Hunting the Gambels Quail out where I live, it's kind of an oasis in the desert. The mix of farm, desert, and feedlot holds plenty of birds, but they have a brilliant escape plan. Straight North to the water canal system, and the dense atriplex cover that runs along the waterways. The cover means safety, and the birds just burrow in. They really have no reason to flee the cover, but for the diligence of a couple of hard working bird dogs sniffing the outskirts of the bush, and punching in as far as possible. The birds know the dogs know they're in there, and they will often give in to their nerves, and make a run for it. Opportunities typically start at 35 yds, and get worse from there, though sometimes (rarely) the fear of the spotted beasts will drive them straight into your face.
Running a 32" VHE, with factory full chokes, I choose my shots. This gun shoots where I look, and will control the real estate out to 50 yards. That's right where this guy was, when the right bbl caught up with him.
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I have more glamorous guns in the safe, but this one is the one that I rely on to get the job done on late season quail.
Those Parker boys really knew what they were doing, when they constructed the interior ballistics of these guns.
Go-to gun
Threaded Mode