[QUOTE=Richard Flanders;8361]Bruce: there are quail in Michigan, just not many I suspect. We used to hear them on our farm all summer. I remember hearing them daily in the late 50's and into the 60's until they took the bounty off fox. My sister has one that follows her around and sometimes sits on her foot as she hoes her garden and jumps off and grabs insects that get stirred up. I think there aren't many these days but there are a few. There's too many coons, possums, foxes and coyotes for upland birds to get too numerous these days. They have REALLY cleaned out the wild pheasants despite there being lots of good habitat. We do have a "on the books" quail season here in Michigan, but the lowest tier of counties that border Ohio and Indiana are the only ones open, and few birds, mainly due to predators- My son-in-law and I do our part to control them: woodchucks (not a true predator) fox, raccoon, feral cats and coyotes. Opening Day of our firearm deer season Nov 15 2008- private 260 Centennial Farm in Mecosta County- from opening light until 11:30- from a ground blind I shot two coyotes with my Dad's older M70 in 30-06 scoped and with 180 grain Rem Core-Lokt rounds-there is a sheep ranch/farm adjacent, those two rascals never circled or checked the wind, even though that farm had some hunting pressure for 6 weeks of the preceedent bow season for deer- This Fall while squirrel hunting with a scoped Ruger BA and hollow points- sunny still early October afternoons I shot several raccons, possums and one dog Fox that almost walked right up to me-The lack of hunting pressure and NO Bounties has emboldened those predators-- and in our area, where 20 years ago the farms held some huntable populations of ringnecked pheasants, clean farming and pesticides have taken their toll-
I agree about most gentlemen and ladies who hunt upland birds and the usage of double guns (even those bulky Over and Unders I see: Ruger and Citoris--You can never say never, but as the confiscation of your shotgun for a violation is a possibility, perhaps that may be one of many salient factors in the "staying within the limit" and playing the game fairly while afield. As far as the character of the gunner however, let us not forget that the late Nash Buckingham started with a Winchester M1893 pumpgun (and his father Miles told him to only load it with two shells when partnered with someone using a double gun) and although in his prime years he used many fine doubles (Becker, M21- etc) in his twilight years he used some autoloaders as well.
As far as those of us who treasure our Parkers and the scotch whisky syndrome, I can't speak to that: George Dickel, Old Cabin Still, Early Times, Bushmills Black and Tullamore Dew are my favorite choices- on the rocks please- not a Kilt in that gathering- alas--
Finally, as my GHE 12 Project parker also had some numbers besides the @ frame size stamp on the lug, I noted that this 12 DH size 1 & 1/2 framed Parker also had a number 8 in smaller case stamped on the barrel lug. I am curious as to what that might mean..
