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My son and I have hunted birds "out west" for almost 20 years, and the weather, for the most part, has been favorable for the majority of those trips. But this last one was an exception. Our first day of hunting was in East Central Illinois, on Saturday November 5. Those of you who hunted in...

Well, the OP specified steaks so I'd have to go with Cattlemen's Club in Pierre with Mad Mary's as a not-too-distant second. A real favorite of ours as an all-around restaurant is Minerva's in Downtown Sioux Falls; their salad bar is tough to beat too. Don't know if it's still open, but a great...

The foregoing advice is all on target. Your "friend" betrayed a trust. He did it knowingly and with premeditation. There are friends and there are A--Hole Buddies. Pretty clear which category he falls into. Who needs it? Let him go.

Proper choke for the job can depend on a number of items: How quick you are in general to respond to the flush; at what range are you typically shooting at the bird, are you using a dog and is the dog an experienced rooster-getter, what is the weather doing (strong winds), what gauge do you...

You guys must be hunting in the Benton-Newton-Jasper County area. A lot of the GameBird Habitat properties are located there. Up in NC Indiana there are a very few birds; not seeing much so far, so tomorrow morning I'm going to visit my son south of Bloomington, IL and hunt wild birds Saturday...

Everyone has to decide for themselves about their tolerance for risk....an older farm client once gave me some good advice (for me, anyway): "Always have enough cash that you can bull your way through". This guy, in 1980, had an old 4% fixed interest Federal Land Bank loan that he'd had since...

I sometimes use a Merkel 1620 (16 gauge on a 20 ga. frame) and it weighs 6 lbs., single trogger, splinter forend, choked ic/mod, wonderful gun to carry. I've shot ducks, roosters and quail with it. Bought it at Scheel's Iowa City in 2003 but haven't seen any more since then.

We're all free to say what we damn well please on this forum,and accept the consequences if it comes to that. Within the bounds of decency, I won't have someone else patronizing me about what I say or think. No one except webguy has that authority. If I'm punished, so be it.

I remember when we started hunting in central South Dakota back in 2003. Lots of birds! Then, from 2005 through 2012, they were so plentiful (wild ones, too!) that it was hard to believe--in the side ditches, on the hay bales, sitting on fence posts, being hit on the highway...We hunted ducks on...

Hunted ducks this weekend on a private (farmer's) setup; shots were from 10-30 yards. Used the A5 Sweet 16 with Boss ammo, #5's and a skeet choke. I shot 5, all dead right there. Recoil out of that light A5 seemed very manageable. My companions shot Benelli 12 gauge SBE II's and III's with Mod...

Sounds exactly right to me, Haymaker. I'd much rather work with a landowner than create an adversary.

Has anyone hunted the NW Iowa area, say from Storm Lake to Spencer and Okoboji? Just wondered how dry it is, harvest progress and any idea on bird numbers up that way?

Hockey, It's surprising to me how many birds can be found in the grass waterways, filter strips and ditch banks in east central Illinois. At least where we hunt, there is a scarcity of large, CRP-type cover because the soils are so good that they are perfectly suited to continuous, intensive row...

I remember we beat a thread to death last year on this same subject; everyone's situation in life is different so there are bound to be a myriad of responses. No wrong answers either--but all that said, I'm with hockeybob...there's only so much time and an out-of-stater like me could burn up...

At a gun show today, I spotted a 12 gauge DHE Parker Reproduction that was really clean; hardly used in fact. It had a single trigger with a pistol grip, with 26" barrels choked Q1 and Q2. It came with the case and case cover, snap caps etc. The wood was good with some figure and it was all...

My choice: IC/Mod; unless the birds are 40 yards plus, the full choke is too tight for close in birds--especially if you want to eat them. You can feel confident with IC/Mod, particularly if you have a cpmpetent canine companion. If you are required to shoot steel at roosters where you hunt...

I enjoy shooting autos, pumps and side by sides. My only side by side right now is a Merkel 1620--weighs about 6 lbs., IC/mod. coke and a dream to carry and swing. Also hunt with the new model A5 Sweet 16, weighs about 6 lbs. and provides a 3rd shot in the event I need it. I do have a 20 gauge...

It just makes logical sense then that the better care you take of these investments, the longer they'll be able to "earn their keep".

I just have one dog that can hunt--a 3 year old Lab with lots of energy. I've been working him early mornings/late evenings with this heat and I believe him to be as ready as a dog can be for the season. We'll be hunting in Illinois on private land the first 2 days of that season; then headed...

Well, you keep pursuing your studies, and I'll keep using lead wherever I possibly can. End of story.