Endless Mtns grouse
 

Grouse taken with a VHE 20 in the Endless Mtns of PA. It was a sunny day and there are some shadows on the gun. This was a vintage hunt, bird was taken using a Remington paper with roll crimp. :cool:

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Nice bird an nice gun too Frank.
Do you use a dog? Until the 2014 season I had hunted dogless for a few decades. For me, the older I get the more important a dog becomes in companionship, finding birds in tough places and for locating wing-tipped birds that would otherwise become a meal for some scavenger.

Great photo Frank. A beat up VHE 20 became my favorite grouse gun this year--I usually shoot 16's. Yours is in much nicer shape than mine and someone cut the barrells to 26 1/2inches, and it is pretty much cyl/cyl now. The upside to shooting a beater is that you just dont worry about it in rough country or foul weather. Tell us alittle more about your gun.

Great picture Frank -

have a lot of great memories of that region from when I lived in the western edge of it, over in Bradford County, many years ago

Thanks all, the gun is a 26-incher that's choked something like Lt Mod & I-Mod. Owned by a friend who hunts with me occasionally; it was passed on by her great granddad and of course isn't for sale. I don't know the serial number but I seem to remember it's a mid 30's gun. I don't own a bird dog myself although we do have a Redtick. I've always liked trailing hounds since I was a kid and hunted with one of my first mentors "Goldie" who was something of a local legend with his foxhounds. My grouse hunting is walk-up on the old timbering trails and coal mining roads and RR beds (of which there are hundreds of miles hereabouts). I've hunted in those mountains for decades now and have some good places where I can generally find food and birds. Dean, there's a story on this hunt and maybe I'll do it up for your consideration in the Parker Pages. But I won't be able to get to it right now. For now I'll attach one more pic. Frank

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Thanks Frank - That would be great... I'm looking forward to it.

Hey, who slipped that Fox in the picture? Just kidding Frank, I like my SW 20 on grouse also. Those are 2 classic grouse guns.

Enjoyed the hunting story Frank. Great looking pics of the gun and birds. Btw... I really liked your DGJ article.

good looking gun and a sure fine storey..i like those vh grade parkers myself...charlie

Thank goodness someone else here owns a Fox, now I can come out of the closet!

you'll find more than a few fans of Ansley's wonderful guns here

how could you appreciate good American doubles and not like both

I confess;
Fox A 16
SW 16
SW Deluxe 16
SW 20
The Sterlingworth Gun Co. pin gun
Hope I don't have to give them up to retain my PGCA membership, cause it won't happen.

Just today I got in some practice on the sporting course at Rock Mountain, with a 20-gauge Sterlie Ejector gun that's been hiding in back of the safe. Our grouse season is still in for one week and I hope to get out one or two days before it ends. 25 shots with Remington factory 7/8 ounce loads reminded me again, these ~6 pound guns were built for hunting and not clays shooting.

Amen to that Frank, when I want to shoot clays with them I drop down to 3/4 oz reloads and the smile will stay on your face thru 100 rounds--but I hunt with the 7/8 loads, and will almost not shoot 1 oz loads in a 20 anymore.

Ok,
2 - 16ga SW, one with ejectors
1 - 12ga pin gun
1- 12ga duck gun

AND!!!! - I have the sickness bad,
1 - 16ga LC LW
! - 12 ga LC Field
1 - 12 ga Ideal