Hunting with Mod/Full Chokes

[David Hansen]

Originally Posted by Dylan Rhodes

a couple questions:

1. Are you hunting over pointing dogs?
2. Are the birds released or wild?

I regularly hunt with Mod/F and even F/F for released birds over a pointing dog in PA. I find that they are slow as molasses and I have plenty of time to get the gun lined up the way I want to deliver a well-placed shot. I have had less success with this choke combination on wild birds without a pointing dog, but it can still be done. Spreader loads work pretty well, but they are usually only available in 7-8 shot anymore, at least commercially. I wouldn't want to take 7 shot on wild birds, but it does the trick on released. Spend some time at a clays course with it, I think you may be thinking its harder to hit things with those chokes than it really is.

I hunt behind my pointing dogs for wild and released birds. My thought was the chokes will be fine on wild pheasants. I prefer a little tighter choke on them. Debating whether to try it this fall on a Maine grouse trip and on the prairies chasing sharptail and huns. Will likely stick with my 28 ga for quail. Tempted to give it a whirl on all the larger birds, and just have my 12 ga choked Imp/Mod as a back-up. I’m intrigued with the logic behind a M/F choke set-up, so hunting without spreder loads to start is appealing. Just curious what others have experienced. Thank you.

[Mike of the Mountain]

I hunt with F/F and M/F for all upland birds. Never missed a bird because I had "too much choke". I did turn a mudbat into a gooey feather pillow once though. I do make spreader loads for hunting in the 20, 16 and 12. They're good for mudbat and early season grouse for the right barrel. If we're into a mudbat flight I'll load a spreader in both barrels so I don't destroy the birds. I load the spreaders with 9, 10 or 11 shot.