What choke for Chucker hunting?

[PatriotHenry]

This was my second time out. I have a post under upland game bird describing my experience. My partner got one, he was upset with his dogs. He said where we hunted must have been heavily hunted before us. Regardless it was great fun. My shotgun is a Beretta A400 Kick-Off Plus, which I bought for reduced recoil. I'm wondering if it's a lie; that shotgun kicks like a mule. I still have my Winchester SX3; I'm going to compare them both with the same ammo. I will say I shot a much higher score in Trap shooting with the Beretta over the SX3

Suggestion: If you are going to hunt them a lot, consider going to a 20ga. I switched over 25 years ago to a super light Benneli Montefeltro, usually modified choke and 1.0 or 1 1/8 #6 shot. The super light gun gets you on target faster and is a ton easier to pack up the steep hills. Even when the got spooky the "20 was plenty" for me. I did have 2 amazing GWP's that I hunted over. With the 12 ga, even with light loads I was ruining birds too often.

Like others have said they are devil birds for sure, but you get hooked. The areas I used to hunt were steep rocky faces with a mostly flat plateau on top. I found it much easier to hike to the plateau and hunt in a 2-3 mile circle about 30-40 yards from the rim. On good years I would encounter 2-3 coveys on the top, flush and fly over the edge and by the time you completed your circle they were back on top. Much easier than side-hilling and up and down!

PH

 

[Iron Worker]

Suggestion: If you are going to hunt them a lot, consider going to a 20ga. I switched over 25 years ago to a super light Benneli Montefeltro, usually modified choke and 1.0 or 1 1/8 #6 shot. The super light gun gets you on target faster and is a ton easier to pack up the steep hills. Even when the got spooky the "20 was plenty" for me. I did have 2 amazing GWP's that I hunted over. With the 12 ga, even with light loads I was ruining birds too often.

Like others have said they are devil birds for sure, but you get hooked. The areas I used to hunt were steep rocky faces with a mostly flat plateau on top. I found it much easier to hike to the plateau and hunt in a 2-3 mile circle about 30-40 yards from the rim. On good years I would encounter 2-3 coveys on the top, flush and fly over the edge and by the time you completed your circle they were back on top. Much easier than side-hilling and up and down!

PH

Sounds like some smart hunting

 

[big johnson]

October 1965 on my 12th birthday my dad gave me a Ithaca model 66 super single 20 GA. I Used it until I was 16 years old , then went to the model 12 that I still shoot today. I kept track in a note book the chukar's I harvested each year. ( over 130 birds a year for several years). I worked every summer on the ranch and every time I got to town I'd go into the Coast to Coast store and buy a couple of boxes of 3" # 6"s I think CCL was the brand , made in Canada ,they were magical. If I remember right the limit in the 60's was 10 or12 birds a day and the season was open for 3 1/2 months and I hunted every chance I had after school. Those were the good old days, gone 'but not forgotten !

 

[RYEWSKY25284]

I will take my new 12 gauge out tomorrow for some Chucker hunting. What choke, Full or Modified?

mod