It will not be long before the Sept. 1 dove hunt opener, and the month after that it will be time to go quail hunting.
Anyone thinking about getting a nice, quick, light little shotgun for the coming season might want to consider the latest offering from Legacy Sports International – especially those who shoot left-handed.
Legacy Sports International has added a 20-gauge model to their Escort Supreme line of semi-auto shotguns. The new 20-gauge comes in both right and true left-handed actions, offering The only 20-gauge semi-auto like it on the market today.
“These shotguns are a quail and dove hunter’s dream – right-hand or left-hand,” reported Rick Homme at Legacy Sports International.
“All Escort Supreme shotguns feature nickel chrome moly lined barrels proofed for steel shot,” he continued, “and the patented SMART valve cycling system that allows smooth cycling of all velocities of factory loads, the FAST reloading system and magazine cut-off for quick load changes in the field, a raised ventilated rib for improved sight acquisition, five interchangeable chokes and much more.”
This particular model has just been announced, so there hasn’t been time to check out one in the field yet. WON will try to do that in near future and follow-up with a more detailed report.
Meanwhile, I can give a rather long-range dove forecast for those who plan to head to Southern Arizona for doving.
This is one of the better years for white-winged doves in recent times. As I write this, they are all over the place.
Of course, all of that could change at the last minute, right before the opener, if a cold storm blows through. However, so far this is not a year in which anyone seems concerned about anything getting cold very soon.
Mourning doves are around, but this year they are in the minority.
Also present are the collared Eurasian doves, and those robust birds can be a lot of fun since they represent an added bang for the buck, so to speak.
Some areas host a lot more of the collared doves than other areas, but they seem to be pretty well dispersed over wide areas, both around agricultural developments and towns, as well as out in the desert itself.
Readers who will be using 20-gauge shotguns for the early dove season on September have another nice thing going. They can use the less expensive “promotional” loads of No. 7 ½ or No. 8 shot and be all set.
All of the major ammo companies offer seasonal deals on ammo for doving. For 20-gauge, these loads usually feature 7/8-oz. of shot going somewhere between 1,200 and 1,350 feet per second. That entire range of velocity can work fine all the way to the edge of where those shot sizes can work.
Skeet (cylinder) choking can work for close-in shots, but improved cylinder seems to be better overall for a lot of shooters. If the birds are flaring much, switch to a modified choke and start dropping birds.
Steve Comus is a nationally recognized hunting editor with Safari Club International and a former WON Guns and Hunting Editor. His column appears every other week in WON and he can be reached at scomus@cox.net.
LEGACY SPORTS INTERNATIONAL has added a 20-gauge model to their Escort Supreme line. This new shotgun is available in right or left-hand models.
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