Greg,
You needed to be called out because you posted in your most manly man keyboarding that the 410 was just the thing for "them big birds". A couple posts later, you told us they were game farm birds. The smartass manner was a no charge, free bonus.
It was intended to be tongue in cheek. Sorry if it went astray.
My experience with game farms is limited to about a dozen different operations in four states. I found it invariably disappointing. I know that others here have voiced the same idea on occasion, so it isn't just me. Game farm operations reduce pheasants to livestock, pretty consistantly. The thing about livestock is, it knows where the feed is. If that wasn't true, we would have "scratch" turkeys on turkey farms, "scratch" chickens on poultry farms, "scratch" milk cows on dairy farms, and "scratch" pigs on pig farms. Lets face it, a "scratch" pheasant on a pheasant farm is one that hasn't gotten hungry enough to fly back to the food. More than one owner has told me the birds with an empty craw will be patiently waiting near the pen the next day, usually.
Further, the owners I've met on game farm operations were pretty good at keeping predator populations well under control. I saw some of the same sets from my youth, that I used to take fox and coons, on more than one game farm. Come on, Greg, the idea that a "scratch" bird is going to encounter predators on a game farm is pushing the envelope just a bit. I think you will see more fox and coyotes in NY city's central park than around most game farms. I'm going to further guess that a week or three of avoiding folks and pooches doesn't a wild rooster make. That, is based on my "limited experience" on the subject. I've never heard anyone compare hunting scratch birds to hunting wild birds, however. Not before this post, anyway.
As to the "good enough" shot who will use that 410 on wild pheasants, only using the gun within it's limitations, I'm further guessing he is a vegetarian, anyway. Where the heck do you get sub 25 yard flushes on wild pheasants after opening day? Like you said, it is hard enough to get a point later in the season on wild birds-wouldn't this "good enough" shot show up, as you and I do, with more firepower, if he was truly wise about the game? Talking about consistantly centering a wild pheasant with a 410s pattern is pretty much just talk. The people in my world who I believe could do that, just wouldn't. I think that shows class.
Mr. Hartman, with all due respect, you keep making my point for me. My point was that use of the 410 as a hunting implement invariably comes with mention of game farm baggage. Right after I posted that notion, you put photos of dead pheasants and a neat little model 42, and, came clean a few posts later with the fact they were game farm birds. You freely admit, as do I, that you have a bigger gauge gun in hand when you pursue wild birds.
I commend that thinking. And I'm not trying to badmouth or bash anybody.
Best,
Ted
PS I want to take the "Wild/Not Wild bird challenge!!! The two birds with the hammer gun-wild. The four birds with the classy Brittany-not wild. The last bird with the sidelock leaning on the tree and the cute liver spotted pooch-wild.
How did I do?
