doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com The future of our sport....

I'll come down the middle: Hunting as we know it will be gone in 25 years. Put and take isn't hunting. It's shooting.

There will always be waterfowl and plenty of them. To bad the semi and the over/under rule there though.

Quail hunting is certainly WAY down in my part of the country. In 25 years, the ONLY quail hunting will be on public preserves/plantations and private wild bird plantation/farms. At least in my neck of the wood. It has already become a wealthy man's game, in general.

Dove shooting still provides afforable shotgunning opportunities, though. But even on the dove field everybody wants hi-brass, 3" shells with copper plated shot. They treat the dove like ducks... not the place for a vintage double.

I don't so much mind the O/U... in fact I love 'em. But for a guy that is switching from an auto to an O/U, they're a step in the right direction.

Adam

We went dove hunting in AZ in December with my buddy's ten-year-old twin boys and their new pair of Yildiz O/U 20s. These were their birthday presents and they couldn't wait to get back out there. These kids started shooting with a borrowed .410 hammer double when they were about seven, and they are completely hooked.

I don't live in a particularly gun-friendly part of the world but that said I am surprised to see the number of kids (including girls) showing up for Sunday trap shoots at my club. Baby steps I realize - but you gotta start somewhere.

I have gotten both of my boys started but only with preserve shooting. Grouse and woodcock remain the most accessible wild bird option around here and that seems at least stable for now. I will wait a couple of more years before I start dragging them through grouse coverts in NH and ME. But at least there are some prospects ahead for them to chase wild birds. So I guess I have some guarded optimism about their hunting prospects.

In response to King, I think hunting has improved in many areas of the US in the last 20-30 years with regards to animal conservation. Duck numbers are up, deer are better, as well as many other animals. Lots of work is going on across the South to bring back Mr. Bob. I wouldn't be surprised if efforts increase to bring back prairie chickens in their native plains.
Hunting limits and tags have increased from where they were 20-30 years ago, so I think this is a possitive trend.

With regards to anti-hunting and anti-shooting advocates, yes we must work to prevent them from gaining any ground. Fortunately, a good many hunters and shooters still exist in the US; they're just not the ones on TV. I DO enjoy going home and seeing cammie clad folks snapping shells, gear, and tags at Walmart, and I don't see that decreasing any time soon - at least in Texas.

I do not believe we are an endangered or threatened species as shotgun shooting people. But we are a declining herd in terms of size and a herd which is moving from wild game hunting with target and preserve on the side to one that primarily target shoots, preserve hunts, then to wild birds last.

I do not see the ability to own double barrels as truly threatened in the next generation or so, except in exceptional silly parts of the Northeast and I even doubt that.

The threats I see are directed against hunting, huntable populations of birds, and are more advanced auto's

That said if we do not hold the line hard they will get to our guns one day

I see this as a : 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation. Too many people is the cause of loss of hunting grounds, high gun crime....debate for further gun restrictions.

I see further density growth in the cities, higher VOLUME of crime there, more gun restrictions, further loss of hunting grounds. My guess is CA will not have any handguns and semiautos of any kind, or at least LA won't. CA may not have any hunting by then. That will open the door for total ban of guns since "sporting use" will be next to nothing. Nevermind the second amendment has nothing to do with sporting use.

I'm just a ray of sunshine. ...

My 8 year old nephew can not wait to get started. He will get a .410 single for his tenth birthday. If I win an auction for him this morning I will begin his first .22, a Marlin lever gun. His first words to me when he was a 3 year old were "where is my gun?" .....no kidding. I might be as anxious as he is.

I think our sport is safe for a long time. Although not many young people are into sxs's and bird dogs, I see plenty of them shooting and hunting.