live bird gun

[Old and Reliable]

I yield to the grouse hunters like you Dean- which I am not anymore, no woodcock- quail non-existent here due to MI Winters, pheasants almost kaputski, and Hell freezes over before we ever get a legal dove season-

I am mainly a pass shooter- serious waterfowler, and the occasional Tower release pheasant/pigeon shoot followed by the pick-up hunt with the dawgs. I do know that any bird coming from behind and overhead I may kill if I pull through and see the going-away bird with daylight over the muzzles- My favorite shots are incomers, a mallard dropping into the stool, shoot his toes- a mallard spooked and getting airborne- shot his nose- Divers, lead 'em, lead 'em more, lead 'em even more yet- and Canadas into a head wing, double your lead-

Wish I could get serious about clays, but I started shooting barn pigeons with my 20 gauge M12 when I was about 13- got hooked on it back then, my favorite target awing- Can't speak about doves, as I have no experience with them (yet) but a pigeon will always drop from its perch when taking flight, to load its wings--

Hardest feathered target I have heard about but not yet tried- snipe--toughest duck specie to kill dead in the air- either scooters or bufflehead-



I have shot pen raised pheasants, quail and chukars- all good- but even though I am NOT a grouse hunter- I will give homage to Sir Ruff-you will never hunt him on a stocked game farm or club- just like Mother Nature, he cannot be tamed- and therein must be the "vade mecum" of the Royal Order of the Brushworn- stock scarred grousemen- Miss one for me this coming Nov..