Christmas Hill “Driven Pheasent Shoot”

[6pt-sika]

I did the Christmas Hill “Driven Pheasent Shoot” today . Sorry to say my picture taking was kinda lacking . There were 12 pegs and 24 shooters . A friend that was shooting with me got 17 birds using his K-32 Sporting Clays gun . I used my VH 16 gauge 28” M&F and was able to get 19 with 37 shots done I just plain missed , some I got with the second barrel , some with the first barrel and there were several I hit twice . I’d never done this before but was a little hesitant about the load to use . Initially I was going to take 16 gauge Express loads with 1 1/8 ounces of shot . Ended up carrying two boxes of Remington 1 ounce rabbit/squirrel #6 loads , a box of Remington quail/dove #7 1/2’s and a box of Remington Express 1 1/8 #6’s . Put a box of ounce 7 1/2’s in my left pocket for the right barrel and a box of 1 ounce 6’s in my right pocket for the left barrel . And had no problems that weren’t my own fault ! Brought home three dozen birds as many weren’t claimed . Just finished filleting all the breasts from the breast cartridge

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[6pt-sika]

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[GunnyMack]

Not bad not bad at all! Driven birds/ tower shoots are a bit different than flushed birds. I would have used 1 &1/8 in both barrels, maybe 7 1/2 in my open and 6 or even 5 in my tight barrel but you did well!
I use 3/4 oz of 7 1/2 out of IC and 6 out of mod in my Rizzini 28 ga on flushed birds. Some of the guys I hunt with use 12 ga 11/8 6s and cant hit a thing ! They are over choked and shoot too soon or are so far behind - I always tell them butt-beak-bang!

[6pt-sika]

I went to this same place two years ago , two days after one of their shoots for walk up birds and used my little Parker VHE 20 gauge 28” M&F . Killed nine and missed two that day . I used plain old 7/8 ounce target loads loaded with 7 1/2’s .

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[ethang]

yum

[6pt-sika]

I’m heading out Sunday to meet another friend at a different place . He wants to work his German Short Hair on quail so we got two dozen pen raised flight conditioned birds . I’m taking my Parker VH 28 gauge 26” F&F . Didn’t have any skeet reloads for the 28 or couldn’t find them and not enough time to get my loading table cleaned up enough to change presses and load some . So I bought two boxes of Fiochi #8 dove loads .

[6pt-sika]

Sunday after a few hours !

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[GunnyMack]

Fantastic!! Exactly what that 28 has been dreaming about!
I took my CZ 410 out today, 4 pheasant and 2 chukar.

[6pt-sika]

Fantastic!! Exactly what that 28 has been dreaming about!
I took my CZ 410 out today, 4 pheasant and 2 chukar.

Only killed four birds but only fired six times I’ve got a 410 I&J SxS 410 and a 410 Superposed but I’ve never killed anything but dove with either of them . Doubt a Parker VH 410 ever graced the inside of this house

[GunnyMack]

The guys in my hunt club were giving me the business because everything I pointed my Red Label 28 at fell out of the air so I bought the CZ just to prove ya dont need 3" 20 ga with 5s or a 12 with 4s like most use ! The first season I had it I hunted almost the whole season with it, no idea how many birds fell to it. Heck the first time I pulled the trigger was on a blue rooster. I put him on the wall!
The 410 is supposed to be IC & M but I think it's more like M&M. I shoot 2&1/2 and 3" depending on ammo available. Been playing with loads too, hulls just dont last !

[6pt-sika]

The guys in my hunt club were giving me the business because everything I pointed my Red Label 28 at fell out of the air so I bought the CZ just to prove ya dont need 3" 20 ga with 5s or a 12 with 4s like most use ! The first season I had it I hunted almost the whole season with it, no idea how many birds fell to it. Heck the first time I pulled the trigger was on a blue rooster. I put him on the wall!
The 410 is supposed to be IC & M but I think it's more like M&M. I shoot 2&1/2 and 3" depending on ammo available. Been playing with loads too, hulls just dont last !

My friend that owns the GSP in the picture used a 28 Red Label today ! Think he told me he got it a couple weeks ago , little gun looked brand new ! All the pheasents I’ve ever slayed were done in with 20 gauge 2 3/4” 7/8 ounce or 16 gauge 1 ounce loads . I watched some fellows laying down ground fire yesterday at the pheasents with 12 semi’s and not knocking a feather loose !

[6pt-sika]

I got an email about two hours ago asking if I wanted a fill in spot at a quail preserve close to Richmond next Saturday and I said SURE I suppose I’ll drag along my little “beater” Parker 28

[GunnyMack]

Oh boy- your Parker is drooling from the muzzles! Wish we had quail here! I think they are much better to eat than pheasant! Much more fun to hunt as well!

[6pt-sika]

Oh boy- your Parker is drooling from the muzzles! Wish we had quail here! I think they are much better to eat than pheasant! Much more fun to hunt as well!

A Pheasent “pen raised atleast” has to be the dumbest bird in the world . They make bird sounds to let you know where they are before they take flight , if they go up in the brush/woods they beat their wings on everything and they look as big as a pizza pan going thru the air . Granted by no means was I perfect shooting them in my life but they are certainly a bit easier to deal with .

[6pt-sika]

There’s another preserve in the Richmond area that can put on a Mallard tower shoot , I’d kinda like to try that . Most likely not this month or next month but maybe after next season when the preserve seasons still in .

[6pt-sika]

Copied from the preserves website ! Duck Hunting - Tower Mallard Release
20 Ducks = $600
30 Ducks = $800
40 Ducks = $1,050
50 Ducks = $1,300
Additional Ducks = $22 each
No maximum & no bag limit.
Cleaning, $4 per duck.
You are welcome to use your own dogs. For those who need them, we will provide an excellent guide for $100 per party, gratuity not included (by reservation only). Gratuity is custumarily paid per gun, and helps defray costs for transportation and gas, and for feeding, vetting, and training guide dogs.
You must have a valid Virginia Hunting License www.huntfishva.com, and appropriate state and federal migratory duck stamps.
Children under 12 do not need licenses or stamps.
Steel shot required.

[GunnyMack]

There is a local bird preserve here that I had been contacted by. They invited me to hunt so the owner could see my dogs work. They were in need of retrievers for tower shoots. Well let's just say these guys weren't on the up & up. They tried to tell me I owed them for double the amount of what I shot. Nope wont see me or my dogs again !! I've heard through the grapevine that they haven't had a tower shoot yet as no one is willing to pay the fees asked for a tower shoot.

I agree about pen raised birds but I thoroughly love letting the dogs work and I sure do like to shoot !

[6pt-sika]

There is a local bird preserve here that I had been contacted by. They invited me to hunt so the owner could see my dogs work. They were in need of retrievers for tower shoots. Well let's just say these guys weren't on the up & up. They tried to tell me I owed them for double the amount of what I shot. Nope wont see me or my dogs again !! I've heard through the grapevine that they haven't had a tower shoot yet as no one is willing to pay the fees asked for a tower shoot.

I agree about pen raised birds but I thoroughly love letting the dogs work and I sure do like to shoot !

The place I’m going Saturday a number of folks I know have been and it’s a quail only joint . Also I’m not the one doing the deal with the preserve I just pay the guy that emailed me . The place that has the mallard thing is different , I shot sporting clays on their place 30-35 years ago and they’ve got a pretty decent rep judging by the folks I know that have been there .

[6pt-sika]

Looks like a spot for the 3/14/20 shoot at Christmas Hill is shaping up Figured I’d get in one more before heading to the South Pacific