Help w/ 1st gun

Thanks everyone for their advice and time.

Just to reassure everyone, I am not some naive young adult. Everything I do in life is well thought out and planned. I will of course research before I buy or more importantly shoot a gun. I will take a hunter safety class and will not just go out in the field without having shot trap or clays. I just wanted some advice from everyone on here about a good first gun, that's all.

I plan on going to a few local gun shops and cabelas or bass pro shops, but it sounds like finding a good remington 870 is the best bet.

I know this will take time for both myself and my dog, but I figured this would be a good starting place.

Thanks for everyone's time and help.

Nick
 
I think if you picked something up in the near future there is no reason you can't get out this year. Also you can look at used guns. Gander Mtn warranties theres. I bought my current shot gun used from Gander.
On a side note have you worked with your vizsla around a gun?
 
My advice would be ask at the local gun clubs or hunt clubs. Up here they have learn to hunt or learn to shoot classes ( may be called other things ). That way you learn from experienced hunters and shooters. They let you shoot different types of shotguns and you decide what you like best.That way you don't buy something that you are not happy with.
They cover safety first then teach you how to hit what you are shooting at. Since you are new to hunting it would be big advantage to you to learn from experienced hunters and shooters.Good luck and have fun!
 
jasper said:
I think if you picked something up in the near future there is no reason you can't get out this year. Also you can look at used guns. Gander Mtn warranties theres. I bought my current shot gun used from Gander.
On a side note have you worked with your vizsla around a gun?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice about Gander Mtn. there is one close by that I will check out.

I have not introduced him to a gun yet. I actually have a .209 Shotgun Primer Pistol coming that I'm going to start with and go from there. I have read a ton about it though, so I think I have a good idea how to do it, but any thoughts or tip are welcome! How old is your vizsla?

Thanks,

Nick
 
birddognut said:
My advice would be ask at the local gun clubs or hunt clubs. Up here they have learn to hunt or learn to shoot classes ( may be called other things ). That way you learn from experienced hunters and shooters. They let you shoot different types of shotguns and you decide what you like best.That way you don't buy something that you are not happy with.
They cover safety first then teach you how to hit what you are shooting at. Since you are new to hunting it would be big advantage to you to learn from experienced hunters and shooters.Good luck and have fun!
Click to expand...

Thanks, I think I may ask when I call some of the local gun shops/shooting ranges. There are a few hunt clubs around, maybe I will try them as well.

Nick
 
nbd13 said:
Thanks for the advice about Gander Mtn. there is one close by that I will check out.

I have not introduced him to a gun yet. I actually have a .209 Shotgun Primer Pistol coming that I'm going to start with and go from there. I have read a ton about it though, so I think I have a good idea how to do it, but any thoughts or tip are welcome! How old is your vizsla?

Thanks,

Nick
Click to expand...

He is three. On the timid side even for a vizsla. If yours is timid at all take the intro very slow. It took me over a month to work up to a 12 gauge then all it took was one night of fireworks to ruin it all. Now he is scared of everything that goes boom. He also associates it with birds so he is a great family dog for now but I still am hoping we we can work through this but it has been over a year with no change. I would start with a .22 blank pistol or make sure to have someone help you with the primmer that is pretty far away. It is easier to work into the gun then try and fix a problem.
Best of luck
Brad
 
jasper said:
He is three. On the timid side even for a vizsla. If yours is timid at all take the intro very slow. It took me over a month to work up to a 12 gauge then all it took was one night of fireworks to ruin it all. Now he is scared of everything that goes boom. He also associates it with birds so he is a great family dog for now but I still am hoping we we can work through this but it has been over a year with no change. I would start with a .22 blank pistol or make sure to have someone help you with the primmer that is pretty far away. It is easier to work into the gun then try and fix a problem.
Best of luck
Brad
Click to expand...

Thanks Brad. He is a little timid, but not much at all. He just turned 14 months actually, but pretty much the normal vizsla...more sensitive than your German shorthaired, but what vizsla isn't. Luckily, this past 4th of July he was not scared of fireworks at all....he was actually curious and did not mind them. So, I'm hoping this is good. I plan to take it vary slow. I will have my wife helping me with the intro so we can start off very far away and work closer.

I hope you get it worked out. I've seen a few threads on here and other boards of different method to break gun shy dogs. Have you tried anything thus far? Good luck!

Nick
 
Right now I'm just trying to get him birdy again. He doesn't want anything to do with birds. I didn't realize how bad the fireworks affected him and took him out and shot a couple of birds over him training. Very very bad idea. Now he thinks birds are bad. He wont even chase a lock wing pigeon or get excited for a pheasant. Until I can get him back into birds I am not even worried about the gun shyness.
 
jasper said:
Right now I'm just trying to get him birdy again. He doesn't want anything to do with birds. I didn't realize how bad the fireworks affected him and took him out and shot a couple of birds over him training. Very very bad idea. Now he thinks birds are bad. He wont even chase a lock wing pigeon or get excited for a pheasant. Until I can get him back into birds I am not even worried about the gun shyness.
Click to expand...

Oh jeeze I didn't realize it was that bad. Good luck with it. I hope you get him back to where he was!

Nick
 
Gun Recommendations

nbd13 said:
Hey everyone,

First post here....Long story short, I got a vizsla and after watching it grow and develop it's hunting skills on his own, I have decided to hunt with him. I have never hunted before nor trained a dog to hunt. Him and I are working on the training and it's going very well. Working on the "whoa" right now, hopefully we will be ready for quail season.

Anyways, since I have never hunted nor has anyone in my family....I need some help.

I need to get a gun obviously and am looking for some help and suggestions. I don't have a ton of cash to drop on this so price is key. I just want something decent to hunt quail and pheasant with. Nothing too special.

Also, I live in IL, what do I need to do in order to have a shotgun? I'm 23 yrs old, so not sure if I need to take a class or something? I was born in '87.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Nick
Click to expand...

Get a double barrel 12 gauge with screw-in chokes. Then you have a longer range shot for your second shot. You can change the chokes depending on your game: more open for quail and dove, tighter for pheasants. Doubles are safer because there is never any question whether you're loaded or not: Break the gun -- there the bad boys are, resting in the barrels, or not. Stoeger has doubles at very reasonable prices. A Stoeger isn't as nice as a Browning or a Beretta, but they knock down the birds just fine. Or buy used. Lots of guns for sale on the internet. Come turkery season, screw a turkey choke in and get yourself a big tom.

If you don't have a license, you may need to take a hunter safety course first. Check with your state's fish and game authority. Have fun!
 
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