I think the general consensus is that it is in a state of flux or in a continuous state of fluidity.





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As much as I wish it were otherwise, I believe I must add another word to the discussion: "Decline."

All eras blossom, revel, and then pass. Some take longer to run the cycle than others. But in our time, things were tied to the culture we lived in and inherited. Like a tradition of field sport, sophistication, respect and reverence for the past. That's fading fast. Along with the inherent value of double guns. Parker or otherwise. Proof? Just look at our "For Sale" section and notice what's for sale, and how much of it moves.

Then consider today's youth. THIS is what they consider a cool shotgun. IF they consider shotgun sport at all:

It seems most of the young folks I meet are into more/bigger/higher/faster/farther and ad executives sure buy into that; just look at the ads for fishing gear out there. My nephew brought along a guy on our last South Dakota trip; decent enough young fellow with a new lab and a new Benelli auto. He was amused at my old "double barrels" and my feeling that any bird that I can't hit with two shots deserves to fly on. I said that on a couple of rare occasions I'd been lucky enough to take two birds out of a rise. He said something like, "If a bunch of birds get up I want a chance at all of 'em!"

That is a bit misleading. Guns are cheap everywhere now. Colt just came out with a new python and demand is high and you can still find it for less than MSRP. Same with glocks, remingtons, winchesters, brownings, smiths, benelli, turnbull, etc etc etc.

We had a record 8-10 year period of gun prices and gun sales, good economy or bad economy. We are paying for some of that now. It is a buyers market, there just isn't a big impetus to get people buying after the previous gun boom.

IMO that's the kind of attitude we should be discouraging in young folks.

I think we were all raised with a respect for the game we hunt and to be ethical in all matters. Ethical means doing the right thing, even when nobody's looking.

A lot of people see game animals and birds in an adversarial combatant vein rather than as an element in our heritage to be respected.





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I agree.

But there ain't no telling how much death and ecological mayhem can be accomplished by three dudes with semi-automatics... in the name of sport.

I agree with you, Dean, but there are recognized developmental stages in every hunter's life. Although not all of us progress through all of the stages, it's important to recognize them, especially as we interact with younger and less experienced hunters. The earlier stages reveal themselves in hunters that like to have action, see lots of game, etc. Then we see the desire to "limit out," followed by more concern with "method" -- using antique firearms, traditional recurve bows, etc., and ultimately the lack of concern for bagging game but a desire for reflection and sharing the experience. Again, these are not value judgements of hunters, but the recognized stages that many go through, and it's not to say that a hunter with many years of experience doesn't still want to see and take game. It does, however, help to explain, and maybe make us more patient with, those younger hunters who want to take a limit of game. I certainly remember measuring my success by the game I took as a young hunter. The young hunters that want to shoot as much game *as legal* may just develop into the ones to carry on the heritage of hunting.

Now, the ones that break laws and violate ethical values should not be tolerated.

But when each of us takes a young hunter on as a companion, we can most certainly present a model for them. What we do in their presence really does matter, and I could not agree more your assertion that how we act when no one is looking is the true measure of a hunter.

Very well stated Garry.





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At the age of 14 I bought A5 with the money I made mowing lawns ( 110.00) Pheasant hunting with my dad the dog put up a bird and I fired all 5 before it was 30 yards away, The Old Man moved the pipe to the other side cocked the hammer on the H&R 16 single, looked at me, then killed it stone dead. He would not let the dog retrieve but told me to take off my boots and wade out and get it. Then he swapped guns with me and I did not get my hands on it for 1 year. In the same field we jumped a rabbit and I let it go about 35 to 40 yards and shot it, with out a word he handed me the A5. Later he said 2 shells are in case you miss the first shot, 3 are for a triple but you have to shoot the first bird first. No i am still, 60 years later, trying to perfect my ability to match his but now only hunt with a gun that holds 2.

I think ideally, all young sportsmen should start out with time spent looking at a campfire in the outdoors, with the cold at your back.
My hunting career started that way. The Eastern Arms break open single shot .410 was a formidable weapon, that I got to carry.
That gun is on the wall in my office, as I type.