# Wild Quail Hunting Etiquette Questions



## Setter Jax (Jul 21, 2011)

I've been reading a lot of the old posts and I had a couple of questions.

1.  Why is it bad form to use a 12 ga. shotgun?  I can understand a semi-auto, or a pump gun with more than three shells, but why is everyone putting down the 12 ga?

For me it was a matter of money.  I would love to have a 20 or 16 gage over/under or s x s, but you can pick up a nice used 12 ga on the market for several hundred dollars less.

I can shoot any gun and hit birds, it doesn't matter if is a 410, 12, 16 or 20.  You are not saving any money, shells cost the same.

I've guided hunts where city dudes couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with their 3,000.00 dollar Benelli auto 12 ga. With a full mag.

I shoot a 12 ga over under Mossberg Silver Reserve Upland.  Brand new it's a 1000.00 dollar gun, picked it up at a pawn shop for 320.00.  Looks good and shoots good and has good range.  

2. What do they mean it's criminal to shoot single wild birds?  Are you talking about coming upon a single or a double in the field or after you have busted a covey?

I have always practiced on wild birds not to over hunt them.  If you go to your honey hole and hunt up a couple of coveys, you don't shoot them to extinction and you don't go back and hunt them again for a least two weeks.  Too much pressure and the birds won't hold. But once I've busted a covey I've hunted singles and doubles from that covey.


----------



## Nitram4891 (Jul 21, 2011)

Hunt em however you want, just don't wipe them out and ever expect for things to be back to the "good ole day" ever.  Someone will be along to tell you why 12 ga isn't fair... buncha elitist.


----------



## JustUs4All (Jul 21, 2011)

If someone cares enough about what gun you should shoot he should be willing to purchase a suitable one for you.  If he is not willing to do that, you have my permission to ignore his comments.


----------



## Wingmaster870 (Jul 21, 2011)

I don't care what gun a man (or woman) wants to carry...im just opposed to shooting into wild birds that aren't pointed.  

  I don't understand why folks spend a bunch of money on buying, raising and training a gun dog and then shoot into busted birds???  Even rabbit hunters don't do this over their beagles and there are a bajillion cottontails in the state of Georgia.  Is it because quail are so few and far between that these guys get excited when they flush birds and can't help themselves?  

I have done this before on my first pheasant flush (never here in Georgia) and felt awful guilty about it later  I got so excited and wrapped up that I didnt think about what I was doing.  Luckily my dog was in the truck and not there to witness such a travesty.  

I think I've matured a bit as a hunter and dog handler now and have come to believe that this type of jump shooting displyas zero respect or appreciation for the few wild birds we have left.  If we had a booming population then i would say jump shoot to your hearts desire...I'm not going to do it because i have *pointing* dogs but to each his own.  But sadly, that is not the case...  

As far as single bird hunting goes...I often head the direction of the covey after the flush.  Often I do not find any singles and if someone in the hunting party took a bird or two out of the covey then I don't shoot any singles that may or may not be pointed.  No sense in taking more than 1 or two birds out of a wild Georgia covey just for the sake of taking a post-hunt picture or putting an extra quail breast on the dinner table.  I only go after singles to test my dogs...a test that we often fail 

Other than that I dont care much about how a person wants to hunt.  I do appreciate the idea of Georgia quail hunting as it was  in the glory days....SxS and long-tailed dogs, but it is not up to me to preach to someone about their gun or dog of choice.  

I do find some enjoyment in the harmless ribbing of all the Brittany and Shorthair owners though...its extremely hard to resist!


----------



## Nitram4891 (Jul 21, 2011)

They don't have to be pointed if you have a flushing dog.


----------



## Wingmaster870 (Jul 21, 2011)

Nitram4891 said:


> They don't have to be pointed if you have a flushing dog.



I reckon that is just the loophole you need to snap some necks back on bumped birds!

is that why you britt owners are always talking about how versatile your dogs are???


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 21, 2011)

I think the only way you are going to see the numbers like we used to is if you buy some land and do the land management yourself.  Food plots and cover are the most important things next to getting rid of all the predators and predator control.

I've always kicked the idea around about trying to do a joint venture of several families and try to buy some land and do something like that.  For myself financial it is still a dream and any time you have several different people together it's hard to agree on anything.

My dad has had some pretty good numbers for quail and pheasant on his farm in Indiana.  But he took 40 acres and placed it in set aside land and the state re-planted it in hard woods.  So there is lots of native grass and cover for them.  He retired from farming and leases the farm land to the neighbor kid.  He has three nice farm fields and a 15 acre hard woods. Dad's a stickler about leaving the fence rows in place and rotating the crops, corn, soybeans, hay field and winter wheat.  He also did a thing with the state DNR for quail habitat and they helped and advised him on how to create the right habitat.  Also brought in some wild birds.  The down side to that was he couldn't hunt for quail for five years.  But it's paying off now.

He also allows the coon hunters to come in and let's another guy trap fox.  He predator hunts as well and places a lot of box traps out.


----------



## Nitram4891 (Jul 21, 2011)

Wingmaster870 said:


> I reckon that is just the loophole you need to snap some necks back on bumped birds!
> 
> is that why you britt owners are always talking about how versatile your dogs are???



It ain't a bumped bird if you have a flushing breed.    I don't have any flushing dogs I have versatile britts that can retrieve whatever they can fit in their mouths and point all sorts of stuff.


----------



## PJPOINTER (Jul 21, 2011)

I don't think it matters what ga. gun you use as long as you don,t kill the wild coveys down to small numbers or pressure them to frequently. I personally don't shoot anything that is not pointed, but that is my choice, as long as too many birds are't killed I don't think being pointed or not has any effect on the birds, maybe just whether people consider you a gentleman hunter or not!


----------



## Supercracker (Jul 21, 2011)

I'm not sure about shooting bumped birds.  Everytime I bump a wild covey it takes me about 2 minutes to recover from the heart attack.

lol


----------



## PJPOINTER (Jul 21, 2011)

That's why I only shoot pointed birds


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 21, 2011)

Maybe, I misunderstood the older posts. I was trying to see what some of the purest theories where concerning hunting wild birds. I agree with most.  I only shoot pointed birds or flushed birds depending on your dog.  I've owned both. For me, I just like to get out of the house and into the field and work the dogs.  

Still don't understand the methodology of what gage gun you use.  I don’t have the luxury of owning one gun to goose hunt with, one for ducks, one for pheasant and quail.  

Dogs point a covey, flush the birds, pick off a few.  Depending on the size of the covey, follow the covey and pick up a couple of singles or doubles and go find the next covey. Nothing like the rush of coming down the end of a fence row off of a corn field.  Dogs been birdy the whole time and you know the pheasant are going to flush at the end of the drive.  If I close my eyes I can hear the roster cackling as he takes to the sky. I don't see anything that's un-sportsman like about that or un-gentlemanly. 

There is a couple of guys in my  hunt club that like to puddle jump after the morning hunt for ducks.  I don’t partake in that because half the time it's out of season.  You have to really watch the dates for ducks and you have to get extra stamps, ect.....  When I duck hunt I do it the correct way within the rules.  Same goes for bird hunting.

I know a lot of guys up north that keep a shotgun on their combine and hunt pheasant that way.  To me if you are going to do that just go the farmer market and buy them.  To me that's not hunting.


----------



## Jim P (Jul 21, 2011)

I beleave the reason behind shooting s/s or o/u 20 gauges was years ago on the plantations that is what they used, it's a gentelman thing, but it doesn't matter to me most of the time I use my 20 ga o/u just because it's lighter then my model 1400.


----------



## kmckinnie (Jul 21, 2011)

Setter Jax said:


> I've been reading a lot of the old posts and I had a couple of questions.
> 
> 1.  Why is it bad form to use a 12 ga. shotgun?  I can understand a semi-auto, or a pump gun with more than three shells, but why is everyone putting down the 12 ga?
> 
> ...


Quetion 1
I don't quail hunt, but I'm working on a quail hunting lodge.

These place hunts wild birds on there land and it about tradition with them and the sport of wing shooting. They have the mule team wagons for the dogs & the hunters ride horses. They use d/b only, 410s 28ga& 20 ga. There guns cost about 50,000 or more! They do use some cheap ones for guest 3,000 to 5,ooo average cost! No 12ga isaloud quail hunting. Dove hunting is about the same way with a 12ga every now & then. Ducks they use 12ga or 16 ga. Thats just the way they are.

Question 2
They only shoot 2 to 4 birds from a covey then move on to the next. They will point 20 coveys in a morning and the same in the evenings, They will shoot 30ty to 60ty birds a day at times. They average 2500 to 3000 birds a year! Not bad for 14,ooo acres is it! They have 50ty pointers in the dog kennel. You do not pay hunt here, it by invite only!

I don't see nothing wrong with your 12ga myself I'm just saying what happens here.


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 21, 2011)

Ok, now I get it now.  It has more to do with social economic status and traditions and then the love of  upland hunting.  Just like the old movie “The Biscuit Eater” all about show and status.  Don’t think I would buy a 50,000 dollar gun even if I had the money to do it.  Nor would I take a 3 to 5 k gun in the field.  lol But that's just me.


----------



## wilber85 (Jul 21, 2011)

Setter Jax said:


> Ok, now I get it now.  It has more to do with social economic status and traditions and then the love of  upland hunting.  Just like the old movie “The Biscuit Eater” all about show and status.  Don’t think I would buy a 50,000 dollar gun even if I had the money to do it.  Nor would I take a 3 to 5 k gun in the field.  lol But that's just me.



I dont agree with that.  Socioeconomic status and tradition dont go hand in hand.  Depends on which side of the fence you are on.  If you hunt quail just to shoot a $50k dollar gun, or to ride on a horse or wagon, then you are in it for the frills.  I hunt because I love dogs and I love hunting, and I think the dogs are what is at the root of upland tradition.  When you are freezing your butt off in S Dakota or sweating like a pig in GA summertime out there training, only a crazy person would put themselves through those conditions so they could play dress up and ride around on a horse.

The people in The Biscuit Eater are field trial people, and yes, there is a "aristocratic" feel to field trials.  I for one dont take part in field trials, and some have the opinion that it is not real "hunting", and therefore I wouldnt consider it the core tradition of upland hunting.

If you got a good dog that you have spent countless hours working with and hunting through rain or shine, you are experiencing the true tradition of upland hunting.  If you dont hunt from horseback, or from a wagon, or shoot a $50k dollar gun you havent missed out on a thing besides wasting your money.  

People shoot 20ga for quail because there are less pellets in a 20 ga shell.  Its just more sporting.  Same reason people fish with artificial lures and dont shoot ducks on the water.  You could make it even tougher with a 28 or a 410, but 20 ga is the acceptable ga for most.


----------



## Sam H (Jul 22, 2011)

Well....I guess I'll chime in being a "traditionalist" because of how I was raised...I never have understood why some frown on a 12ga...My first gun was a 20ga Stevens 311 , which I still have and use on occasion just for nostalgia...I currently hunt w/ a 16ga sxs or a 20ga o/u...just because I have an affinity for two barrels and thats what I'm comfortable with...I've hunted with  coveyrise90 on several occasions , who hunts with a 12ga sxs...so what!?...even though young ,Adam is on of the most traditional/purist/knowledgeable upland hunters I have ever had the pleasure of sharing a field with....No need for semis/pumps on a quail hunt...but if thats what you've got...that's ok too
As far as shooting into wild birds...On point only...Depending on the covey size...Take a couple of birds out of the rise...hunt a single or two...then move on...quail hunting is about watching your dogs work the field ,(after the countless hours of  summertime training,sweat and tears since he/she was a puppy) and then seeing that magical time of a point of a wild covey , the flush , the shot , the retrieve and watching the excitement of your dog bringing the reward to you...Is it your reward or the dog's, that has trained so hard to learn...I know who gets the praise in my camp...It aint the kill...It's the thrill of the hunt/sport...the kill is just icing on the cake..a reward.......If someone wants a bunch of quail to eat , go to the store and buy a four pack for 12.99..Its alot cheaper...Just my humble opinon....BTW...I don't give a rats "behind" about social status or economic status or how ones dressed...I still put my pants on one leg at a time...how about you


----------



## asc (Jul 22, 2011)

Sam H said:


> Well....I guess I'll chime in being a "traditionalist" because of how I was raised...I never have understood why some frown on a 12ga...My first gun was a 20ga Stevens 311 , which I still have and use on occasion just for nostalgia...I currently hunt w/ a 16ga sxs or a 20ga o/u...just because I have an affinity for two barrels and thats what I'm comfortable with...I've hunted with  coveyrise90 on several occasions , who hunts with a 12ga sxs...so what!?...even though young ,Adam is on of the most traditional/purist/knowledgeable upland hunters I have ever had the pleasure of sharing a field with....No need for semis/pumps on a quail hunt...but if thats what you've got...that's ok too
> As far as shooting into wild birds...On point only...Depending on the covey size...Take a couple of birds out of the rise...hunt a single or two...then move on...quail hunting is about watching your dogs work the field ,(after the countless hours of  summertime training,sweat and tears since he/she was a puppy) and then seeing that magical time of a point of a wild covey , the flush , the shot , the retrieve and watching the excitement of your dog bringing the reward to you...Is it your reward or the dog's, that has trained so hard to learn...I know who gets the praise in my camp...It aint the kill...It's the thrill of the hunt/sport...the kill is just icing on the cake..a reward.......If someone wants a bunch of quail to eat , go to the store and buy a four pack for 12.99..Its alot cheaper...Just my humble opinon....BTW...I don't give a rats "behind" about social status or economic status or how ones dressed...I still put my pants on one leg at a time...how about you


I agree, it's all about the dog in my book.


----------



## Supercracker (Jul 22, 2011)

What if your 12ga is a Flintlock?   Is there some conversion that will make that roughly equivalent to a 20ga or 16ga? lol

As for the $50k shot guns. I would love to have one. But to put on the wall and appreciate for the hand made example of nearly lost craftsmanship that it is. There is a threshold with that kind of thing where it stops being a gun and becomes art. The fact it shoots is incidental. The more disposable our society gets the more things like that should be appreciated. I PROMISE YOU, as much hooing and hawwwing goes on about them, no one is going to be shooting a Bennelli super duper titanium whatever in 100 yrs.

On the other hand, I would love to go shooting with someone wearing 1000.00 worth of clothes, special upland hunting boots and carrying a Holland & Holland just so I could have the chance to outshoot them in Wranglers, worn out Marine combat boots and the Montgomery Ward 20ga SxS my GF got me when I was 14 or 15.


----------



## Jim P (Jul 22, 2011)

Sam you nailed it


----------



## Wingmaster870 (Jul 22, 2011)

Jim P said:


> I beleave the reason behind shooting s/s or o/u 20 gauges was years ago on the plantations that is what they used, it's a gentelman thing, but it doesn't matter to me most of the time I use my 20 ga o/u just because it's lighter then my model 1400.



Bingo!   I bought me a cheap 20 guage Yildiz  SxS because it is super light and I dont have to worry about scratching it up.  The SxS is even lighter than the O/U...not sure if this is true for the higher end makes and models?

Unfortunately....any bore is more than sporting in my hands...


----------



## Nitram4891 (Jul 22, 2011)

Wingmaster870 said:


> Unfortunately....any bore is more than sporting in my hands...



You got that right!


----------



## george hancox (Jul 22, 2011)

I have to go back to the way I was raised.I was told that the Idea was to give the game as much of a chance as you can.The 10 and 8  for ducks and geese by market hunters not for sportsmen.The 12 was the gun for the hunter when it came to those birds and of course turkey.The 16 was a great gun for phesants and grouse.The 20 guage was for rabbits and timmberdoodles(his favorite bird).He said that gentleman bob deserved the 410.He (my granddad)said there was no finner creature to bring out the best in a sportsman.Those were his rules not becouse of any class thing but becouse he loved his sport and the people that followed the dogs.He didn't care much for the killing of animals or the bragging


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 22, 2011)

Gentlemen I think that we are all kindred spirits. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and ideas. I listen to advice from all people and make up my own mind.  I don’t think it matters one way or the other what type gun one person uses over another, but how we play the game.  The time and energy we spent finding a good dog, training your hunting companion and spending time in the field with good people.  I just got back into bird hunting after being out of the loop for 22 years.  It’s hard to go hunting when you are serving in the military.  I’ve met some really good folks here locally and now online at GA forum.  I even have a couple of hunts lined up with my new online friends.  This is a great board to discuss ideas and information.  Thanks again and hope to see you in the field. It will be easy to find me.  I’ll be the guy behind the good looking setter pup that has the nice bushy tail that’s on point all the time.  lol


----------



## SSG (Jul 22, 2011)

"The guage of the man is an index to the ability of the man to prove his manhood... if it is a 12- gauge, he is so-so. If it is a 16, he is pretty good. It it's a 20- gauge, he is excellent, and if it's a .410 he is bragging."
Robert Ruark, "The Brave Quail"


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 22, 2011)

Using your logic the same thing could be said about the car a man drives on first impressions.  You must drive a forgeign car because you believe everything you hear.  Lol   Just kidding.  You don’t know if the guy has a long commute, or if he is a contractor, ect…..
But there are holes in your logic.  Yes you might get more pellets from a 12 but you can take a 20 or 16 ga  and depending on what chokes you used you could be shooting a wider pattern than the 12 ga thus increasing your odds of hitting a wild bird..  Nor are you taking into consideration the length of the barrels.  If I brought out a skeet gun to a quail field with 30 inch barrels,  that shot 3 inch shells I would have the advantage over a 12 ga depending on the chokes that I used.  I would have longer range and a bigger pattern.  Or I could take a 16 ga or a 410 and cut the barrels making a scatter gun and shoot a bigger pattern for jump shooting. Using your logic to be more sportsmen like, why not use a single shot shotgun 410, straight bore no sights, plug one of your dog’s nostrils, and make the pooch wear one eye patch. You are using a dog, so you aren’t giving the quail a fare advantage.  Now what about the guy who takes his gun to a professional and has it fitted for him.  I’ve seen guys do that on the skeet range and they improve their shooting by over 20% just getting their gun fitted.
Now me personally I have good shooting days and bad shooting day.  On my bad days I could use a 10 ga and the quail would still have a fighting chance. Lo When I’m having a bad shooting day I just concentrate on handling the dogs and let my boys or my hunting buddies handle the gunning.  But when I’m hot I’m hot and it doesn’t matter what I’m shooting with.  
I have family members that are die hard fly fisherman and they will not use a barbed hook or cast a fly that they haven’t made themselves and most have made their own fishing rods.  Now that is taking a passion to its limit.  lol


----------



## coveyrise90 (Jul 24, 2011)

The bias against a 12ga is absolutely senseless. The 12ga loads I feed my sxs are 2 5/8" long and have a 7/8 oz payload with a velocity of 1100 fps. For comparison, standard 20ga sporting clays load (Winchester AA) throws 7/8 oz of shot at 1300 fps. 

Some folks are just weird about it. We've hunted a plantation that didn't allow 12ga guns... even though my 12ga loads were lighter than a standard 20ga. 

But I can gladly say that this will not be an issue for me as I just picked up a new bird gun.

AYA #2 Rounded Action 20ga. 













Call me crazy, but I think a finely crafted double enhances the whole experience. 

Adam


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 24, 2011)

CR90,
That’s a really nice S X S, it’s a piece of art. I love the old Spanish box lock shotguns.  I’m like you, I really like the side by side and over under shotguns.  I feel that it is a more traditional way to hunt. My son’s who are in their 20’s like the synthetic stock, lighter guns ect…  I like the hand crafted shotguns with beautiful wood grain finishes, German silver plating scroll work, etc…  The Spanish guns where all handmade and hand crafted.  It also reminds me of growing up as a kid and hunting with my father and grandfather. They always shot S x S.   I hunted for years with my Mossberg 500 pump shotgun.  My old Mossy got the job done, but wasn’t a good looking gun.


----------



## Sam H (Jul 24, 2011)

coveyrise90 said:


> The bias against a 12ga is absolutely senseless. The 12ga loads I feed my sxs are 2 5/8" long and have a 7/8 oz payload with a velocity of 1100 fps. For comparison, standard 20ga sporting clays load (Winchester AA) throws 7/8 oz of shot at 1300 fps.
> 
> Some folks are just weird about it. We've hunted a plantation that didn't allow 12ga guns... even though my 12ga loads were lighter than a standard 20ga.
> 
> ...




Dang Adam....You didn't tell me you had gotten a "new"20ga sxs...Thats a looker, with what looks like , an oil rubbed , straight grip stock w/ tasteful-but fancy, engraving..


----------



## Jim P (Jul 24, 2011)

Adam keep buying them nice shot-guns, because when you het married everything changes. lol


----------



## Sam H (Jul 24, 2011)

Jim P said:


> Adam keep buying them nice shot-guns, because when you het married everything changes. lol




Amen Brother...Then you gotta ask..or...and hear"well , what do I get?!..


----------



## BuckBoy (Jul 25, 2011)

Do you drive nails with a sledge hammer? 

I use a 20 or smaller on quail because that is all you need.


----------



## pine nut (Jul 25, 2011)

Is it just me or is that a really short LOP on that AYA?  It's pretty tho!


----------



## pine nut (Jul 25, 2011)

I 'd sure like to have a nicely balanced 20 ga SBS to try to learn to shoot it.  Those wide barrels tend to make me think "I Can't Miss", but I dang sure CAN!  I think they are wonderfully beautiful, MISSING machines in my hands.  I've thought  a finely balanced double gun that fit me would be the ultimate "paatrige" gun. Unfortunately it would be a chunk of change to spend if the outcome were to be what I expect it would be.  LOL, but I still want one!


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 25, 2011)

BuckBoy said:


> Do you drive nails with a sledge hammer?
> 
> I use a 20 or smaller on quail because that is all you need.



Good point, I will change my call sign to “Hammer Jax”.  Lol
I can’t wait to hammer time.  lol


----------



## Bhrama (Jul 25, 2011)

I do not agree with everything said here, but I understand most of you guys feelings on the subject.

Sam, good explanation about why you hunt the way you do - it made me think a little bit - thank you.

Interesting thoughts from everyone and no bickering about a touchy subject (nobody likes to be told that they hunt "wrong").

Thanks for the thread.


----------



## Sam H (Jul 26, 2011)

Setter Jax said:


> Good point, I will change my call sign to “Hammer Jax”.  Lol
> I can’t wait to hammer time.  lol


----------



## Nitram4891 (Jul 26, 2011)

pine nut said:


> Is it just me or is that a really short LOP on that AYA?  It's pretty tho!



X2


----------



## Jetjockey (Jul 26, 2011)

This is a great conversation, especially for someone like me who didn't grow up hunting quail.  IMO the most important thing, is to hunt the way that makes you happy, without destroying our dwindeling natural resource of wild quail (or for that matter, the pheasants I grew up hunting).  Where I grew up in WA state, everyone hunted with pumps or auto's for pheasants and ducks.  To be honest, quail didn't get much love from the hunting community.  But now that I live in the south, I love the history, the tradition and the "sport" that is quail hunting.  I love that your "supposed" to hunt with a double, and that a double "should" be in 20 guage or less.  IMO, it inhances the joy of the hunt.  Do you need a $10,000 double gun?  Absolutely not.  BUT, for those guys who can afford them, and who truely appreciate the art and the craftsmanship that goes into a gun like that, it inhances their hunt.    Now days my FIL doesn't hunt anything with a double gun that costs less then $5000.  And trust me, he's one of the biggest rednecks you will ever meet (a very well educated and succesfull redneck).  He grew up in a hard working middle class family shooting pumps and auto's.  As he started to do better for himself, he upgraded to a Ruger Red Label.  And since then, he has moved up even farther.  For him, its a joy to hunt with a piece of art that he worked his tail off to be able to afford.  It has nothing to do with status, or an elitest attitude.  It has everything to do with him appreciating the tradition of quail hunting, and what makes a quail hunt the most enjoyable for him.  For many guys, thats hunting with their fathers old Purdy.  For me, when quail, its hunting with the Beretta O/U my wife bought me to quail hunt with when we moved to GA.  When Im in the Dakota's, its hunting with my old 870 12 guage my dad bought me for my first shotgun to hunt pheasants with.  Hunting quail with my 870 just wouldn't feel right to me, and it wouldn't "feel" right on a quail hunt for me.  But put me in the Dakota's with a couple good pheasant dogs, and you won't peel that 870 from my hands.


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 26, 2011)

Jetjockey said:


> This is a great conversation, especially for someone like me who didn't grow up hunting quail.  IMO the most important thing, is to hunt the way that makes you happy, without destroying our dwindeling natural resource of wild quail (or for that matter, the pheasants I grew up hunting).
> But now that I live in the south, I love the history, the tradition and the "sport" that is quail hunting.  I love that your "supposed" to hunt with a double, and that a double "should" be in 20 guage or less.  IMO, it inhances the joy of the hunt. )
> 
> JJ,
> ...


----------



## Jetjockey (Jul 26, 2011)

Setter Jax said:


> Jetjockey said:
> 
> 
> > She thinks I have to many guns all ready.  Of course I tell her the same thing about her expensive purses and shoes.  lol
> ...


----------



## Jim P (Jul 26, 2011)

Jetjockey now you need to help me with my little lady.


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 26, 2011)

Mine will let me spend the money, she just want an equal amount to spend on herself. Lol


----------



## con50582 (Jul 26, 2011)

I guess on the Southern Plantations where its 900 dollars a day to hunt they can be picky about the guns.  I've only shot clays at one of these places with my old LC Smith 12ga. enjoyed beating out of a guy with a Purdey.  But if Filson and a 10,000 dollar shotgun sitting on a buggy going out to shoot birds someone released that morning makes you happy it's your stimulus check.

Judging from the number of 12 ga shotguns that are made as opposed to the 20, 16, 410 (I heard somewhere that because less were made they are more rare therefore the prices they command) that the majority of our Grandpas shot 12ga.

I am the third generation to shoot my LC 12ga that my grandpa bought.  I guess he figured that if you have to pay 30 dollars for a shotgun then you should be able to shoot everything from Ducks to Snipe to Rabbit.  Crazy concept he had.


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 26, 2011)

con50582 said:


> I am the third generation to shoot my LC 12ga that my grandpa bought.  I guess he figured that if you have to pay 30 dollars for a shotgun then you should be able to shoot everything from Ducks to Snipe to Rabbit.  Crazy concept he had.



Awesome reply.  Captured my feeling exactly.  Lol
Hammer Jax


----------



## con50582 (Jul 26, 2011)

I'm with you brother.  It don't get any more traditional than the way our grandpas did it.  Since most of our grandpas didn't own plantations with names I guess hunting birds over pointers of questionable heritage with a 12ga double to put food on the table would be the norm rather than the guy on horseback with a 16 ga Parker DHE.


----------



## Coach K (Jul 26, 2011)

Re: Gauges - I try to do a little reading every now & then and I came across a writer (I can't remember where I read this & it may have been something from the early 20th Century) who wrote about this topic of what gauge is appropriate for each species of game bird.  If I recall correctly he said about the bobwhite quail, that he is a gentleman bird, who sits tight for your bird dogs so that they may have a nice point.  He makes no attempt at trickery but waits until the hunter approaches to within gunning range.  Because he is such a fair player in this stand-off, it stands to reason that the hunter should give Mr. Bob some sort of an advantage since he plays so fair.  That advantage the hunter gives, out of respect for such a brave quarry, is to reduce his gauge and shoot only a double barrel.   From my interpretation of the author's article I believe that what he was saying.   Now, that being said, our bobwhites are not as gentlemanly as they once were.  I know for a fact that the little buggers run like the dickens now because I have seen my dogs track running coveys on numerous occasions.  (by means of the Garmin)  Furthermore, until my wife either starts working full time or my kids all get full scholarships throughout high-school and then college, I will have to take that unfair advantage over gentleman Bob and keep using "Little Brown", my 12g Browning Upland Special as I cannot afford a 20g version of my present weapon.  * Although, at least "Little Brown" is an O/U - so at least I am allowed only two shots*  This I believe is fair play in this present day and age.

Re: Plantations - smaller than 12g being mandatory reasons.  1. slow flying pen raised birds are easier target.  2.  Fair play 3.  If you shoot a dog or someone I guess a smaller gauge would have just a little less chance of killing that dog/person.  4.  Less damage caused to vehicles, buildings, etc.  5.  12 g. tends to destroy bird from inexperienced hunters that shoot too quick.  ( I guess those are the main reasons that I can think of off the top of my head)


----------



## coveyrise90 (Jul 27, 2011)

The LOP is not short...  I guess its the angle of the shot. 

Re Plantation: For most, its simply tradition. A "gentleman" quail gun is a small bore sxs. I know folks that are like that but they are far and few in between. Nonetheless, I still prefer small bore doubles (or lightly load 12GAs).

Quail hunting in the South in a traditional sport, so a traditional gun is in order. An camoed up automatic just wouldn't look right in this photo!!! 







Good hunting!

Adam


----------



## JustUs4All (Jul 28, 2011)

george hancox said:


> I have to go back to the way I was raised.I was told that the Idea was to give the game as much of a chance as you can.The 10 and 8  for ducks and geese by market hunters not for sportsmen.The 12 was the gun for the hunter when it came to those birds and of course turkey.The 16 was a great gun for phesants and grouse.The 20 guage was for rabbits and timmberdoodles(his favorite bird).He said that gentleman bob deserved the 410.He (my granddad)said there was no finner creature to bring out the best in a sportsman.Those were his rules not becouse of any class thing but becouse he loved his sport and the people that followed the dogs.He didn't care much for the killing of animals or the bragging



You are fortunate to have had a grandfather who could afford a gun in each gauge.  My grandfather and my father both could only afford one.  In each case it was a 16 gauge.  When I came along I got Dad's Mod. 12 and he got a new Remington auto.  Tradition for me is a good dog and a Mod. 12.



SSG said:


> "The guage of the man is an index to the ability of the man to prove his manhood... if it is a 12- gauge, he is so-so. If it is a 16, he is pretty good. It it's a 20- gauge, he is excellent, and if it's a .410 he is bragging."
> Robert Ruark, "The Brave Quail"



Mr Ruark was very full of himself when he penned that drivel.


----------



## Supercracker (Jul 28, 2011)

JustUs4All said:


> Mr Ruark was very full of himself when he penned that drivel.



or just HAMMERED!


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 28, 2011)

pine nut said:


> Is it just me or is that a really short LOP on that AYA?  It's pretty tho!



The LOP's are short on the Spanish guns.  I guess Spanish guys are smaller in stature.  If you look at most Spanish s x s online you will notice spacers and recoil pads to get the LOP for American guys. IMHO.


----------



## Nitram4891 (Jul 28, 2011)

Now this gun will take down some quail!  With a 3 round mag only of course and no more hearing loss!  I would love to have one of these on the dove field come sept 3rd.


----------



## Setter Jax (Jul 28, 2011)

Nitram4891 said:


> Now this gun will take down some quail!  With a 3 round mag only of course and no more hearing loss!  I would love to have one of these on the dove field come sept 3rd.



That better be in 20 ga.  or smaller.  lol


----------



## Jim P (Jul 28, 2011)

That ought to do it


----------

