Most of my life, I used a 20ga. for grouse and woodcock, a 12ga. SxS for pheasant, and a Rem 1100 for heavy duck loads. Lately, the 12ga. Coggie has been spending more and more time in the safe; I still use it occasionally, just for the pleasure of it. But I have learned that the 20ga. is really all I need, and - at less than 6 lbs. - all I want in the uplands.
Last year I sold my Alumacraft Ducker, gave away my dekes and retired from waterfowling - all the gear-hauling, the bitter cold and advancing arthritis have taken the fun out of it. I still enjoy hunting grouse, woodcock and pheasant with my springer, and skeet shooting in the off months.
Now in my 70th year, I'm very conscious of the gradual erosion of my physical abilities, and every hunting season is more precious than the last. Planning for the future, I have found younger hunting partners strong enough to drag my corpse out of the coverts. And when I get too slow and feeble to shoot behind my springer, I'll get me one of them pointy-type dogs that give you time to pre-mount your gun.
