New guy question

[at2smithjason]

So, I am a city transplat and I have just tapped into my hunting desires.  I am very new to this and I am trying to collect all of the info that I can.  While looking through all of the awesome pictures that you guys and gals post on here about all of the good hunting that you have had, I think that I was meant to be a bird guy.  I find my self coming back to the bird section time and time again.  The question that I have is what gauge of shotgun is everyone using?  I am thinking about getting a 12GA so that I can do turkeys and ducks.  But the uplands all seem to be smaller and I dont want to lose too much from the shot pellets.  Thanks for the help.

[wildweeds]

Almost everybody starts with a 12 and as they age and improve in ability go down in gauge size,actually I started at 12 shooting a 20 ga SXS at clay pigeons,my first hunting gun was a 12 gauge 1100 semi auto that I paid for with money earned from farmwork that next summer,I was limited to one shell in the gun for 2 years,the shells were carried by my dad,if I hit I got another shell,if I missed....I carried an empty gun,needless to say my focus was on high alert because carrying an empty gun sucked.It's been a 33 year journey for me so far and I have one of every gauge less the 16 gauge.I can tell you that clay practice is worth it's weight in gold,trap/skeet/sporting clays will make you a more proficent shooter and instill confidence in your shooting,days afield will teach you what is a makeable shot or a crippling shot that nets no bird,I don't care how good the dog is,a poor shot choice will net lost birds and that's no fault of the dog(which will save the day most of the time).25% of any  gauge/choke constriction  pattern is directly in the center,when your on em your on em.And when you miss,99% of the time your shooting behind.Your interests would lead me to have you look at a pump gun that shoots 3 inch shells,That would be a happy medium for weight savings for upland use,durability for waterfowl,reliability for all.My favorite pump gun is a Remington 870 wingmaster,Benneli makes a good one as well,I'm not a mossberg fan,my buddy had one and it was broke and in the shop more than it was afield it seemed.As far as your original question goes,I use my 20 the majority of the time,I use a .410 on westside pheasants and a 28 guage sometimes for quail.Waterfowl gets the 12 gauge.

[C-Money]

Hello!! 12ga is the most popular. Next would be the 20ga in popularity. Either is fine. A Remington 870, in 12 or 20 ga and you will have a great upland/waterfowl shotgun. Lean towards the 12ga if you plan on hunting waterfowl.

[at2smithjason]

Thanks for the help.  In your opinion whats the better tasing bird out of the uplands?

[C-Money]

Quail are so good....but you need a pile of them. Pheasants are great too, and hard to beat a good grouse. Ill take my fresh quail and fry them in butter and eat them right out of the pan. This works when I only get a few. If I blast a pile, the wife will bake them for dinner and serve with mashed potatoes and stuffing with gravy. Mouthwatering!! She usually does the Pheasants and grouse in a turkey bag, oven baked.

[bobcat]

A 12 gauge will be very versatile, and if you're hunting waterfowl, there's no doubt, a 12 gauge is the best choice. With interchangeable choke tubes and a vast option of different shot sizes available, you can hunt anything from quail to geese and turkeys with a 12 gauge, with no disadvantage whatsoever.

I agree with the others that a pump action would be a good choice.

[Fishnfowler]

I think Chukar are the best tasting without doubt.  Quail and Grouse are my next favorite with Pheasant and Huns in a tight third place.  Any bird can taste like an old shoe, but proper handling of the game with the right cooking will turn almost any protein into good eating.

Best of luck in your adventures.

[wildweeds]

Try this C Money it'll knock your socks off, take quail breasts and cut em into bite size,marinate in wishbone italian dressing overnight,wrap with bacon, broil 7 minutes,pull out and slide a triangle of provolone cheese over the toothpick,reinsert for 1 minute and Voila, hors duerves are up! You can soak in orange juice and skip the cheese for a differnt taste as well. Those are always a big hit when I bust em out.Works on pheasant breasts also,Try it on chicken if your scared about wasting your game meat,just as good.

Quail are so good....but you need a pile of them. Pheasants are great too, and hard to beat a good grouse. Ill take my fresh quail and fry them in butter and eat them right out of the pan. This works when I only get a few. If I blast a pile, the wife will bake them for dinner and serve with mashed potatoes and stuffing with gravy. Mouthwatering!! She usually does the Pheasants and grouse in a turkey bag, oven baked.

[GoBeavs85]

Bird hunting is such a good place to start. I started out big game hunting. I still like big game hunting but my passion is really in the fast action of bird hunting. One day of bird hunting often has more action than I get out of a whole year of big game hunting.

I started w a 12 Gauge and think that is the clear best first gun choice. It's just so versatile.

My wife who is very picky about what she eats likes quail the best. They can be hard to hit but they hold well for dogs and if your in a good area usually provide lots of shooting
Opportunity.

Good luck!

[RadSav]

I think Chukar are the best tasting without doubt.  Quail and Grouse are my next favorite with Pheasant and Huns in a tight third place.  Any bird can taste like an old shoe, but proper handling of the game with the right cooking will turn almost any protein into good eating.

    Nothing better than Buffalo Chuckar for the Super Bowl feast!!  Add a little gorgonzola dip and oh my flippin' goodness   My absolute favorite bird, wild or domestic.

[AspenBud]

So, I am a city transplat and I have just tapped into my hunting desires.  I am very new to this and I am trying to collect all of the info that I can.  While looking through all of the awesome pictures that you guys and gals post on here about all of the good hunting that you have had, I think that I was meant to be a bird guy.  I find my self coming back to the bird section time and time again.  The question that I have is what gauge of shotgun is everyone using?  I am thinking about getting a 12GA so that I can do turkeys and ducks.  But the uplands all seem to be smaller and I dont want to lose too much from the shot pellets.  Thanks for the help.

The best all around gauge out there is 16. Guns in that gauge tend to be lighter but have a similar impact to that of a 12.

That said, 16 gauge ammo is harder to come by and more expensive so 12 gauge is often the choice people make for a do-it-all gauge.

You're bigger concern should be weight. What makes a great duck and turkey gun does not always make a good upland gun. 7 lbs may not seem like a lot but after an hour or two of hiking around behind a hot bird dog you'll start to notice it. Been there, done that.

[lonedave]

RadSav - I need that recipe!!! 

Chukar are by far my most favorite to hunt, but I think grouse are the least dry.  I like to hunt any upland bird though.  I'm partial to 20 ga with either #7 1/2 or #6 shot, but I also haven't hunted waterfowl for almost 30 years.  I do use a blackpowder 12 ga on occasion with shot size up to #5.  That said, I think the most important piece of gear the upland or waterfowl hunter needs is a good dog.  Most any gauge gun and shells will work, but having that nose working for you is priceless!  In that department, I'm partial to Brittanys.  A couple of other items that I use for upland hunting that I don't see used a lot are binoculars and a sling.

Dave

[salmonchaser]

I may have missed it, but a 12 gauge is not going to tear a bird up more than a 20, all things being equal. 1/4 ounce of shot increase may be quite a few pellets but at average ranges not all that increase hits the bird. In the hands of average shooters I believe we chase fewer crippled pheasant with 12 gauge shooters, but that's far from an empirical study. I've never kept notes on the subject. My belief may be more related to new hunters being provided 20 gauge guns.
Waterfowl, as well stated, get a 12 gauge.
On the table;
Ptarmigan are easily the best eating when taken in August or September as they are living on a variety of wild berries.
Grouse number two.
Pheasant, quail, chukar, Huns. Depends a lot on where you find them.
I save all my waterfowl for pepperoni so I don't have to sacrifice deer or elk for pepperoni.
Everyone has biases when it comes to shotguns. If you have not spent any time reading about shotgun fit, do yourself a favor and gain some understanding before you buy a gun. I'm not saying you need a fitted gun, far from it. There are significant differences in stock dimensions some guns will point better for you then others. You will have far more success using a gun that fits you. It might be an 870 pump or an M2 Benelli. Once you have an understanding of fit, spend some time shooting, set your budget and then go buy the gun that won't handicap you.

[at2smithjason]

So I was thinking that for my first shot gun I would get a good Benelli.  I love the way that they look and I havent heard a bad thing about them, aside from the price.  But you gotta pay to play.

[AspenBud]

So I was thinking that for my first shot gun I would get a good Benelli.  I love the way that they look and I havent heard a bad thing about them, aside from the price.  But you gotta pay to play.

I love my M2.

[C-Money]

Look at the Browning Maxus is you don't mind paying.  They are great too!

Wildweed....the does sound delicious. ...gotta try it!

[RadSav]

So I was thinking that for my first shot gun I would get a good Benelli.  I love the way that they look and I havent heard a bad thing about them, aside from the price.  But you gotta pay to play.

When looking at Benelli be sure to pay attention to weight if upland hunting is part of the game.  If you think to yourself, "It's a little heavy, but it will be ok" while you are still in the store...probably should be looking for something lighter   Benelli has some great dual purpose options, without a doubt!  But, when chasing chukars there is no such thing as being too dang light!  I'd rather error on the light side than error on the heavy side.

Benelli's Nova is a great place to start, IMO.  Few serious bird hunters ever settle for just one single gun anyway.  That's part of the fun of bird hunting!  At one point in time I had a;
Turkey Gun
Goose Gun
Duck Gun
Grouse Gun
Quail Gun
Chuckar/Pheasant Gun
And the cool 222/20 double gun 

Warning: You get serious about bird hunting and their are plenty of fun toys you are going to want need!     

[CP]

A 12g is all you need and all you will ever need – you can effectively hunt quail to ostrich, rabbit to bear; any game in North America.  Buy a good one and it will serve you your lifetime.

[salmonchaser]

I have an M1 super 90, an M2 field, a 20 gauge ultra light and I may buy an ethos, trading off the Super Black Eagle. Just never fell in love with the SBE. The M1 is my loaner, the M2 does my heavy work and the ultra light for chukar. I also break out the old doubles when and where I can use lead shot.
If I could only have one it would be the M2 because it fits me and is very reliable.
The very best pointing gun I own is a Heym drilling, double 12 over a 7x57.  Very handy with a deer tag in your pocket.
Have fun, the Benelli will suit you fine and let us know what breed of dog you're going to get. I happen to own shorthairs.

[salmonchaser]

A 31, certainly one of the finest pump shotguns ever produced. Never understood why Remington hasn't brought it back in a limited offering. I envy you Naches.

[at2smithjason]

I have an M1 super 90, an M2 field, a 20 gauge ultra light and I may buy an ethos, trading off the Super Black Eagle. Just never fell in love with the SBE. The M1 is my loaner, the M2 does my heavy work and the ultra light for chukar. I also break out the old doubles when and where I can use lead shot.
If I could only have one it would be the M2 because it fits me and is very reliable.
The very best pointing gun I own is a Heym drilling, double 12 over a 7x57.  Very handy with a deer tag in your pocket.
Have fun, the Benelli will suit you fine and let us know what breed of dog you're going to get. I happen to own shorthairs.

I was looking into the dog options, and brits and the german pointers i have read dont do good in the cold.  I was thinking about betting a pointing lab.  I just would like to get a dog that is an all around good dog.

[salmonchaser]

You'll have to talk to my girls about being cold, granted they are not labs but they will handle the five to 10 degree weather we've been having just fine, as long as they're hunting. But they don't like sitting in a duck blind when it's that cold.

[RadSav]

Labs are fine if you don't mind big and loud!   I personally can not stand the noise.  Scared the living dickens out of upland birds too.  But they are loyal good dogs that a lot of hunters love dearly. 

I think if I were to go back to waterfowl hunting as well as upland I might take a real hard look at the GWP.  The ones I've hunted with both in the duck blind and the upland hills have been quite spectacular!  Less shedding, less noise, less food, less allergies and fewer garbage cans to pick up too.  All a big plus in my book!

[wildweeds]

As far as cold and dogs go,yeah the shorthairs ain't going to do to well in a duck blind but I've hunted in negative temperatures in snow in South dakota,My setters did just fine with it and so did my buddies German shorthairs as long as they are hunting moving creating heat they are fine,duckblind fuggetabout it they ain't got the coat or the fat for it.Horses for courses,Dogs are just about like guns,there won't be one thats absolutely perfect for all tasks,you can get close or good enough.Myself personally I think a Springer Spaniel is the best  all around utility dog,easy to train,easy on the feed,good swimmers,natural retrievers,happy go lucky.