers of spotted seatrout bounce back in approximately two to three years. This does not mean the fish size and age structure were the same as pre-freeze, but the overall numbers did return in that timeframe.”
However, the Spotted Seatrout mortality in the combined upper and lower Laguna Madres is comparable to the events from the 1980s. Below is a breakdown of each event in the 1980s according to TPWD. • December 1983: 14.4 million fish killed with a geographic extent of the entire coast • February 1989: 11.3 million fish killed with a geographic extent of East Matagorda Bay south to the Lower Laguna Madre • December 1989: 6.2 million fish killed with a geographic extent of the entire coast
The 1997 freeze event saw 328,000 fish killed, but had a significantly higher percentage of game species killed (56 percent) than in 2021.
“While some areas of the coast and some species of fish were clearly impacted more than others, overall, this is the worst freezerelated coastal fish kill we have experienced since the 1980s,” TPWD reported.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
The massive coastal freeze that hit Texas in February killed more than four million fish.
Speckled trout, especially mature fish, were killed by the tens of thousands from Upper Laguna Madre to the Mexico line. That area happens to coincide with the location of the last two Texas state records.
Did the freeze kill the next state record trout?
No one reported finding a fish of that size, but it certainly could have been rotting in a pile of carcasses no one noticed. Or perhaps the fish with that genetic potential died at 10 pounds and we will never know.
It’s important to look back at history for some perspective on this.
Carl “Bud” Rowland caught the current official state record speckled trout May 23, 2002, in Lower Laguna Madre. It weighed 16 pounds and measured a monstrous 37 inches.
This replaced the record trout Jim Wallace caught in Baffin Bay in 1996 that weighed 13 pounds, 11 ounces.
PHOTO: COURTESY NATHAN WHIPKEY
Nathan Whipkey holds a huge trout found dead after the freeze in Oso Bay in the Corpus Christi Bay complex.
Wallace’s sh beat the 13-9 record held by Mike Blackwood set in 1975. It took 21 years for that record to fall and this year marks 18 years later that Rowland caught his Lower Laguna giant.
One could look at major coastal freeze kills as being a limiting factor in big trout production, and that’s a valid point, but Wallace’s sh came seven years a er the major freeze kill of 1989. at sh was de nitely born before the freeze. at should give anglers hope of what is possibly still swimming the waters of the Texas coast or what will appear in a few years.
NATHAN CHIDRESS WAS NERVOUS. THE HUGE ibex billy he was hunting had eluded him all a ernoon, but now it seemed as if he might have an opportunity for a clean shot. e big, beautiful goat was positioned behind a tree, which made a shoulder shot impossible, but the ibex had his head down and was eating. Perhaps he would continue feeding and move out just a few feet, and that’s exactly what happened.
With only a few yards of opening between the tree and a cedar thicket, fourteen-year-old Nathan raised the ri e, placed the crosshair behind the shoulder and squeezed the trigger.
“You missed,” said out er ompson Temple, who was watching with binoculars.
“Oh man, I thought I had him,” Nathan replied.
Temple said.
Nathan breathed a sigh of relief, and we all had a good laugh. Now it was time to wait a few minutes for the ibex to go down, but there would be no blood trail to follow.
Nathan shot it with a special dart that injects a tranquilizer.
Temple needed to inoculate it from disease and move it to another pasture. ere, it could mate with a herd of female ibex as part of his ongoing breeding management program.
Ten minutes later, we found the ibex. A er administering some inoculations, Nathan posed for photos with the animal he had very legitimately hunted. en we moved it to another pasture.
The author darted this big ram and helped innoculate it from disease.
Tompson Temple showed Nathan Childress how he gives injections to his animals.
One of the author’s early mentors, Tony Houseman, who at different times served as the president of both the Houston Safari Club and Dallas Safari Club, went on an early “green hunt” for a rhino.
Temple injected it with the antidote, and the billy shot straight up and started walking. He would not have passed any sobriety test with his wobbly strut, but it didn’t take long for him to nd his bearings. Soon he was o with the nannies that were calling out in the distance. at’s a radically di erent story than the rst dart hunt I ever heard of back in the early 2000s.
One of my outdoor mentors, the late Tony Houseman shot a white rhino as part of a “green hunt” on a remote tract in southern Africa. Sperm was collected from the big male and then taken to another area to arti cially inseminate a female. is practice has been ongoing and has contributed to the genetic diversity of white rhinos.
“A er hi ing the rhino with the antidote, they are supposed to take a few minutes to get moving,” Houseman recounted upon returning from his expedition. “But the one I shot jumped right up and gave us a good scare. We were all moving pre y fast.” ese are called green hunts because the animal isn’t killed, but all other parts of the hunting experience are intact. ese green hunts are regularly done with rhinos. Similar hunts are now staged with jaguars in South America.
Hunters are paying to hunt the jaguar with hounds, tree the cat and dart it. e hunt pays for important conservation research. A er darting the jaguar, the hunters take photographs, and the animal is ed with a GPS tracking collar. About an hour before sunset on the same day Nathan darted the ibex, I got to do the same thing with a massive exotic hybrid ram.
He wanted to inoculate the ram. However, unlike deer which can be injected easily by shooting them with a dart, these sheep have thick hair and wool which makes it necessary to do it by hand.
A er all, you only know the animal is hit with the tranquilizer when it starts moving slowly. Antibiotics don’t have the same impact.
It was very much like bowhunting because I had to get within 30 yards for a shot. Also, since sheep are herd animals, it was a challenge to hit the ram and not the wrong animal.
I love wild and exotic sheep and ge ing my hands on this big one for a photo was exciting. Even more ful lling was knowing we helped Temple’s management plan to move forward by giving this big, breeder ram some protection against sickness.
On the same trip, Nathan shot a beautiful Texas Dall ram, successfully taking his rstever big game animal. He was understandably excited. “Ge ing to dart, give a medical treatment of sorts and move that big ibex was even cooler. I’ll never forget that opportunity,” he said.
Green hunting is already making an impact globally for wildlife. Here in Texas, animals are darted, examined, medicated and moved on a daily basis on ranches throughout the state.
I believe this could be a great way to get young people perhaps from hunting families who are not quite down with killing an animal to understand hunting, game management and conservation.
e real opportunity here is with exotics. If a rancher needs to dart and move a big blackbuck or red stag, why not involve a young person? It would be a golden opportunity to see the bene ts of the hunting industry and how game management works. Adults on the outer edges of the hunting world might want to see what it’s about too.
I got to scan the horns of the ibex and ram with Trophy-Scan, an incredible technology that is already in use in a major way scoring deer for the Los Cazadores Whitetail Deer Contest. An app and scanner along with an ipad allows horns to be detail-scanned. is will create an image that can be sent to 3-D printers. eoretically you could scan a horn or skull mount of an animal you helped move for a rancher. e technology even allows the image to be scaled up or down to something like a pendant for a necklace.
Although what Nathan and I did wasn’t labeled as a green hunt, in essence, it was one. For Nathan in particular, it was a wonderful experience.
It’s amazing to me that nearly 20 years ago, I rst heard of this concept with Tony Houseman’s incredible rhino adventure. Maybe one day I’ll get to travel across the Atlantic and go on a green hunt for rhinos.
My nances would have to radically change, but it’s okay to dream, right?
But if not, the memories of sharing such a special experience with Nathan and ompson Temple will live with me forever.
For more information on exotic hunting go to www.thompsontemple.net
I
AM 33 YEARS OLD, BORN AND RAISED IN NEW
Mexico. I grew up living with my mom, brother, and sister in the city of Albuquerque. My mom’s family is mostly non-hunters, but they support wildlife conservation. ere are several hunters in my dad’s family, some of which also raise various farm animals for natural food sources and harvesting.
I was never exposed much to the hunting culture growing up. I was very rarely exposed to rearms; however, I shared the interest of shing with my dad growing up. He passed away when I was 23.
Growing up I was always told that hunting was too dangerous for girls. ey were not allowed on the hunting trips. I never found the interest to learn about it, and I stuck with shing instead until just recently.
With my kid’s dad, I currently co-parent two amazing kids, my son 10 and daughter 9. Over the last year, I moved in to my own home with just me and my kids.
I started nding new hobbies and interests. Recently, I learned to shoot a traditional bow and participated in a bow shoot this last year. A friend, who is now my mentor, started showing me how to track and hunt turkeys with my bow.
Over the last several years I’ve acquired some really bad food allergies to preservatives. and it’s been a challenge for me to nd natural foods. So, when I started learning more about bow hunting, I started ge ing very motivated to take home my rst turkey. I then grew more interested in bow hunting and started asking my mentor more questions about hunting bigger game to bring home natural meat for me and my family.
Bea Segura takes aim on one of the ranges at the FTW Ranch.
It was such a coincidence of timing when my mentor, then received an email from the Wild Sheep Foundation about an opportunity for women to participate in a new hunter program called “Women Hunt,” founded by Renee ornton of the Wild Sheep Foundation. It is designed to teach women like me about ethical hunting, wildlife conservation, and harvesting animals to provide natural sources of food.
I applied for the opportunity to learn. I was one of 12 women chosen to participate in a new hunter program at the FTW Ranch in Texas and be a representative of the Women Hunt program with the Wild Sheep Foundation. is opportunity has changed my life. It has prepared me to spread awareness of wildlife conservation and ethical hunting to others. I seek out women who, like me, had had no exposure to the hunting culture, but who want to learn how to provide and prepare food for our families.
Not only did the Women Hunt program
Bea Segura took her fi rst-ever whitetail, this mature doe, while hunting at the FTW Ranch near Barksdale.
teach me how to hunt (which ultimately prepared me to take home my very rst whitetail doe), but it helped me build my con dence to seek out my interests. Now, when anyone tries to convince me that “some things are too dangerous for women,” I challenge that statement and make a judgment for myself independently.
I don’t believe in categorizing anyone based on gender, age, race, or religion. I think anyone should go out and try something new they nd interesting, and I did just that.
I came back home from hunting in Texas and provided food for my kids, and more importantly, came back with more knowledge than I expected about hunting and wildlife conservation. I now have more respect for the hunting culture and enough knowledge about it to share the awareness about wildlife conservation with my kids and family.
A er my experience at the FTW Ranch, I immediately went to my state a liate of the Wild Sheep Foundation and asked how I can get more women involved here in my state of New Mexico. I plan to share my experiences with other women, children, and anyone else interested.
I feel that there are people out there that are in the position I was in wanting to eat natural, and provide food for our families. I want to be a role model for my kids and inspire them to chase their dreams and be independent human beings that can provide for themselves. Most importantly, I want to teach my kids the ethical ways and reasons for respecting the culture of hunting and how we, and the next generations to come, can continue to support wildlife conservation.
