I shot my first grouse in Ohio when I was 15, and was at that moment transformed into a passionate grouse hunter. I was born and raised and still work in SE Ohio, hunting Belmont, Jefferson ,Monroe and Harrison counties mostly. 25-30 flush days were common/expected. Half day hunts were in the upper teens. Best day was 62 flushes around 1990, and we tried not to count obvious reflushes. With a season that was almost 5 months, it was easy to shoot 40-50 (well, maybe not easy) grouse/season. When the grouse pop. started to plummet , the cover was stiil here. I told all who would listen, that it was due to a virus, probably West Nile, but was poo-pooed. I had a Masters in microbiology and was working on a PhD in Microbiology and epidemiology before I went to optometry school. Now look what they are saying.
Now the Appalachian wild turkey population is plummeting, hmm, wonder why.
Anyway, back to the original thread, quite a nice Parker 28, I too, am uncomfortable without a safety, and would add one. Be sure and post pictures afterwards.
__________________
"How kind it is that most of us will never know when we have fired our last shot"--Nash Buckingham
|