Originally Posted By: tw
Blues have some Road Runner blood in 'em, won't hold for a dog for so much as a nanosecond. Nope. But you can get a few up if the dog breaks and is fast enough. Close shots are long odds anomalies.

High fliers [mourning dove] can stand some choke in open windy country pass shooting them as they are headed to feeding fields and again as they leave the fields and head to water. Tank shooting in late afternoon, sometimes not so much, but doit to them a coupla days and watch them either not return or fail to give you a close in shot. They are wary and they learn as quickly as a snow goose, once shot at. Its a part of what makes them such fun and challenging targets in the west where the wind is frequently doing something.

I don't think either of those birds are gauge specific, but at longer ranges do use a shot size that will put them in the bag. #7's, if you reload or are fortunate in sourcing are a very happy compromise.


Yes, as a general rule. My favorite "rule" in hunting is "You just never know..."

We were on the lease in West Texas two years ago, and the Spaniel locks up on a small bush. Half mocking her as I walked up I said out loud, "So what do you think you are- a pointer?" Just then a big blue blasted outa the bush, and the Manufrance went bang. Goodness only knows what she was sayin' under her breath when she brought the bird to hand.

Tolerance: the abolition of absolutes

Consistency is the currency of credibility