Pheasants on hammergun

[Bruce Day]

According to the US Geological Survey, pheasants were released in New York state in 1733 and later in the 1700's in New Hampshire and New Jersey. The USGS characterizes the 1881 Oregon release of 100 breeding pairs as the first release to "really gain a toehold in North America".

[Brent Francis]

It doesnt take much to get me on a new research project. so I went off to find the Audubon pheasant. Audubon's famous book The Birds of North America was compiled between 1827 and 1839. I found a website that had all the prints. I found beautiful pictures of all our native game birds but I couldnt find find any pheasants. Not surpriseing since there were no established populations during Audubon's life.

[Bill Murphy]

The best research is looking at engraved Parkers before 1881.

[Brent Francis]

Bill, Ive been looking but I havn't found one with any pheasants yet. Lots of sage grouse and quail but nothing I think looks like a pheasant before the late teens. but im sure there are guys out there who've seen alot more early parkers than I have

[Bruce Day]

Originally Posted by Brent Francis

Bill, Ive been looking but I havn't found one with any pheasants yet. Lots of sage grouse and quail but nothing I think looks like a pheasant before the late teens. but im sure there are guys out there who've seen alot more early parkers than I have

Here are sage grouse. You've seen these on Parkers? I've seen sharptailed grouse but never sage grouse. I'd love to see photos.

Several years ago, Charlie and I made a special trip to Montana in pursuit of sage grouse. We never did bag one, pheasants yes but no sage grouse. Sage grouse are about the size of small turkeys and live only in sage.

[Brent Francis]

Bruce Im not sure but I thought that these looked more like sage grouse than sharp tails on a 1901 parker G It has some birds on the bottom I thought might be sharp tails.

[Brent Francis]

Here is the bottom of the gun with what I thought were sharp tails however I guess they could be quail the G engraving is usually pretty abstract.

[Bruce Day]

Originally Posted by Brent Francis

It doesnt take much to get me on a new research project. so I went off to find the Audubon pheasant. Audubon's famous book The Birds of North America was compiled between 1827 and 1839. I found a website that had all the prints. I found beautiful pictures of all our native game birds but I couldnt find find any pheasants. Not surpriseing since there were no established populations during Audubon's life.

The Audubon work was intended to present North American native birds to British and European learned society . Pheasants of course are not native to North America.

Audubon spent time in Ste. Genevieve, MO, but there are no reports of him shooting with the famous bird hunting Herzog clan of the area.

Nice photo Jack. No matter how much I exercise and how slim I stay, I still don't look like I did in my 20's. Maybe its time for a hair transplant and a face lift.

[Bruce Day]

I'm not sure what they are. They are not correct for either sage grouse, prairie chickens, sharptailed grouse, or any quail species I am familar with. But, its still nice that we got gamebird engraving of probably a prairie grouse species rather than just repeticious scroll .

Now I know this one is ruffed grouse.


(owned by a friend)

[Brent Francis]

Yep, Cant mistake that one. what a nice gun. I guess if you spring for an A grade you dont have to guess the species