16ga.com ~ View topic - Book Recommendation-My Friend the Partiidge; Hammond 1831

Gentlemen,

Sense the 16 gauge is the #1 gun of all serious Grouse gunners, I recommend the reading of My friend the Partridge, Memories of New England Shooting by S.T. Hammond. His nick name was shadow. The books is great reading for all different areas of the county that hold Ruffed Grouse, he points out the 1st biological name and many other names from different parts of the county. He also points out why the Ruffed Grouse is the King of all game birds, and does a real good job on the Prince of game birds, the Woodcock also.
His section on being beaten by the Grouse in many different ways is well worth reading, and I can tell you from experience he is absolutely right.

all in all a great worth while read, for a 16 gauge owner, especially one who is an avid Grouse hunter.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C.Smith Man
Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers

Member Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 1282 Location: Nebraska

https://archive.org/details/myfriendpartridg00hamm/mode/2up

I don't know, Dave, he doesn't mention 16ga anywhere I could see. You sure about this guy?

He does mention snaring the birds, but it was written before ATV's so nothing about road hunting the supposed "King". At least he did travel outside New England to gather some experience to support his biased opinion on game birds, so he gets a C+ on it all.

kgb,

Remember the book was written in 1831, traveling was very hard and limited back in that era, he also talks about shooting Grouse out of trees, reluctantly however.
Read further, the book get real good, about watching the 2 male Grouse fighting and some other real neat things he witnessed, back in the day.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Member Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Posts: 1282 Location: Nebraska

I didn't read all of it, but in the section on snaring he revealed he started out that way and later regretted it. Just seems like a normal progression for a hunter in those days, no harm done as he grew older and wiser.

kgb,

Yes that section of the book shows his progression as a sportsman, however snaring was an excepted way of Grouse hunting back in those days, like you said he finely grew to regret doing it. Shooting Grouse out of trees was an excepted way of Grouse hunting and even today we have some hunters, I will not call them sportsman, who do it all the time. Here in our Pa mountains the Seneca snared Grouse all the time and had dogs trained to help them, ofcorse they depended on this for food, not for sport hunting. There is a lot of difference between needing Game & Birds for existence and sport hunting. In our mountains when I was a boy there were families that depended on Game and birds for table food and my father and Grandfather would leave those people, especially the elderly ladies who's husbands were no longer alive Turkey and Grouse hanging form their front porch eves from time to time, those ladies were very grateful and would return the favor with home made pies or cakes. I can remember my Grandfather one winter shooting a nice size Doe not far from one of these peoples homes, and hanging the full Deer from the ancient Deer rack on the ladies property, and then gutting the Deer so the lady did not have to due it. Life was a lot different when I was a little boy, people in our mountains took care of each other, there was no such thing as wellfare in those days.

all the best,

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Today we do have some seriously great sportsman and ladies also, like Kim & Ken Graft. Shared love between mistress and Ryman dogs is a good indication of a great sportsmanship.