I shoot my 20's, 16's. and 12's for Scale Quail and Gamble quail ( What I refer to as the desert birds). The guns are choked from IC to Full, as they get up a little further out at times and there is definitely time for a second shot in most cases. I use my 410, 28, and 20 gauges on Mearns quail. The more open the choke the better. The pictures are deceiving as we hunt our desert birds more in the grass, cactus and mesquite. Mearns quail I can only compare to hunting possibly woodcock, although I have never done it and can only go by what I read. Many times close quarters with the dogs in the oak tree, and grass lands. They have nerves of steel and are camouflaged very well. They will bust out all around your feet as you are looking where your dog is pointing and would swear even a grass hopper could not hide in that cover. Unfortunately the Mearns quail population has been down the last few years, but they are my favorite bird to hunt with dogs. The best quail gun I ever shot had .005 and .015 choke and I shot all quail well with this. I Let it go to a friend that was shooting a off brand pump that was choked Full. He still lets me shoot it once in awhile. LOL
When the birds are plenty, hunting the West is a great experience. When the numbers are down you can spend days hunting for just a few birds.
PM me if you ever decide to try hunting out here sometime.
Best Regards,
Phil
|
07-25-2012, 08:34 PM
Linear Mode
