Favorite Bird guns....

[Andy54Hawken]

That is sooo true...at least in my dreams....I often hear the grouse laugh at me in my antics to get my dinner...
Mostly I use grouse hunting as an excuse to hike the woods with a cool gun...
Andy

@AndyinEverson .... grouse slayer, and bane of all upland game-birds who dare expose their pointy beaks!!

 

[Caveman Jim]

The Remington 870 Wingmaster fed me well since before HS.... Still have it.

 

[Argonaut]

The first time I heard about crazy Oregonians shooting pigeons, I was confused.
Why shoot pigeons ?
How silly.
As I become more informed, I learned of this magnificent bird called a band-tailed pigeon.
They are migratory, and tend to fly the western flanks of the Coast Range although there are some on the East side of the Coast range and in the Valley.
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They are very tough and we found that "Chuikar Loads" (1-1/4 oz 1330 FPS #6) were the best.
Mineral springs can be an ambush point. They like mineral rich water and elderberries.
The meat is dark like duck.
Not sure if there is still an open season.

Those are an invasive species, can be shot any time in any amount here in Idaho. They do not migrate and are here year round unlike native doves. I have them on my ranch and enjoy them. They are much larger than North American doves and like feral pigeons are good to eat.

 

[DirectDrive]

Those are an invasive species, can be shot any time in any amount here in Idaho. They do not migrate and are here year round unlike native doves. I have them on my ranch and enjoy them. They are much larger than North American doves and like feral pigeons are good to eat.

You are incorrect.
The invasive bird is the Eurasian Collared Dove.
They have moved into my area in the last 5-6 years.
They prefer to live in close proximity to humans.
The Bandtailed Pigeon is absolutely a native bird.

The story of this infection is here :

In 1974, fewer than 50 Eurasian Collared Doves escaped captivity in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas.[10] From the Bahamas, the species spread to Florida, and is now found in nearly every state in the US, as well as in Mexico.[11][12] In Arkansas (United States), the species was recorded first in 1989 and since then has grown in numbers and is now present in 42 of 75 counties in the state. It spread from the southeast corner of the state in 1997 to the northwest corner in 5 years, covering a distance of about 500 km (310 mi) at a rate of 100 km (62 mi) per year.[13] This is more than double the rate of 45 km (28 mi) per year observed in Europe.[14] Interestingly, as of 2012, few negative impacts have been demonstrated in Florida, where the species is most prolific.[15][16] However, the species is known as an aggressive competitor, and there is concern that as populations continue to grow, native birds will be outcompeted by the invaders.[15] However, one study found that Eurasian collared doves are not more aggressive or competitive than native mourning doves, despite similar dietary preferences.[17]

 

[Andy54Hawken]

We have seen a huge influx of the Eurasian Collared Dove here where I live as well...we can hunt them year 'round and they are very tasty...
Andy

 

[DirectDrive]

We have seen a huge influx of the Eurasian Collared Dove here where I live as well...we can hunt them year 'round and they are very tasty...
Andy

I see them every day, but I have yet to see them in a legal shooting area.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Yeah...they are over the Everson city limits ( huge city that we are )...and I don't think that the PD would look kindly on me shooting at 'em even with a cool old muzzleloader...
But they are out and about in the fields and woods where I can hunt...
Andy

 

[KKG]

Had a Beretta BL-3, 20ga. That was an awesome Shooter. Priced it to Sell but it did nothing but sit. Took it to the range and shot 3 Rounds of Trap. Best I've ever done. So gave the price a major bump - it wasn't on display for 20 minutes and it was Gone.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Those Beretta BL-3's are a great handling shotgun..Never owned one but have shot a friends a time or three...
Andy

 

[Flymph]

I guess i'll start buying a combined license next year, after I practice on some clays first. Gotta do my part to thin invasive species, or put some good meat on the table (not sure if they are native, thought they were).
Told my GF I would pick up hunting to get away from factory farming. Wish me luck!

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

Here is another favorite of mine...
It is a combination gun with a 12 gauge smooth bore and a .44 rifled barrel.
Circa 1840's -60's...the stock has been re-worked and the locks are "new" Pedersoli replacements.
Andy
View attachment 429841
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Please note that the front sight is not bent or crooked ...just poor photography skills...

That is beautiful, just don't pull the wrong trigger

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Thanks!
Yeah that took some getting used to...the curved trigger is for the smooth bore , the straight trigger is for the rifled bore...
Andy

 

[DeanMk]

...seems like that should be the other way around.

 

[DeanMk]

We have seen a huge influx of the Eurasian Collared Dove here where I live as well...we can hunt them year 'round and they are very tasty...
Andy

....year 'round?.....bird hunt, YEAR 'ROUND?!....why didn't someone tell me sooner!

 

[Andy54Hawken]

You would think so...I have no doubt that a different gun is set up that way...
( regarding trigger set up )
Andy

 

[DeanMk]

The first time I heard about crazy Oregonians shooting pigeons, I was confused.
Why shoot pigeons ?
How silly.
As I became more informed, I learned of this magnificent bird called a band-tailed pigeon.
You will never see them in a park or around a barn.....they are royalty and prefer a life high in the Douglas Firs of the Coast Range.
They are migratory, and tend to fly the western flanks of the Coast Range although there are some on the East side of the Coast range and in the Valley.
View attachment 429849
View attachment 429850

They are very tough and we found that "Chuikar Loads" (1-1/4 oz 1330 FPS #6) were the best.
Mineral springs can be an ambush point. They like mineral rich water and elderberries.
The meat is dark like duck.
Not sure if there is still an open season.

That's most people's "Hi-brass" 2 3/4" upland load for 12 gauge (Winchester, Remington, Federal, etc.....).
I found an ounce of #6's from a hi-brass 20 gauge has a similar effect.

Dean

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I have found that both those loads of #6's in 12 and 20 gauge , make for a good "all around bird shot / small game load"...at least with my guns.

Speaking of bird guns....I need to get a picture up of my newest to me Winchester 37 ...its in 20 gauge with quite a bit of honest finish wear , but locks up tight and shoots very nicely....
Andy

 

[KKG]

I have a very old SxS .410ga. that was my Grandfathers. It does a fine job on a number of birds. Of course, I have not shot all that many.

 

[DirectDrive]

That's most people's "Hi-brass" 2 3/4" upland load for 12 gauge (Winchester, Remington, Federal, etc.....).
I found an ounce of #6's from a hi-brass 20 gauge has a similar effect.

Dean

And for those reading along that may not be familiar with the inner workings of a shotshell, "High Brass" is a marketing ploy.
One piece hulls like Winchester AA don't need any brass at all to safely handle normal shotshell pressures.
I've loaded thousands of low brass AA Trap hulls with hunting loads.
I used to think that the high brass Super X loads were special, but they're really not.
They look cool, though.

 

[Sniper03]

I use to live in Indiana and loved to Quail and Pheasant every chance I go which was usually most Saturdays and then sometime Wednesday during the week and also train dogs. I had two English Setters that were great to say the least. Man I miss that hunting. Living now in Tennessee you have to go to a game farm to do that which I probably will never do! They hunt a lot of Doves down here. Point being we use to train Setters and sell them. We used Pigeons to train the young dogs a lot of time. We would go into an old barn at night and collect them. We would tuck their heads under their wings and swing them around. They would set where they were put for a while. And the new dogs would find and point them. So Grandpas (My) Fox Stearlingworth and the Franchi have not shot a bird in a long time. Someday I want to do that again! Of course my bird dogs have long expired and I liked watching them work as well as I did the shooting.

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