I Don't Often Carry a 12 ga, but When I Do....

[Harold Pickens]

I carry this WW Greener side lever hammer gun dated 1875. Thirty inch cyl/cyl damascus barrels , shooting 7/8 oz of 8s on quail. Given to me by an old grouse hunting buddy who is living out the rest of his days in a nursing home after a stroke. Doe season with rifle is still in, so picked a spot with no tire/footprints in the snow and too darn thick for deer hunters. I like to hunt a brace on quail, but hunted Doodle by herself as she is my closest hunting dog. She hit the first covey shortly, and these obliged me with a 6-8 bird flush, one shot and thought I missed, but Doodle came prancing back up with a wing tipped hen--then the rest of the covey blew out catching me unaware. Moved a few singles, no shot on a couple, missed a couple in the tight cover, then finally connected. Moving to a different area, Doodle was pointing, then creeping until I finally got the birds in the air and took my third and limit bird.
Added a couple pictures of the autumn olive slash and cover , showing why it is so hard to get the birds to fly when they can easily just run away from us.