Upland Hunting, Bird Dog and Shotgun BS Thread

Ahh you've been hanging out on Upland Journal and listening too much to Brad and those Northeast guys about the "King"

No grouse in Mn. they are all over in Wi. Wait you've been here damn...

Couple of the guys hunt with in SD are from Wi. and like me hunt grouse and woodcock before SD phez. See you had some timberdoodles. Best woodcock meal ever had was in SD when we all brought some woodcock and threw together Woodcock Crostini Di Beccaccia



SD for me is a social experience in addition to hunting. We don't rough it too bad once back to the house. More about seeing good friends each year. And the dogs.



Grouse though I still prefer solitude with just the dog and me deep in the woods. Bit more rustic living conditions too. Even sleep in the back of the truck with the dog when a cabin isn't available to rent someplace.



But much prefer a cabin these days getting too old for that if I can help it. The dog is tired enough after chasing birds all day he really doesn't care where he sleeps. And as far as I am concerned he has earned it and can.

 

If I ever decided to pack up and leave CA I think I'd end up in the north woods. My trip to MN was the best trip I've made so far. Bird numbers were down by all accounts but we found plenty enough to make it interesting. I hunt with a group in SD and a couple of them are from the twin cities area.

 

That is one beautiful picture worth a thousand words!

 

Thank you, Lady was 10 months old on that trip and hunted quite well. Boy it was warm while we were there! I think it was near 80 everyday. We spent more than a few nights in the bed of the truck and only got a room when I really needed a shower lol.

 

I was just talking to my buddy today about getting an over under and do some upland game bird hunting. I usually only hunt big game with the exception of wild turkey and maybe a grouse during elk season, but any excuse to get some more hunting in during the year is fine with me. Any you guys in Oregon?

 

Great looking dogs and sounds like you have some awesome guns! I would love to pick up a 16ga one of these days. I shot a round of sporting clays not too long ago with a SxS 16 and have been dreaming about it since.

 

Who can spot the Woodcock?

 

So what is everyone shooting? My go to is a 28ga Cz Ringneck but I also have a Belgian 20mag a5, a 20ga Cz redhead, a 20ga weatherby sa08, and grandpas 12ga wing master.

I've been looking at a few old Parker and Fox 20ga guns but my springers recent health issues have tapped all my extra funds as of late.

 

Beretta 686 Black Onyx 20G - 26". Bought it back in 2001 when I got my first GSP.

I shoot bottom barrel first with Cylinder Choke. Top barrel has Improved Cylinder.

Later in mid November, I put IC in bottom and Modified in top (no more leaves on trees).

I've shot a lot of waterfowl with this too. I've been shooting all steel/non-toxic for years to avoid conflicts with waterfowl regulations & no lead. Many of my grouse covers are near water that hold ducks. I often have ducks & grouse in my game vest.

 

I shoot cyl/ Ic chokes as well but prefer bismuth for non tox.

That Beretta is a nice gun!

 

I've tried all the non-toxic flavors and eventually settled on the cheap 2 3/4" Winchester Steel loads #5. I didn't notice much difference in performance with all that I tried. I do carry six 3" waterfowl loads in my vest for those times I have time to jump shoot water.

 

@Fishpond @Don5352

Dogs. Guns. Birds.

Great looking dogs, all of them!



That terrain looks awfully familiar...

I hear you on ticks all my dogs over the last 20 years have had Lyme by the time they are 1 and pretty sure I have it too. In the 70' and even 80's it was rare to find a tick in Potter or Tioga Counties. This year went to the Seresto collar and haven't seen a tick on the dog yet think I'm sold. Maybe I should wear one I hate the bastages. One reason I hunt the North Shore of Lake Superior is almost no ticks but wouldn't be long before they increase there too.

I gave up waterfowl when they made us switch to steel from lead, hated all the cripples. Had heard that steel is much better now days and in SD on WMA's have to use non tox. It might be better than it used to but still had a lot of phez that were runners compared to lead. When bismuth first came out seemed to be better than steel but not by a lot. And sometimes wondered if at all.

Then 3 or 4 years ago RIO came out with a new biz alloy and it certainly is much improved, a lot better than the older stuff. And now Kent offers biz even in 16 ga. and it too is much improved over the older stuff. l still like lead but where I can't I use the new bismuth by RIO or Kent.

 

When I went to MN ticks were definitely a concern. A fellow bird dogger and veterinarian suggest I use simparica, advantix, and a tick collar and while I pulled a handful of ticks off myself I never found one stuck to either of the dogs.

Edit... I'm not sure if this would be a viable long term option or not but it definitely worked for our stay.

 

Grouse & Woodcock I only use 16 ga. anymore. Primary is Ithaca 37 1949 26" bbl. choked IC but measures around 8 points. Late season when leaves are down have identical gun marked Mod. but measures .011. This year picked up a prewar 37, 1939 that had a poly choke on it and someone cut it off so bbl. is 25.5" and Cyl. choke. For early season grouse and close shots. Well and also because I really like the prewar checkering and deep bluing with high polish so good excuse to get it LOL.

King Ferry English stocked 37 Deluxe gets a walk at least once a year. As does the F.A.I.R. (I. Rizzini) 16. I have 2 bbls. for it a 28" and 30" and use the 30 for clays and 28 for hunting.



Just purchased a new style Sweet 16 from a guy in New Mexico went to pick it up from my FFL holder Tuesday and NICS gave the "Under further review". So can't get it until July 10th. Good chance will have Briley cut the 28" bbl. down to 24-25" and install thinwall chokes. And have the stock converted to a straight English grip, will see.

At the annual Sweet 16 shoot I put about 40 rounds through an I. Rizzini Iside Side by Side and missed 2 birds with it. So that will be the next gun. I like the F.A.I.R. guns and seem to shoot them well. Not sure which model or even the sidelock or boxlock



Pheasants for me is a 12 ga. situation. 1 and a quarter oz. of #5 lead at ~1200 fps. Ohio made Ithaca 37 Ultralight, Benelli Ultralight, or Beretta 687 Ultralight Deluxe. They all get a work out. They all weigh within a few oz. of 6 pounds.

For at least a dozen years my main target gun has been a custom Joel Etchen Guns Beretta 682 Gold\Silver Pigeon with EELL wood.



Been 3 years since I've taken it out of the safe I now use my hunting guns with light loads for clays or B. Rizzini Vertex.

Went to shoot sporting clays tonight with some friends. In addition to the B. Rizzini took my Ohio made Ithaca 37 with AAA wood. It is also my waterfowl gun just put some paste wax on the stock and call it good. Ducks don't seem to mind and my grandfather never had a black or camo gun and killed a lot of ducks. Guess I really should clean the bird feathers out of the back of the truck though.



Got to the club and the gate was locked. They cancelled because of the 4th but forgot to tell anyone, ugh. Hung around for a little bit with my friends and finally called it a bust. And realized that what I call friends seem to drive a Toyota, have hunting dogs and hunt birds.



3rd Gen is owned by a springer and a lab. The FJ is 2 Lew English Setters. They are good friends.

 

Sounds like the right kind of friends to me. Those F.A.I.R. guns are interesting for sure, a nice step up from the Turkish guns in that price range I'm sure. I've also been thinking about that new CSMC Revelation but I just enjoy SxS too much to switch back to an O/U, maybe I should get an RBL.

I sure hope I get another season over my springer, the amputation didn't get all the cancer I'm afraid and I'm not putting him him through the radiation and chemo treatments.

 

My heart goes out to you, that is a tough one to go through. They all are. But all the memories prior to that and sometimes even during make it worth it. Sometimes I argue with myself about it but eventually things settle into perspective. Doesn't make it any easier...

Hope you get another season with him also. My father went through that and elected not to do chemo again. So did my youngest son when his Advanced Stage 4B came back. Somehow it went into remission again about 4 months ago for my son and no one knows why. Not complaining.

On a lighter note, I came close to geting the Revelation with upgraded wood I'm obviously a wood whore. The CSMC shotguns on release are a bargain. But I'm trying to move away from the 20 ga. and don't really need another Over Under. For that matter don't need a SxS. Going to get one anyhow LOL.

What I really want is a pistol or POW grip, single trigger, and semi beavertail forend. Like this 16 ga. CSMC RBL that Riflemeister on 16ga.com recently picked up on gunbroker for $3.5K. The FAIR will cost me close to that. And the damn safety is in the wrong spot on both of them LOL. Which is fine for everything except grouse and then I can't seem to break the habit where my index finger slides forward as soon as they flush.

Good luck with your buddy.

I think you should get the RBL

 

No dogs for me, unfortunately, which definitely makes it more challenging but we end up with birds. We do love "partridge" (ruffed grouse) hunting in Maine. A couple of pics of the Tacoma thrown in there from last Fall. Can't wait for season to open again this Fall!

 

Yeah, we know them as paaah-trige too, but folks not from Northern New England get confused when we talk about it. I've never upland hunted anywhere else but would love to chase pheasants out in the plains. Beautiful country out there!

 

Yeah, we know them as paaah-trige too, but folks not from Northern New England get confused when we talk about it. I've never upland hunted anywhere else but would love to chase pheasants out in the plains. Beautiful country out there!

 

I think most of the people in the upland community would understand what bird a New Englander was talking about when referencing pah-tridge but get west of the big river and a partridge is a hun or chukar.