Tis the Season...
 

...for our tradition of spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the quail fields chasing wild Bobs.

Today was was a gorgeous -- alas, birdless -- day, but Christmas Eve was a day too warm to hunt, but too beautiful not to. We went late for an end-of-day hunt, and Aspen found a nice covey from which we took our limit of two. I'm still using my "new" 28 bore Watson Bros, which has only had the left barrel used once since I got it a couple of weeks ago. 5/8 oz. of number 8s will do the job if you pick and choose your shots...and have a nice young dog that will point 'em for you. (Look closely, and you'll see the bird just as it was hit in both of the pictures.) When I start missing with the Watson -- and history says I will -- I'll come to my senses and get a Parker back out.

Just beautiful.

Great tradition. Our family had to have our Christmas on Fri. Christmas Eve, so my wife suggested I go hunting Christmas morning while she slept in. Unfortunately, there was a steady rain all day and close to 60 degrees. So, I put 8 pheasants in the smoker instead.
Tat Watson is a little beauty.

From today: first shot with my AH 16. Aspen found and pointed 4 coveys and I took a double from one with the 16.

Very nice both the 28 and the 16 :cool: At the risk of being nosey what is the main animal on the bottom plate of your AH 16 ?

Nary an animal nor bird to be found on this unusual gun.

How is the 16 choked Garry?

Reggie, the chokes are .012/.009. I do carry spreaders (8s) for when we are in tight cover. Sometimes we get quail in the brush and have close and tight windows. I'm sure you remember those Tennessee Bobs when they'd head for the honeysuckle. The gun is on the number 1 frame, although it weighs just 6 lbs. 5 oz; but after carrying the Watson 28 for a week, I really noticed the difference.

Do you have a favorite gun weight for Bobs?...or gauge? Just curious how a Southern Gentleman shoots 'em. I'm pretty sure you'd choose long barrels(?)

Favorite gun for "bird hunting" here in the South (read bobwhite quail) is a 20 gauge that weighs 6 lbs and a few ounces. I do prefer 28" or 30" barrels. I own a few bird guns. A nice 1911 DHE 20 w/ 28" barrels that is factory choked C/M. A sweet 1905 BHE 20 w/ 30" barrels factory choked C/M. And I have a 1935 VHE 20 Skeet gun w/26" barrels. All three are straight stocked guns. Having said all of that I wouldn't hesitate to take either of my two M/F twenties if worse came to worse. I grew up hunting a lot of modified choked Brownings and a modified choked Winchester. Shot a lot of quail with that choke, as well as dove and rabbits too.

Wow! What a bevy (okay, bad pun) of nice "bird" guns. That C/M choking is also just the right pairing for Bobs in my estimation, but as you know, a nice Parker BHE 20 with F/F chokes and spreader loads will take birds on the edge of the prairie.