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fin2feather
PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 6:51 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 06 Aug 2004
Posts: 2171
Location: Kansas High Plains

I've thought long and hard on which guns to take on my trip north at the end of the month. I have my "new" Fox early A grade 2-barrel set in 12ga, and it was hard to think about living it home, Plus I have a Sterly 12ga; the perfect back up gun.

I started out years ago with my dad's old 16ga autoloader, and I've carried 16's my whole upland life, sometimes in the face of ridicule (nice gun for a girl!l), sometimes in the face of ignorance (can you still even buy shells for those old things?), sometimes in the face of disdain (you need a by God 12ga to kill a wild pheasant!).

This is probably a one-time trip for me, and in the end, I've decided to keep the faith. I can't see doing it any other way than the 16 way.

So, I'll be taking my Fox A Grade 16. I'll take the Fox Sterly 16 for back up, and I might even toss in my old 16ga Trojan just in case. Hopefully I'll give them the opportunity to shine, and I'll repay them for the pleasure they've given me over the years. And maybe, just maybe, I'll get to thumb my nose at a few 12 gauges Very Happy!

My main carry...


The backup...


Just in case...

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I feel a warm spot in my heart when I meet a man whiling away an afternoon...and stopping to chat with him, hear the sleek lines of his double gun whisper "Sixteen." - Gene Hill, Shotgunner's Notebook
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3crosses
PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 6:56 pm  Reply with quote
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You will not be undergunned. You will however be shy of birds. SD had a very poor recruitment this year.
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Kevingoetaski
PostPosted: Sun Oct 15, 2017 7:07 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 24 Oct 2016
Posts: 28
Location: South Jersey

Good luck in your trip to South Dakota hunting. I am actually going there in November with my dad and cousin for our first time. We were having the same talk. I have a new Browning A5 sweet 16, my dad has a Huglu 16 sxs and my cousin a 1100 16ga. We all are taking them with our 12 ga guns for back up. Being from NJ our 'wild bird' are all pen raised released by the state and this will be our first hunt after true wild bird. I am hoping to be able to use the 16 the whole time.

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Pheasant Forever
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Soggy socks
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 2:45 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Apr 2016
Posts: 369
Location: Vermont

My son tow buddies and I will be heading out for the opener. Never been there before hunted ND a couple times. One more thing off my bucket list, so I'm taking my 12 101 PG FWT . Still haven't decided what the other gun will be maybe my 16 Citori III or 28.
I'll let you know how we do
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double vision
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 4:02 am  Reply with quote
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Good luck, F2F! I'll be out there Nov. 1-5.
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cowdoc87
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 6:31 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 749
Location: Kelso, Tennessee

Good luck all. I lost my honey hole this year and will miss the trip for only the second time in 30 years. The sixteen will serve you well, just don't forget to look around and enjoy the country while you're there.

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i reckon so. I guess we all died a little in that damn war.
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fin2feather
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 6:33 am  Reply with quote
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Location: Kansas High Plains

3crosses wrote:
You will not be undergunned. You will however be shy of birds. SD had a very poor recruitment this year.


I've been stomping pheasant covers for around 60 years. Sometimes the forecast's been good, sometimes very poor. So far I've always managed to find a few, and I expect I will this time as well Wink .

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I feel a warm spot in my heart when I meet a man whiling away an afternoon...and stopping to chat with him, hear the sleek lines of his double gun whisper "Sixteen." - Gene Hill, Shotgunner's Notebook
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fin2feather
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 6:34 am  Reply with quote
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Dave Erickson wrote:
Good luck, F2F! I'll be out there Nov. 1-5.


Dave, you'll be arriving just as we're leaving. We'll try to leave you a few Very Happy !

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I feel a warm spot in my heart when I meet a man whiling away an afternoon...and stopping to chat with him, hear the sleek lines of his double gun whisper "Sixteen." - Gene Hill, Shotgunner's Notebook
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byrdog
PostPosted: Mon Oct 16, 2017 7:50 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 22 Aug 2011
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Location: the Moosehorn

I would be thinking about which dogs I will be taking.

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If you take Cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like Prunes than Rhubarb does ----G.M/
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Dave in Maine
PostPosted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:49 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 12 Sep 2010
Posts: 1972
Location: Maine

Well, if anyone gives you grief about using a 16, you can always shut them down by saying something like "It's not a shotgun. It's a Parker." or "The Fox always gets the game."

Of course, the best way to shut down razzing is to keep your peace and shoot well, to get your limit at one-shot-per-bird or better. To be able at day's end to say "yeah, my gun has two barrels, but I'll only have to clean one tonight."

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studdog
PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 7:21 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 17 Aug 2010
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IMO, You never need more than a 16 in SD. I take my Fox XE and my Sweet 16 A5. I shoot 1 ounce lite loads of 6's and 5's. If the shot is too long I pass on it. FWIW

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BarkeyVA
PostPosted: Sat Oct 21, 2017 9:17 am  Reply with quote
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Joined: 04 Mar 2008
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Location: Williamsburg, VA

Heading to North-Central Kansas the first of December for 4 days with my nephew. I'll be sticking with my tried and true 16's: a Marlin Model 90 with two sets of barrels (IC/Mod and Mod/Full) and an Ithaca 37 with Mod barrel. Although I've never hunted with it, I do pretty well with my 16 ga. Eastern Arms (Stevens 5100) SxS on wobble clays, so I may give it a try as well.

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Pine Creek/Dave
PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 11:00 am  Reply with quote



Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2787
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa

F2F,
Take all the guns you mentioned in your above post, use them at different times.
Have a great time with them all!

Way back before Nitro powders, many men liked 12 Gauge double guns, the invention of Nitro powders makes the 16 a great Pheasant Gun, the guys who do not believe it need to learn how to shoot and hunt correctly.

Post some pictures of your bird hunting trip, as you use all your different afore mentioned guns.

Never worry about what other people say! I use all my different bird guns when ever I like, from .410's to 28's to 16's to 12's in the proper hands they all get the job done correctly.

Enjoy your trip F2F!

Pine Creek/Dave

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Dogchaser37
PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:12 pm  Reply with quote
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Joined: 08 Aug 2011
Posts: 1946
Location: Central CT

There isn’t an upland bird that can’t be taken effectively with a 16 gauge.

I have taken woodcock, quail, ruffed grouse, sharptails, chickins, pheasants and turkeys.........and mallards, blacks and teal with my 16.

My favorite is my 1100 followed by my 870.

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AYA16
PostPosted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 6:54 pm  Reply with quote



Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 11

I just returned from North Dakota. The drought has been devastating there this year. I have been going to the same place every year since 1987 and it has never been this bad. However, my 16 gauge Parker VHE took more roosters than all of the 12 gauge Benelli's that our group has gravitated to. My response to these neanderthals is usually some variation of "life is to short to hunt with an ugly gun." Same logic applies to dogs and wives. That is why I hunt behind an English Setter and have been married to the same "hottie" for 35 years!

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Life's too short to hunt with an ugly gun!

Parker VHE - 16 Gauge
Winchester Model 12 - 16 Gauge Diamond Grade
Fox Sterlingworth - 16 Gauge Customized
AYA Number 2 - 16 Gauge
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