New to Alabama, new to hunting: ???'s

[Felonious Monk]

One of the COOL things that's happening as a result of having moved to AL is that my 13 yr old son and I are growing closer. We get the Sportsman's Channel, and he's fascinated by the hunts. He's decided he doesn't want to hunt large game, but as a result of what he's seen, he's interested in hunting smaller game-- anything like Turkey, rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, grouse, quail, duck, geese, and so on.

He's never hunted before, and it's been 25 years since I have.
How do we get into it?
I assume with bird-hunting, we need to buy shotguns.
What guns should I be looking at for him? For me?
Where do we find a place to hunt?
Guided, or...?
What else do we need to know?

Sorry for sounding so lost, but my focus has always been defensive pistol, so this is a whole new universe for me.
This kind of hunting just seems like such a great relationship-builder as well as a load of fun. We're both looking forward to the learning process.

Thanks in advance,
FM

 

[ALHunter]

Welcome to AL

Welcome to Alabama. I've been an updland bird hunter for years, just now trying to move to rifle and large game. There's plenty of hunting preserves around the state for bird hunting, almost all have quail, some offer chukar and pheasant too. Check out the Alabama Wildlife Federation website. Also check out the Alabama Quail Trail. Don't have the specific addresses for them, but Google both those and you'll get to the sites. Private preserves cost $$, some more than others. Go to the individual prserves linked off the Alabama Quail Trail site and you can see the differences. Public land upland bird hunting will be tough unless you have your own dog(s) or know somebody who does that will bring the dogs & hunt with you.

As for shotguns, go either O/U or semi-auto. Pump and single shot are o.k., but for new hunter you are better off with O/U or semi-auto. Hard to give a recommendation without knowing your price range. I shoot a 12 ga. Verona o/u. It does the job. If foul weather I shoot a 12 ga. Franchi semi-auto with synthetic stock so I don't worry about as much damage to the stock and barrells. For your son you may want to consider a 20 ga. It will kick lighter and less weight for a half day or full day bird hunt.

Turkey hunting is different. For that I personally think you need 12 ga. all the way, I prefer 3" or even 3 1/2" shells for turkey. You can hunt turkey on public land a lot easier than upland bird. Don't need dogs, can call them yourself. You'll need to invest in calls and good camo.

Duck & geese hunting are different too. Rare I get to go, but when I do I use 12 ga. I know real good shots and real good callers that can use a 20 ga., but they come home with a lot less birds every time.

Can't help you on the squirrels & rabbits.

Once you get into bird hunting you won't regret it. Being out in a field all day with great dogs is beautiful. I can come home with no birds but be fulfilled just with the beauty of the hunt and watching the dogs work.

Good luck.

 

[Richard.Howe]

As someone who just left Alabama (2 years ago) and moved into Louisiana, I'm jealous of your situation. Alabama is a great place to hunt AND a great place to raise kids, assuming you don't live in the ghetto.

The best way to "get into" hunting is ask around at work if anyone hunts, where they hunt, and whether you can get into their lease. The hunting community is even friendlier than the shooting community and there will be a high level of interest in "educating" you and your son.

Another great way to make hunting contacts is to go to a hunter's education class with your boy. The class is about 8-10 hours and will give you lots of opportunity to talk to local wildlife enforcement agents and management area experts. They can provide qualified, experienced, and specific advice on where -- and more importantly, where NOT -- to hunt.

Best of luck, and welcome to SWEET HOME ALABAMA!

Rich

 

[Fred Fuller]

What region of the state are you planning to hunt?

"smaller game-- anything like Turkey, rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, grouse, quail, duck, geese, and so on."

Well, the grouse and pheasant may be a bit hard to find, or pricey to get to if you do find them. Turkey isn't small game IMHO, they qualify as big game. Hunting turkey in a large portion of the state is nigh akin to a religion. If you like being in the woods in the dark of a morning, watching the sun rise from your chosen stand, turkey hunting is for you. Rabbit, squirrel, quail, duck and geese are better hunted with the appropriate dog IMHO, but all can be hunted biped only with some success (but a canine makes it a lot more fun and a lot less work).

Squirrels can be still hunted if you don't have a dog. A slow, quiet walk/stalk through an area with food producing trees (oaks are good), stopping often (my grandfather always told me to 'walk one step, stand still five'- in other words, stand still a lot more than you walk) can be very productive. You will learn to see twitching tails and flickers of motion, and thereby locate squirrels in the trees. Having a partner to 'turn' the squirrel in the tree by walking around to the other side is a big help. A shotgun with #6 shot will work, but a good, accurate scope sighted .22 is more fun.

Whitetail deer are probably as easy to hunt as anything on your list, and a lot more return on the adrenaline scale. Keep an open mind aout that one.

http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/

http://www.al.rodngun.com/

Good luck to you both, stay safe,

lpl/nc (southern by choice, born in the Heart of Dixie by the grace of God)

 

[Felonious Monk]

Thanks guys!

ALH, I found www.alabamaquailtrail.org . that's going to be a great resource, it appears. I'll also check the wildlife site when I can.

Cajun, no ghetto here. It's a tiny town (Alex City) with boonie woods for miles around in every direction. Also, I'm going to call right now and find out about hunter education courses. Good suggestion!

Lee, as far as what region of the state, the short answer is East-Central.
I guess the closer to Tallapoosa county the better, at least for starters.
Also, we're real open to deer and larger game, but I think that will come in time. Probably the "upland bird" hunting ALHunter mentioned describes where we want to start, maybe with some squirrel and/or rabbit thrown in.

The dogs are a definite for in the future, but until we get our home in TN sold, we're renting and want to wait until we buy down here before adding 4 leggers to the mix.

Which brings up the whole NEXT question: which dog? I sure like Labs, and a couple big yellow or chocolate dudes would ALSO fit the home defense picture nicely as well.

GREAT info guys! Keep it coming!

 

[Richard.Howe]

Haha, I know a thing or two about Alex City. I did my undergrad work at Auburn...just down the road a bit...

 

[45crittergitter]

Welcome to the south!

I disagree with

As for shotguns, go either O/U or semi-auto. Pump and single shot are o.k., but for new hunter you are better off with O/U or semi-auto.

For a new hunter, unless its someone already very familiar with guns, a single shot is what I would recommend for safety reasons. They are worlds safer than an auto. A double is nearly as good, but usually a lot more expensive.

 

[Felonious Monk]

Been doing a little informal research. It appears the focus of our interest is "upland game", which includes rabbit, squirrel, pheasant, quail, and other small game.

Can anyone provide some gun recommendations for a new 13 yr old hunter (strong, fireplug shaped) and myself?

Thanks,
Felonious Monkus

 

[dakotasin]

remington 870 in 20 gauge is my reccomendation for the both of you. all you'll need for upland game. never successfully hunted turkey, so no experience to offer you there.

your son will have to try a gun on for size... at 13, he may be small enough to require a youth model - he may also be on the verge of outgrowing it, or possibly already outgrown it...

my wife shoots a mossberg 20 ga. for pheasants. the gun works fine, but is not something i'd reccomend - it is more difficult to tear down for maintenance than the 870 is.

anyway, its the way i'd reccomend you go... grab a couple boxes of 6-shot on your way out the door, too...

 

[Fred Fuller]

You're in a good area all right. Glad you are looking forward to all the outdoor activities available there. I grew up in Perry County, west of you, and my family still has a farm there.

For a bird dog, IMHO your best all round bet is a Brittany, as long as you can handle a 35 pound companion/house dog with a good deal of intensity who will both point and retrieve when properly trained. My current puppy is just turning ten months old, she came from http://www.puppyshop.com/kennels/brittany_cory.htm . They're great working dogs and great pets too. It sort of dismayed my wife (who gave me the pup for my birthday) that the pup now cares more about hunting than she does anything else, but that's a bird dog for you.

For starting- out shotguns, I like Remington 870s. There's a great youth model in 20 ga., with a stock change it will still fit a grown shooter. You can handle a 12 ga. unless you have physical limitations. Same goes for the 1100s if you'd rather have an auto. Best thing about the Remington shotguns is that with an extra slug barrel and a couple of extra choke tubes, one gun can handle upland game, waterfowl and deer within the limits of your ability to shoot it well.

The traditional southern bird gun is a SXS (side by side) double, a good one nowadays is apt to be a bit expensive and two would be doubly so.

Glad you and your son are enjoying the plannng and logistics stages, hope everything comes together for you. One of my young cousins got his first buck on the farm last weekend, wish I could have been there.

lpl/nc

 

[Felonious Monk]

Lee,
Those Brittanys look like great hunting buddies, and all-round additions to the family! We may go that route when the time comes.

I made some calls today trying to roust up the local hunter ed course info, but the local guy I needed to talk to was out of the office.

Anybody familiar with the Rossi single-shot combo guns? If the quality's acceptable, that might be a good choice in .22lr/20ga. Here's a link:
http://www.rossiusa.com/products/product-details.cfm?model=S201220RS&category=MATCHEDPAIR

 

[Richard.Howe]

That Rossi is PERFECT for your son. Single shot to encourage accurate shooting habits and has a hammer safety. The hammer safety is a must-have in my book. I had a Stevens 12ga without the safety and nearly shot my foot off when I was 13.

For you, an 870 is impossible to beat, and the CZ line of 22s are cheaper, more accurate, and more robust than any Ruger or Remington I own.

Rich

 

[bud45]

Felonious Monk, welcome to Alabama! I see someone asked the question, but you're too far away- I was going to invite y'all to hunt with me near Mobile, AL.

I used to hunt squirrels a lot (some rabbit, too) when I was a kid. We had Spitz dogs that were GREAT squirrel dogs and good at guard dog/burglar alarms, too! If my dogs were not with me, I'd pick up a stick or two, get the .22 rifle ready, then throw a stick either up the tree or on the other side of it; when the squirrel danced around to my side, hiding from the noise, *crack!* & I had a bushytail on the ground! I hunted with a heavy ol' H&R with open sights. Now I have a semiauto Savage that came with a cruddy scope; I took the scope off, but may have to put a better one on it- my eyes are not real good for open sights any more....

We're about to hunt hogs here in the Lower Delta during February, then I'll be hunting turkeys in March/April. I wish I could get my son to hunt with me, but he can't get away from that darned phone & his girlfriend long enough!!! :banghead: Take your son soon & often, before he gets that female-attachment disease!

 

[Felonious Monk]

I'm pretty excited!!!

I got him the Rossi. A hundred and fifty bucks out the door.
"The Youth-size Rossi Matched Pair makes the perfect first gun for teaching that young hunter in your life how to safely shoot and hunt. All offer a smaller stock and barrel to ensure that the first time out is a pleasant experience. Single shot has long been recognized as the best teaching firearm for young shooters, and Rossi adds in transfer bar technology to help prevent accidental discharges as well as a manual safety."

Model: S201220RS
Caliber/Gauge: .22 LR
Length of Pull: 12.5"
Wood Finish: WALNUT FINISH
Capacity: SINGLE SHOT

First Barrel Length: 18.5"
Stock Config: YOUTH SIZE STANDARD
Action: BREAK OPEN
Overall Length: 31.5" x BUTT PLATE
Choke: N/A
Weight: 5.62 lbs
Soft Case Inc: Yes
Chamber: N/A
Finish: BLUE
Rate of Twist: 1:16.5"
Drilled & Tapped: YES
Front Sight: ADJUSTABLE
Drop at Pull: 1.57"
Rear Sight: ADJUSTABLE
Extractor/Ejector: EXTRACTOR
Sling Swivels : YES

2nd Barrel : 20 GAUGE 22" MOD. 3" CHAMBER, EJECTOR, BEAD FRONT SIGHT, BLUE, OVERALL LENGTH 35", WEIGHT 5 lbs

By going with the .20 gauge instead of .410, it's still a lighter load, but plenty of punch for quail/pheasant/chukar.

Something I didn't realize until after I had decided on the purchase, is that .20 gauge shells are inexpensive compared to .410, another good reason to practice!!!

I'm going to call around and see if we can get some time at a skeet range over in a county east of here.
Woohoo!!!

 

[Fred Fuller]

That sounds like a good way to get him started, a single shot is a good idea for a beginning shooter. Now he needs a shot at the hunter safety course and some trigger time.

Next time you're close to a bookstore (or the local library), see if you can find a copy of Robert Ruark's classic, _The Old Man And The Boy_ (if you don't have it already that is). I was lucky to have several old men show me the ropes of hunting and fishing while I was growing up, but lacking an adequate supply of old men the book is a great substitute.

Ruark grew up not too far from where I am now, in the small coastal NC town of Southport. His stories of hunting and fishing with his grandfather are evocative of much of my own childhood, though mine took place in central Alabama. His writing appeared regularly in _Field & Stream_ magazine, which I inhaled at the barber shop as a kid. I think you and your son would enjoy it too, if you aren't already familiar with it.

lpl/nc

 

[Felonious Monk]

Thanks Lee!

The Hunter Ed class is March 12-13th right here in town!
We're already signed up.

I'll get a copy of that book, gonna check Amazon to see if I can snag it used.
Maybe we'll subscribe to Field & Stream, too.

This is going to be FUN!

Regards,
Ben/FM

 

[Ash]

Did a good bit of squirell hunting not far from Dothan. I used a Mossberg 183 bolt action 410 for that action. Though, for other shotgun hunting I'll take a pump any and every day over a semi-auto or an over-under. I duck hunt in Louisiana and do better than semi's AND doubles. Semi's can jam, what with mud and ice to deal with, and personally, I prefer three shots when I am rising up on geese (or a flight of teals, mallards, etc) and the lighter weight a pump offers over an overunder. Pump guns are utterly reliable, more reliable and every bit as quick as a semi, more shots and lighter than an overunder. I have out-shot 10 guage beneli semi's with my humble 870 express magnum on geese and hold my own with any other fowl.

Ash

 

[Ash]

As to Mobile, I graduated Highschool in Bay Minette, worked at Boy Scout camp in Jackson, went to elementary school in Saraland, and dated girls from Fairhope and Daphne. I hunted IP lands in east Baldwin County, but did most of my hunting on family land not that far from Dothan.

Ash

 

[Roland of Gilead]

I grew up in Hazel Green, on the TN state line. I started on a borrowed .410 (if you don't count BB guns), got a 20 gauge break open for my 12th birthday. Graduated to a Winchester 9422M for longer range squirrel/rabbit, then on to a 1894 .30/30 for my first deer. Now I live across the line in TN, and still at it (still got the 20 gauge and the .30-30 too.)

Single barrel 20 gauge is a great first gun. Mine is a FIE Brazilian import, similar to the Rossi. A gun with a hammer that is easily visible to all parties, is a great safety feature, and a lot harder to accidently "off safe" than a 870's crossbolt.

 

[Ash]

A break-open shotgun are excellent first shotguns. I was replying to the whole semi's and overunders are best arguement.

Ash