No pheasant, dove, or quail around here. Ruffed, Sharptail, and Spruce grouse with some Huns in the fields. For the last several years the go to is a Fox AE 20 with 28" barrels. I recently picked up a Parker VHE 20 with 28" barrels and after I bend it for a little cast off it may get a big share of the rotation. When I'm feeling old school I may take a Purdey bar in wood hammer gun in 16 bore. If I'm feeling high tech I'll take an early Model 12 20 with 2 1/2" chambers and 25" barrel. Others get out at least once a year. If they don't I might have to concede to the wife that I really could get by with fewer guns.

Bob thats a great line-up of guns. An AE 20 Fox is really sweet.

We just had a trip come together today! Heading to the Maine Northwoods with some bird buddies the second week of October. Taking a Parker VH 28” 16 and a Lefever 26” 12g. Our smallest Setter will be making her trip to the great Northwoods!! It’s just what the doctor ordered!

You’re going to have a great time Mike.






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Going upstate N.Y. in 14 days for Grouse think I will take 2 20ga Parker's. A Trojan and a VH.

Not to get to far off topic, but in response to this comment. As a former police firearms instructor and department firearms coordinator, I had one of my police firearms instructors show up to qualify with his personal shotgun (12 GA mandatory) that had a rifled tube installed and he was going to shoot rifled slugs (also mandatory) through it. I had to explain the difference to him. Something worse? I had an officer show up for firearms inspection with his personal shotgun that he had installed an extended magazine tube on, no problem, it was legal. The problem was he did not know he had to install an extended magazine tube spring! Thought you might enjoy these two.

Now I know why I cannot find the gun I always wanted, a 16GA DH(E) Parker with 26" barrels choked IMP/MOD. You guys have bought them all! I need a bit longer length of pull (no, a slip on pad will not work) than the factory produced, so I would need stock work done. The initial purchase price, then additional stock work, puts them out of my budget. My first shotgun was given to me by my maternal grandfather. A 28GA, American Gun Company, SxS, hammer gun, still have that one. I never hit a bird with it. I never used a smaller gauge gun in bird hunting (quail exclusively) until I competed in NSTRA events. Due to the walking involved I bought a 20GA Franchi AL 48 because of the weight. Now there are no wild birds to hunt here any longer. If there were I would take a 16 as my all around gun.

Now I know why I cannot find the gun I always wanted, a 16GA DH(E) Parker with 26" barrels choked IMP/MOD. You guys have bought them all! I need a bit longer length of pull (no, a slip on pad will not work) than the factory produced, so I would need stock work done. The initial purchase price, then additional stock work, puts them out of my budget. My first shotgun was given to me by my maternal grandfather. A 28GA, American Gun Company, SxS, hammer gun, still have that one. I never hit a bird with it. I never used a smaller gauge gun in bird hunting (quail exclusively) until I competed in NSTRA events. Due to the walking involved I bought a 20GA Franchi AL 48 because of the weight. Now there are no wild birds to hunt here any longer. If there were birds to hunt I would take a 16 as my all around gun.

I'll head to the U.P. for the opening weekend with the boys (Ike and Duke) even if it is hot and thick it's still time in grouse country besides I need to go when I can. I won't get another chance until I get back from Wyoming and who knows how many chances I'll get then. I'll take a 26 inch straight grip DHE 20 cyl/IC but something else with some choke for the foliage but haven't decided yet. The soft maples are starting to turn color already.

Like this one William. DHE 16, 26" cyl/mod 6 lbs even

That would be a great grouse gun Rich, I dont remember that one. Yeah, it may be green and warm on the opener, but hopefully a nice morning and evening hunt will be possible.

It was the first graded Parker I ever owned. I call it my "meat gun":rotf:

It is not nice to tease the elderly Harold.

Beautiful gun.

It is not nice to tease the elderly Harold.

Beautiful gun.

Dean, we were setting up new ladder stands and moving others today and we got into grouse on the side hill above the short course!! It’s a sign!!

I’ve not pursued deer in PA in over ten years . And my friends that are left in Wayne , Pike and Monroe counties have been claiming for ten years that deer numbers are way down . Has that been your feeling as well ? You’re in Susquehanna county correct ?

Craig, we have more than enough deer, buck and doe. They will eat everything if you don’t control their population. We typically take three buck and 11 doe off the property every year. Taking the 5-7 minute drive into Springville it’s nothing to see 40 deer or more depending on the time of day.

They tend to disappear when you get in a stand with a rifle

Some of the Pa crew have been complaining about no Deer for years..Rare that I don't see 15 plus a day. One day a couple years ago before a big storm hit I saw in the low 40's. No Buck that I wanted to shoot.

Bigger Bucks are being killed in Pa than at any time in the previous 50 plus years. Yet the story stays the same...No Deer. If one lives anywhere close to farm country, the Deer are there.

I have hunted deer in Pa but never with a small bore Parker:rotf:

Me neither, but I could have been successful more than a few times...:)

My grouse guns are a 20 bore GH, a 20 bore PHE, my grandfather's 20 bore VH and a 28 bore Holland and Holland. I can't tell the difference in birds brought to bag with the 20's vs. the 28 bore. The 28 bore was my favorite grouse gun for years but now most days I take the PHE.

Opening weekend will find me in the U. P. with Gunner's Gun:)

Rich

Please charge the batteries in the boys collars and your hearing aids. No more nightmare stories. That gave me nightmares.

I ALWAYS carry extra hearing aid batteries and even bought a GPS collar. I don't want to go thru that again either. Ike just turned three yesterday and Duke will be two in a couple of weeks. I'll miss my 5 weeks in the U.P. but long weekends and my off week the end of October will give me almost 10 continuous days. Once again I'll celebrate my birthday with the dogs, a fine cigar and a good bourbon in the U.P.

Hope the weather cools off for you. It is going to be in the upper 40's here tonight. Was going to call you tomorrow, but looks like you may be out hunting. Will be up there the last 2 weeks of Oct, and trying to u there for a 3-4 day hunt before that--along way to go for a short hunt, but going to try.
Terry and I have decided to bring the 28's also--he has a beretta 687, and me, my Uggie 28

Harold I'll be there the 23 or 24 of October whatever day is Friday to the 2 or 3 of November. I'll need to shut her down by the first Tuesday in November.

Here’s the deal for me like everyone on this site I love shotguns I have since I was 10 yrs old I have guns in all gauges I like to hunt with sxs’s but also have a16 ga model 97 that I like to take out for sharp tail grouse I purchased some 1 1/4 oz no 4&5’s win mark 5’s that are deadly on pheasants and sharptails at longer yardage I also have a 1919 gh Parker 20ga 26” bbl Damascus gun I use it for ruffed grouse partridge and other smaller birds I do have a 28 ga browning model 12 just because I like it and a 1948 model 42 I shoot all of these from time to time there are a few others in the safe as well . All this being said if I had to have one gun it would be my 1928 vhe 1 1/2 frame 30 “bbl gun I load bismuth and lead for it 7/8” oz and 1 oz lead for up land same payload as the small gauges and 1 1/8 oz bismuth for waterfowl I shoot this gun like a laser . When I was a young man in the 70’s I hunted everything with a 28”bbl modified choked model 12 plain field gun and always came home with my share of game and usually helped with my partner s share . Beware of the man with one gun . Sorry for rambling

I just remembered one more Parker that will get a bit of exercise in the grouse covers soon - the little 20 gauge Trojan I bought from Russ Jackson recently for my granddaughters. The little sweetie comes up so nicely it’l be hard to give it away.





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Dean

"hard to give away".... Oh Please, you and Edgar can talk that hardline, but you guys are too shrewd. Lets see Martha gets a Reproduction and next thing you know she's locating 24" 28ga from early production. There is no better investment than in the future users of things we hold dear. WTG grandpa!

Brett - you are soo right!

It gives me tremendous joy to be able to introduce my grandchildren to the pleasures of the outdoors the way I have.

Cam is hooked on hunting and clays shooting and this year especially has become quite the fisherman!
His sister Katie loves hunting with Grampy and asks all the time about when she can come to Vermont with me.

Isabella and Lillia would never intentionally kill anything but really love it when I take them to Addieville to shoot clays.

I just love it!!





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Preparing to head to Montana for two weeks of upland bird hunting and 1/2 Day "Turkey" Shoot in Denton on the 10th for fund raiser for High School Shooting Team.
Three guns are making the trip: 16 gauge 1913 Fox, 1921 Fox 12 gauge and 1895 GH 12 # 2 frame. I'll use the two frame in the turkey shoot.

With Harry's interest, I am in the process of making sure I have at least two of everything. Mills likes tractors and I just bought an antique John Deere bulldozer that may be more expensive than the guns

Conversly, Elmer Keith's favorite bore for upland shooting was a 16. Many of his birds were taken at long range and he swore by the 1 1/8 heavy 16 load. I can't imagine a better bore for all around upland shooting than the 16. I hunt wild pheasants extensively (I plant acres of sorghum for them every year) and the 16 bore is perfect. I do use a light DHE 12 bore also, but only because I like shooting this gun at game. I can't notice any difference in birds taken with both guns, although I don't take any shots over 40 yards.

From a practicle perspective, gauge should be determined by the bird hunted and the cover. The little 28 bore is good for ruffed grouse in tight cover and quail. Conversely, I never use it on wild pheasants nor do I hunt them with a 20. You can get away with it early in the season, maybe, but later on the pheasant is a 16 or 12 bore bird.

I don't feel the need to carry a heavy 12 when I can do the job as well with a smaller bore. It has nothing to do with manhood. It has everything to do with chosing the right gun for the bird and area hunted.