Hello from the South China Sea

[JoePaTurfShoes]

Hello everyone.....I am JoePaTurfShoes or JPTS for short.

I am currently the Navigator on a destroyer stationed out of San Diego, CA. Right now I am deployed and here after the first of the year I am headed to Afghanistan for 9 month. Yes the Navy is there too!

Anyway, I do a lot of hiking and camping and use to hunt when I was in high school. After Afghanistan I am headed to shore duty for 3 years and I am really looking forward to bird hunting.

On this wensite to do some research scuh as:

1. The difference between a Cocker and a Springer Spaniel?
2. What is the best shotgun for a Pheasant?

amongst other questions.

Hope everyone is having a good summer!

JPTS

[gsp3333]

Welcome to the forum,bunch of good people here. Let me be the first to thank you for service.

[ultracarry]

Being in so cal. You are in GSP country. When you get back I can show you some nice GSP's and Vizsla's then let me know if you want one of those dogs lol. BTW thanks for the service.

[JoePaTurfShoes]

I think GSP are ebautiful dogs!

However, being in the military I am moving all the time. Sometimes I have a house other times I am in an apartment for a year and then off again to the next duty station.

I have been looking at the spaniels becuase they work better for my living arrangements. Not to mention my Fiance has a Boston Terrier and the GSP may just eat her up! HA HA

[Onk]

We have come along way in the Navy....you can now surf the web and email? Just think how much faster I would have gotten my DEAR JOHN back in the day if we would have had email! From a fellow squid welcome to the forum and thanks for your service. Oh and you might look at the French Brittany also, they are small enough for your living quarters!

[JoePaTurfShoes]

I hear you Onk! Been in since 1998 and I enlisted as a Sonar Technician on Submarines. Did ten years on subs ad we never had internet or email.

Was commissioned in 2008 and went topside to the surface Navy and we have sunlight, internet, email, etc.! Living large up here on this tin can!

My next tour though is in Afghanistan so that should really be different! Looking forward to it.

[Greg Jennings]

WRT what kind of dog:


What kind of hunting do you want to do? Pheasant only?

You mention only flushing dogs but also mention size. Is flusher vs pointing dog an issue or is it purely a size thing? If I was hunting only pheasant and only where I have in the past...and didn't have a thing for pointing dogs...I'd go with a flusher.

In the flushing category, just me, but I like the Boykin. They're similar to what you've mentioned.

Small pointing dogs? You have a plethora to choose from. Brittany bubbles up pretty quick.



WRT shotgun for pheasant:

Depends. I like a 12 ga and shoot 1-1/4 or 1-1/2 oz of copper plated #5 shot. I use an auto, so one choke only, its' an Improved Modified. The whole deal is a good balance between early and late, long and short.

If you have to shoot non-toxic shot, I'll have to let someone else answer. I haven't found anything in steel that I like enough or is economical enough that I'd recommend it. I like Hevi-Shot, but it's not economical. Federal Black Storm is economical enough, but, IMHO, isn't quite up to lead or hevi-shot in real-world performance.