Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

    and if they were patridge, why were they flushing so far out so early
    in the season? I wasn't exactly stumbling around. I was walking on a
    pretty clear path.
    
    
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    I hunted partidge and pheasant for several years on Souther MA,
    (Franklin), and have seen several coveys of quail (Bobwhites).  They
    were smaller than partrige and I tended to run into them in the
    pheasant terrain, not the thick grouse/woodcock areas.  Whenever I 
    put them up it was always a covey of 10 - 20 birds, though it is hard
    to tell when you hear something in the grass, and flush it expecting a 
    single pheasant to fly and a mob of birds takes off.
    
    I believe that the Bobwhite quail are protected in most of MA, I think
    you can only hunt them on the cape.
    
    Is there a chance you saw a turkey, at least a small one?  doesn't
    sound like a quail.
    
    --Bob
    

    FWIW, it seems like the cartoon on the Partridge Family intro looked
    more like a Gambel quail than a partridge, no?  I doubt you would see
    anything like that in MA unless they came from a game farm.
    
    Dave

    The nomenclature in these notes confuses the hell out of me.
    
    What I've always known as a "ruffed grouse" is (erroneously?) referred
    to as a partridge in New England.  It, of course, has about a softball
    shaped chest, brown feathers, big tail, and most notably; a tuft of
    feathers on its head.
    
    The thing that you've described sounds to me like what I would
    call a partridge.  How big was it?
    
    Around here in Western Washington there are interesting game birds that
    scurry around in back yards.  They are about the size of a baseball and
    have little things sticking out of their heads that look like little
    daisies or something.  Those are some variety of quail.  
    
    Also, there are birds in Eastern Washington called Chukars.  I know
    they release chukars at a number of the game farms around New England. 
    They match your description except for the things on the head.  They
    are bigger than a quail and smaller than a grouse (although closer to
    grouse size). 
    
    I think you should go back out with a camera and get a picture of one
    or call fish and game or both.  I'm curious.
    
    /brett

I see the Bobwhite game birds almost everyday at lunch time here in Westminster
Ma, when i go out for my daily runs, so dont let anybody tell you that there
arent any in Mass...As a matter of fact i have seen them run across John Fitch
Highway in Fitchburg, Ma.

    Al!!!!  how the hell are you????
    
    Fra

    Dosn't sound like a mamber of the Grouse family...  Possibly a 
    Spruce Grouse.... ???  Do we have them in MA???
    
    Fra
    

    
    Bret,
    
    In New England, the game bird known as a Ruffed Grouse (brownish, fan
    shaped tail with the black stripe) is also called a partridge 
    (pronounced pahtrige :-)).
    
    --Bob
    

    re: .8
    
    Yea, I think I said that.  In most parts of the country, if you say
    you're going partridge hunting they think you're going after little
    critters.

    Fra, I seriously doubt we'd see any Spruce Grouse this far south.
    
    Mark.

    Hi, what you saw could have also been a hen pheasant !
    
    Don

    Mark,  thanks, wasn't sure how far down they populated... was looking
    at a map with the different areas each inhabits but the detail wasn't 
    accurate enough to make out how far south it went.  The bird he
    described looked alot like the picture of one though.
    
    Figured someone more knowledgable on the subject would correct me...
    
    Fra
    
    
    

    I doubt that it was a hen pheasant from his description of the tail.
    
    I reckon it was probably quail.
    
    Mark.

      Well my vote in it sounds and is described like a chukar. Their
    is a few hunting clubs in leominster and someone could have released
    them their for their hunting pleasure. I have shot a few of these 
    myself at a game farm.  
                         Kev

    Gee, no one's mention the NBC peacock yet?!
    
    :-)

    Its very possible that it was a quale that you saw. I know that they 
    have used them for dog training at the Leminster Sportmens Club. Thats
    not to far from that area. 
    
    sb
    

    HI,
    
    As far as I know there are no native partridge in North America,  just
    like there were'nt any buffalo. What
    is uasually reffered to as partridge are various members of the grouse
    family, ruffed , spruce and so on. I believe that there have been some
    european partridege introduand still found in Southern Ontario, and go
    under the name of Hungarian partridge, but I am not sure of that.
    
    
    Les

    
    In New Englangd partridge == ruffed grouse.  
    
    No matter what you call them, I still can't hit them, all I seem to do
    is clear more escape paths through the brush and prune trees. :-)
    
    --Bob
    

    re.18 Wing-shooting partridge (OK- ruffed grouse) is a waste of
    time and shells. Get an accurate 22 and 'thump' them. The 
    technique is simple. Walk slowly, as if still-hunting deer.
    Stop frequently and listen for a partridge 'drumming' -
    beating his wings. Then stalk him. To keep him in the area,
    or even call him in, 'thump' your chest, Tarzan style,
    imitating the sound of the partridge. He will take it as a 
    challenge for his territory and reply, making it easier to 
    locate him. Sounds screwy, but it works!
    
    One note, tho' - you need to hunt an area quiet enough to hear
    the birds. Tried this in a spot close to a highway and an
    airport and had no luck at all.
    
    Dana

    I have never been great with a shotgun, give me a rifle any day.
    However, a couple of years ago I took an older Mossberg pump with a 30"
    full choke barrel to the gunsmith and had him loppe it off just after
    the magazine tube, The whole gun is within the 28" legal limit. 
    
    It improved my partridge wing shots by almost 100%, cannot seem to be
    able to miss now. It is also hell of lot easier to carry and swing too.
    
    Might want to give it a try.
    
    LEs

    
    re .-1
    
    Les,
    
    I understand the full choke syndrome with partridge, that is what I 
    have, I plan on having it opened up this summer, but for now I gotta
    use what I got, they are still fun to chase even though I never 
    get them.
    
    --Bob
    

    Can you buy another barrel? If so buy a deerslayer type. Take the rear
    sight off of bird hunting, put it back for deer.

    
    re .-1
    
    it probably is not worth buying an extra barrel since it would cost
    about as much as the gun is worth. It will cost about $25 to open up
    the choke, I really have no need for a full choke in NewEngland.
    
    Would like another gun, but finances don't allow it at this time. :-(
    
    --Bob