Worth told me he had another book coming out in December and I've been on the lookout for it since. My copy arrived yesterday. The book is now available on Amazon at the below link and you can even get it on Kindle. I'm about to pick it up and start reading. You should too!
Thanks for this note. So glad it's available on my Kindle - pretty much all I can read long books on since I went monovision 5 years ago. Now I just have to find my Amazon password....
Ahhh - modern life! I got Worth's book on my Kindle - here in Berlin - shortly after I wrote my last note. I got to its final page last night. A fine read!
I enjoyed learning about Worth's many, many wing-shooting adventures over his 3/4 century afield. Although the geographic breadth and the variety of species far outstrips my adventures here in New York (mostly) over my 59 seasons, it made me reflect - very pleasurably - on many of my own hunts. I also liked knowing that Worth and I have a special place in our hearts for Brant and "Bluebills". Of course, my experience is with Atlantic Brant and with Broadbill (Greaters). And, my puddle duck is our Black Duck.
(I cannot touch his shotguns! Although I've had a few over the years - including a Parker GHE - I am pretty much a one-gun fellow. My beloved Model 12 - 2-3/4" FULL - with nickel steel has been my go-to gun since I first used one in the mid-80s. I tripled on Brant - 3 shots-3birds - the first day with it on Great South Bay. It turns 100 this year.)
One melancholy aspect of the book was Worth's chronicling of the all-too-many species that have declined dramatically over our lifetimes. (I'm 71 - Class of '53).
Worth~ I am wondering about your Barnegat. Can you tell us more? Builder? Wood or 'glass? LOA and beam? I read several times of you taking another along - usually Marge. That would be a challenge in the "standard" 12x4 'box. And yet you sometimes horsed it into and out of gunning waters sans a proper launch ramp. (I often used wooden beach rollers for such settings.) Is yours a 13x5 like mine, by any chance?
Always on the lookout for a good how-to book. If there are other good books on duck hunting, specifically smaller waters, please recommend. Berta and I just started two years ago and it is a steep learning curve. Richard
Ahhh - modern life! I got Worth's book on my Kindle - here in Berlin - shortly after I wrote my last note. I got to its final page last night. A fine read!
I enjoyed learning about Worth's many, many wing-shooting adventures over his 3/4 century afield. Although the geographic breadth and the variety of species far outstrips my adventures here in New York (mostly) over my 59 seasons, it made me reflect - very pleasurably - on many of my own hunts. I also liked knowing that Worth and I have a special place in our hearts for Brant and "Bluebills". Of course, my experience is with Atlantic Brant and with Broadbill (Greaters). And, my puddle duck is our Black Duck.
(I cannot touch his shotguns! Although I've had a few over the years - including a Parker GHE - I am pretty much a one-gun fellow. My beloved Model 12 - 2-3/4" FULL - with nickel steel has been my go-to gun since I first used one in the mid-80s. I tripled on Brant - 3 shots-3birds - the first day with it on Great South Bay. It turns 100 this year.)
One melancholy aspect of the book was Worth's chronicling of the all-too-many species that have declined dramatically over our lifetimes. (I'm 71 - Class of '53).
Worth~ I am wondering about your Barnegat. Can you tell us more? Builder? Wood or 'glass? LOA and beam? I read several times of you taking another along - usually Marge. That would be a challenge in the "standard" 12x4 'box. And yet you sometimes horsed it into and out of gunning waters sans a proper launch ramp. (I often used wooden beach rollers for such settings.) Is yours a 13x5 like mine, by any chance?
Ahhh - modern life! I got Worth's book on my Kindle - here in Berlin - shortly after I wrote my last note. I got to its final page last night. A fine read!
I enjoyed learning about Worth's many, many wing-shooting adventures over his 3/4 century afield. Although the geographic breadth and the variety of species far outstrips my adventures here in New York (mostly) over my 59 seasons, it made me reflect - very pleasurably - on many of my own hunts. I also liked knowing that Worth and I have a special place in our hearts for Brant and "Bluebills". Of course, my experience is with Atlantic Brant and with Broadbill (Greaters). And, my puddle duck is our Black Duck.
(I cannot touch his shotguns! Although I've had a few over the years - including a Parker GHE - I am pretty much a one-gun fellow. My beloved Model 12 - 2-3/4" FULL - with nickel steel has been my go-to gun since I first used one in the mid-80s. I tripled on Brant - 3 shots-3birds - the first day with it on Great South Bay. It turns 100 this year.)
One melancholy aspect of the book was Worth's chronicling of the all-too-many species that have declined dramatically over our lifetimes. (I'm 71 - Class of '53).
Worth~ I am wondering about your Barnegat. Can you tell us more? Builder? Wood or 'glass? LOA and beam? I read several times of you taking another along - usually Marge. That would be a challenge in the "standard" 12x4 'box. And yet you sometimes horsed it into and out of gunning waters sans a proper launch ramp. (I often used wooden beach rollers for such settings.) Is yours a 13x5 like mine, by any chance?
Ahhh - modern life! I got Worth's book on my Kindle - here in Berlin - shortly after I wrote my last note. I got to its final page last night. A fine read!
I enjoyed learning about Worth's many, many wing-shooting adventures over his 3/4 century afield. Although the geographic breadth and the variety of species far outstrips my adventures here in New York (mostly) over my 59 seasons, it made me reflect - very pleasurably - on many of my own hunts. I also liked knowing that Worth and I have a special place in our hearts for Brant and "Bluebills". Of course, my experience is with Atlantic Brant and with Broadbill (Greaters). And, my puddle duck is our Black Duck.
(I cannot touch his shotguns! Although I've had a few over the years - including a Parker GHE - I am pretty much a one-gun fellow. My beloved Model 12 - 2-3/4" FULL - with nickel steel has been my go-to gun since I first used one in the mid-80s. I tripled on Brant - 3 shots-3birds - the first day with it on Great South Bay. It turns 100 this year.)
One melancholy aspect of the book was Worth's chronicling of the all-too-many species that have declined dramatically over our lifetimes. (I'm 71 - Class of '53).
Worth~ I am wondering about your Barnegat. Can you tell us more? Builder? Wood or 'glass? LOA and beam? I read several times of you taking another along - usually Marge. That would be a challenge in the "standard" 12x4 'box. And yet you sometimes horsed it into and out of gunning waters sans a proper launch ramp. (I often used wooden beach rollers for such settings.) Is yours a 13x5 like mine, by any chance?
Steve, Not certain if I can answer all your questions about the Barnegat I had. I had a Humboldt Bay scull boat for about ten years before I got my first Barnegat. I got the Barnegat from Dave Hagerbaumer after he and Tom Newell had 5 made by a Gig Harbor, Washington boat builder named Bill West. Both Dave and Tom had Barnegats stolen and needed replacements. Tom told me they made the mold from a New Jersey Barnegat that Dave had in his collection of boats. They contacted others that might want one while they were being built. I took one, the Oregon decoy carver Ron Saylor took one and another fellow took the 5th. Those boats were 12 feet long. I am not certain about the weight but I was able to slide it into water without a boat ramp. In one place on the Umpqua River in Oregon where I hunted lesser scaup there was no problem getting the boat down into the river but in getting it back up the bank I had to take the motor off, tie a rope to the boat and my truck and tow it back up. My wife and I hunted from this boat frequently. But we just used the boat to get to shore locations where we would get out to shoot. Most of these days were at Siltcoos Lake in coastal Oregon where we hunted lesser scaup and canvasbacks. I used about three dozen decoys, all hand carved and heavy. I put as many as possible under the bow and the remainder bungee corded on top of the bow. I will admit now this was unsafe. With two people, a Lab and the decoys the boat was over weighted. We had one afternoon on Siltcoos trying to get back to the boat ramp that put an end to our trips together there. Things got much more than dicey! We also used the boat on Oregon coastal bays for wigeon. On one bay, as the tide came in, Marge would stay in the boat and I would get out in chest wader and lay across the bow until the ducks were close enough to shoot. On another bay we would shoot from a shore location. However, about 80% of the time I used the boat just for myself. Somewhere along the line I picked up another sneak box. It was homemade and far from a well made Barnegat. I used it several times to take big spreads of diver and brant decoys out, towing behind my other boat. I ended up shipping it down to Australia and used it for duck hunting down there. The other duck hunters termed it as my "floating coffin."
Regarding guns, those Model 12s are a sentimental favorite even if they only have one barrel. I used my father's 1936 20 bore Model 12 for years until it was a part of the guns I gave to Delta. I also had a 2 3/4 inch Model 12 12 bore that I shot my first brant with. After that I had two Heavy Duck 3 inch Model 12s. I used one almost the entire time I was hunting snow geese in Saskatchewan one season. Great guns!
If you want more information about the various Barnegats Dave and Tom had, send me an email with your email address and I will send you Tom's phone number. My email address is: slpress@comcast.net. All the best for 2025. Worth
