Taking down ducks with a Model 12 Winchester shotgun

Antique shotgun — young hunter. As Travis Kort and I slipped into my duck blind, we uncased his gun. It was a Model 12 Winchester pump-in 12 gauge. A big gun for a beginner.

Travis is 14 years old. He had never hunted anything until this duck hunt. He lives with his grandparents, Michael and Jodi DeVries, who are members of my cowboy church at Canyon Lake. I had taken Travis fishing several times but he was eager to try hunting.

As we waited for legal shooting time to arrive, I looked at the classic Winchester. The gun had been passed down to him from a great-grandfather. Looking at the old gun brought back deep memories. My dad shot a Model 12 all his life. When we hunted squirrels in the big thicket, he always had the Winchester under his arm. Winchester introduced the Model 12 pump (technically called a slide-action gun) in 1912. It set the standard for pump action shotguns until discontinued by Winchester in 1964. Nearly two million of this classic shotgun were produced during those 51 years. I think it’s the best pump-action shotgun ever produced. The Remington 870 Wing master, which was introduced later, runs a very close second — 870’s are still being made.

My dad’s gun went through a renovation when I was in my 20s. We were drawn for a deer hunt in the Engeling Wildlife Management area in East Texas. Neither Dad nor I had ever hunted deer. We had no deer rifles. So he loaded the old Winchester with .00 buckshot.

Late in the morning, I heard his shotgun blast. The another shot — another shot — another shot. I later learned that he shot up all his buckshot. He hit the buck and it could no longer run but the deer was not dead. Dad slipped up behind the buck as its head was poking up. He thought that he could hit the deer on the head and finish him off. Whack! The barrel of the Model 12 came down on the skull of the buck, right between the horns. The barrel bent like spaghetti. Oh no! So he turned the gun around and hit the deer with his gun stock. It shattered.

Later a gunsmith straightened the barrel and put on a new stock. The old 12 gauge was as good as new. When Dad died, my brother Bill inherited the Model 12. He completely renewed the shotgun by having the receiver nickel-plated and the barrel re-blued. It’s beautiful. But it doesn’t look like a real Model 12. Travis’ gun looked the part.

Right at shooting time, a group of ringnecks sailed by just outside the decoys. I fired and one folded.

“Did you shoot, Travis?” I asked.

He hadn’t. I quickly learned that he was afraid of the “kick.” I showed him how to get the gun adjusted perfectly on his shoulder. The gun would push him back but not kick him. If the shotgun is held away from the shoulder, it will kick like a mule.

More ducks came in but Travis didn’t shoot. He couldn’t click the safety off quick enough. Finally, he fired the Model 12 and was happy it didn’t hurt him. He shot several times but was always slow and late. The gun was just too heavy and long for him. Knowing that such a thing might happen, I had prepared for plan B. I pulled my little 20 gauge Franchi semi-auto from a case behind the blind. The Franchi only weighs a fraction over five pounds. A big smile crossed his face as he lifted the little gun.

We had a terrible day for duck hunting. Clear and still as a mouse. Most ducks stayed too high. Finally, I called a trio of birds right over us. Travis fired and missed. My sweet 16 Browning didn’t fire. No shells in it. I had been so busy helping Travis that I forgot to load my shotgun. Introducing young people to the outdoor sports of hunting and fishing calls for extra work and patience. But it’s fun.

Later, a single ringneck set his wings above us and dropped toward the decoys. He didn’t come in perfectly but he was close enough for a long shot. I fired twice and the duck turned on the afterburners to escape. Travis opened up three times with the little 20 gauge. I saw the bird twitch on his third shot. The duck began to lose altitude slowly and crashed all the way across the lake. I took my retriever, Annie and trudged all the way around the lake. The duck tried to fly but Travis’ shot had disabled him. Annie was on the ring-neck like a bullet.

I held the bird up. Across the lake, I heard Travis cheer. He had his first duck.

Next year, we will try the old Winchester again. Travis should have the classic pump all his life. It’s a beautiful gun.