Question about first few guns

[Singleshotneeded]

Regarding the 12 gauge versus the 20 gauge, if you're not going to do a lot of walking and therefore don't care too much about the weight, then the 12 gauge will give you a few more yards of range on the long shots...and if you're going to go into areas where there's grizzlies, it's best to have 12 gauge slugs in 3" shells than 20 gauge. If you ever have an issue with black bears, the slug from a 20 gauge will work just fine on them. I was going by your location in the West Koots, so I recommended the lighter shotguns in 20 gauge...especially if you're doing a lot of walking. The versatility of the over and under, with a barrel set up for long shots and one for close shots, is a nice bonus. If you decide to go for an 870 pump or Weatherby SA-08 semi-auto, two good choices in those actions for reasonable money, then use a modified choke and just change the shells depending on the distance of the game. I use a buttstock shell holder and put the light loads at the front and the heavy ones at the back, so there's no hesitation when it's time to shoot.

[DeepJeep]

@singleshotneeded

Thank you for taking the time out to reply. Very informative! Never really considered 20ga but you provide some very good points. I'll definitely look in to 20ga. I do plan on going on foot mostly sticking with FSR and then venture out so lighter will better. At this point, I have come to an agreement that just like anything else, the more you do a certain activity, the more you learn. I cant expect myself to know everything this year. Its going to take some buying and selling (of guns) to find out what works best for me.

[AgSilver]

remember to do it while they are still fresh....seen the legs just pull right off on cold ones

Good advice, never really thought about it as we just did it on the spot, but yes, I can imagine that things change pretty quickly after death. Thanks!

[Singleshotneeded]

Good advice, never really thought about it as we just did it on the spot, but yes, I can imagine that things change pretty quickly after death. Thanks!

On top of that, if you had shotgun pellets go into the guts you don't want to delay cleaning the grouse...and you won't see that until you do it. I always bring a pop bottle of water and a cooler with ice packs...step on the wings, pull up the breast, lop off one wing, (leave one for ID as per the regulations), rinse the breast, and pop it into the bag inside the cooler.