new england grouse shooting by william foster
 

Saw this book at a used bookstore. Never hunted grouse, but it looked like a good read, and I know Foster was a great sportsman and conservationist.

Next thing you know, you will be looking for a 16 hammer gun!

My16 lightened 0 grade hammer Parker changed the way I look at shotguns.

Foster, the "father of skeet" was a highly acclaimed author and extremely accomplished painter/artist. He did all of the illustrations for New England Grouse Shooting and accepted commissions to paint bird dogs, locomotives, and even took a commission to travel to Panama to paint the canalway and surrounding countryside for a magazine series of articles.
The book should be in every shotgun hunter's library - especially those of grouse and woodcock shooters. It is a true classic.... I have two copies.

He was also publisher and editor in chief on The National Sportsman and Hunting & Fishing magazines.
He enjoyed several fine Parker shotguns (preferring small bores), including "The Little Gun", several of which are still in the Foster family

The old Foster home and gravesite are just up the street from my house here in Andover.



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Thanks for sharing those photos Dean.

So, Bill... did you buy the book?

I did not at the time, it was $35, I have found it on amazon for less, so I will probably order it next month.

Bill, it would be nice to know which publication they had for sale at only $35. The first printing in 1942 generally retails for around $150 in excellent condition and would be an absolute steal at $35. However, if it was a subsequent publication, $35 may be a good price or for one of the more recent publications... too much.

The copy in the green dust jacket is a 1942 printing and the one in the red dust jacket is a 1970 re-issue. $35 for the 1970 printing in very good or better condition is an excellent price.




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The one they had came out was printed in the 80s I believe based off it dates.

Perfect for New England grouse... or grouse anywhere...

http://parkerguns.org/forums/album.php?albumid=27

OK, $35 would be too much for that unless it is slip-cased and leather bound.

Unfortunately I have never been grouse hunting. Don't think we have them here in the lone star state.

I am glad to hear you still can hunt them back east. A gentleman I met at national Quail unlimited meeting back in thr 90d said he had spent his whole life in new england but had retired to montana or wyoming. Said when he left new england you either couldn't find grouse to hunt or couldn't hunt where you found them.

Not so on either account. Unfortunately he just hadn't found the right places and they most definitely are out there.

Dean, where in Andover are the kennels and the house pictured located? I've probably drove by several times the place.

The house, pictured, that was Foster's home is at 77 Chestnut Street and the former home of the Davies family and Blue Rock Kennels, the birthplace of skeet, is at 73 Dascomb Road.

I have the one on the right, and I have never hunted grouse either ;). Neat book and a nice read; the illustrations are worth the price.

We still have a few grouse here on our farm, not many but some. Foster's book really got me thinking about Parkers. A re-read about 15 years ago in early September and the Parker Annual Meeting caused me to take home Mr. damascus's 16 gauge, O framed, hammer gun. One of my best buys ever and just the gun for our few birds.

I couldn't agree more Bill! There's really nothing like a 16 ga. hammer gun for grouse and woodcock. I have a few of those and my new favorite is the lifter with the 24" barrels and not much choke at all.

Gotta keep turning those screws, Huh Dean?

Oops... Sorry Edgar, I didn't know you were watching :whistle:

Dean, no I am realy jealous!

there was a nice article on the little gun in The Double Gun Journal a couple of years back

Dean,

Wanted to let you know I had stumbled across a first edition library copy at a nice price that they are sending to me. Took me 2 years, but we shall see what I got. It is more than $35 but less than $100 and in "good" shape. We shall see what I found.

Bill, if it still has its original green dust jacket (hopefully in a glassine wrapper) in good condition you did very well indeed.






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Thats what I am hoping for. They assured me it wasn't the memorial addition made in the 80s so we shall see.

King you might not have Grouse but from what I'm hearing the Quail numbers are up this year in TX. As much as I love Grouse hunting there is no bust on Mr. Bob White. If you ever want to give Grouse hunting a try your welcome to join me in Michigan's Upper peninsula for some excellent bird hunting.

For all you guys that use a hammer gun to hunt with my hats off to you. I tried it by myself on a preserve Pheasant hunt and found it very frustrating. The shells fell out of the open gun (I even tried biting them so they were somewhat out of round. I think I read that trick here). Cocking the hammers on the rise wasn't possible and finally cocked them when the dog went on point. The problem with that was the birds would run then Im going after a it with a cocked gun:eek: I'll leave my hammer guns to the clays course:)

Yeah we are having a quail resurgence like you wouldn't believe thanks to the rain. I am doing a study in our county that is tracking quail numbers and we are getting great results.

There is actually a hunting place about 10 minutes from here that for $400 you can hunt pen raised pheasant. Either out in the pasture or some other way that is station based. I haven't ponied up for that bit of fun yet. We had a lot of feast in north texas and the pan handle at one time but not so much anymore.

Practice makes perfect COB.

If you want to be good at something you have to dedicate yourself to mastering it.
A friend and I spent hours upon hours tying flies for our two-week trip to Alaska. When we had finished we each had about 200 flies of various Alaskan patterns. When my friend was telling me his list of equipment he was bringing he had included only one fly rod and reel but was bringing two spinning outfits.
I suggested to him that if he ever wanted to become really good at fly fishing he should dedicate himself to mastering it and the best way to start was to bring another fly rod, reel and additional spools and leave all the spinning stuff at home. He took my advice and by the second day was doing extremely well catching chinooks, rainbows, dolly vardens, and grayling and actually thanked me for pushing him that little bit extra.

I enjoy hunting grouse and woodcock with my hammer guns. And I know I can hunt with a hammerless whenever I want to, but I wanted to get good at it so I dedicated myself to it.

Your results may differ.





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and practicing is, in its self rewarding

http://parkerguns.org/forums/picture...pictureid=7419

Dean,
You are a better man them I am. I'm like Rich, tried, (probably not enough) and I just didn't feel safe for my dog or my partner, and I know that's me and I didn't give it enough time to get comfortable with it, but for me no. I love hammer guns, but for me it's on the clay courses. I just don't feel safe enough out in the field, and again that is probably to do with just more practice, but I just don't get into the woods enough times to practice that "how to" so I do what I am comfortable with. It would be special to shoot a grouse with a hammer gun... I would love that but I just don't see that in my future.

Nobody can fault that approach Eric. You're doing what's right for you.





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I will be taking two hammer guns with me Quail hunting in Jan. It's more open the dogs point then the flushers go to work. No fear of walking through thick stuff with a cocked and loaded shotgun.:nono:

I'll use the Grant with some of RST's 2 inch shells and the WR Pape 28.

Original 1942 1st edition. Dusk jacket has a tear, but other than that it is in great shape, complete with post card sized print. Not bad for $42.

Bill where did you snag that one from.....? Wish I had come across it first. Eric

It was on amazon. No picture of the book and it was a library edition, but they said 1st edition 1942.

Bill, you absolutely 'stole' that book.
I just missed one by two hours at a book seller that went for $225!






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Well as I said it isn't in perfect shape, but I will take it. It was just listed on amazon without a photo and its hard to sell books on amazon without putting up a picture of some kind!

I'm still looking for an autographed copy - or better still, an inscribed copy:corn:






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That would be quite the find!