Andy,
I live in northern lower peninsula of Michigan, about 1.5 hours south of the mackinac bridge. We have very good grouse and woodcock hunting here, we have trout streams, good fishing almost everywhere. I can take a run to the upper peninsula and hunt and fish up there too. About an hour or so south of us seems to be the better weather area, if we get 8 inches of snow they get 4. Every once in a while the tables will turn and they will get more snow than we do. I am looking for property in the upper peninsula as we speak,for another grouse hunting area. I may end up in the eastern upper peninsula because I have a cousin that lives up there. We are in the snow belt area (around Gaylord on the map) So you just have to get used to snow, I have often thought about durham north carolina to get away from the snow for a while during winter we have relatives down there too. My taxes are under 2 grand a year, we live on a canal that goes out into an 850 acre lake. We will be selling this home and I am building a home with an attached/heated garage for my wife. She struggles every winter our garage is 100 feet from the house and full of my stuff. She parks as close to the house as possible and when she gets home at 11 p.m. its tough to walk to the house on ice. We also have cross country skiing and snowshoeing and ice fishing, if you set your house up correctly then the winters up here aren't nearly as hard. Good luck Andy.

Ed you are certainly in the snow belt. This past December your area was covered with snow on my way up and back down from the UP, but had no snow in the UP, except for right around the bridge. I remember several times when the road was quite dicey in the Gaylord area (4WD), but was nothing after getting across the Mac--and that was in October.

Why thank you Ed! Sounds like you live close to paradise.

Ed, I hunted grouse in the Atlanta area for a number of years. Nice country and easy shooting compared to where I live and hunt. On our first hunt there my son commented that you can actually see the birds here, not like at home.

I understand where Harold is coming from. I grew up in NY and doves were considered song birds and no hunting was allowed. I shot them when I lived in Maryland but I never really got into it based on my NY upbringing.

But I also understand the long tradition of dove hunting in the South. It is a big deal there with families often participating. It’s a tradition passed down through the generations, just as my grouse hunting is a tradition passed down to me.

Those traditions are strong -- and distinctive -- for many of us.

And the way Stan describes his dove hunting,, involving scouting, blinds, and, I'm sure, strategic positioning, it's very similar to hunting from a well placed deer stand, or finding the right spot to pass shoot a prairie chicken coming into a bean field to eat in the afternoon. It's much more than just shooting.

When I was a teenager my family lived in rural Tennessee. There was a large tract of land that had what seemed like at least 100 minnow ponds on it. The owners raised the minnows to sell to retail outlets. Some of the ponds didn't hold water well being mostly dry with water on one side or in one small spot. Late in the day doves would fly into those "dry ponds" to water and take their fill of small gravel. I sat there many days as the sun was setting with my 20 gauge Winchester shooting those birds. It reminded me of a waterfowl hunter shooting incoming ducks only the target was mush smaller and zigged and zagged much more than an incoming duck! That was hunting to me!

Reggie, I know we can't "go back," but it doesn't keep me from wishing we could.

I would love to dove hunt. And while I've been reading these responses, I think the following:

Sitting in a tree waiting for a deer to walk by sure doesn't sound like hunting (unless you're scouting and hunting a particular deer)

Walking looking for birds isn't really hunting, the dog is surely hunting for you

Shooting hogs from a helicopter isn't hunting

Shooting black bears over bait is most certainly not hunting

Shooting ducks from a blind isn't hunting since they were probably going to land anyways

The point is we can criticize any form of hunting and it's rather pointless. Do what you LOVE, but do it with a Parker : ) That being said, I might just go break in my 16g Trojan (choked F/F) doing some squirrel HUNTING this weekend.

Great points Andy. Yes I have changed my mind, and will once again beg forgiveness from my fellow Parker shooters, Stan and Reggie--matter of fact, I will buy you a drink if we ever meet up.
Stan, my little DHE 16 st grip O frame came out of Anderson hardware in Atlanta, Ga.--26" cyl/mod, had to be somebodies quail gun.