Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/68594
H by talking to the camera, telling our viewers how happy I was that my guest had experienced such great shooting on our first morning. Personally, I think it was the extra sausages that gave him the edge, but I was gracious enough not to mention that. That afternoon we left the bottomland, shifted into 4WD, and headed up to the hills that frame this beautiful valley. Now we were in a dramatically different setting, the kind of steep and rocky landscape that personifies great chukar country. The only downside was the wind had picked up, blowing at a steady 25 to 30 miles-per-hour, with gusts well above that. Holding on to my hat, I asked Tyla if we could actually hunt in these conditions. "Don't worry," she replied with no sense of concern," I brought a dog that handles the wind really well." Indeed, he did. For the next several hours, Mountie and I enjoyed some of the most challenging bird-shooting we'd ever experienced. Tyla's pointer did a masterful job holding the chukars, but when they took off it was as if they had been catapulted off the deck of a carrier with full burners on. We hit some, missed some, but also took the time to just stand and watch the clouds scudding overhead, the sun occasionally peeking through and bringing a vibrant glow to the yellow grasses on the hillsides below. Shooting the SV10 Perennia on my first day at Highland Hills, I hardly noticed the 12-bore's recoil. With its Kick-Off system – essentially two hydraulic oil dampers built into the stock – felt recoil is substantially decreased, by 60 percent according to Beretta. I was surprised by how much I appreciated the lessened "punch," and how much it helped me stay in the gun for the second shot. The sleeper in the Perennia duo may well be the 20-gauge version: an ideal quail gun, and with 3-inch shells, plenty of firepower for even late-season pheasants. And, when you pull the trigger, it's really more like shooting a popgun than a shotgun. Admittedly, added-on features, however nifty, don't "make" a shotgun. It's what's in it, not on it, that counts. Beretta has a long history of producing great over/under shotguns that are nicely balanced and lively in the hand. The new SV10 Perennias are no exception to this lineage. I like the graceful sculpting where the stock meets the receiver, and Mountie pointed out to me that this latest generation of over/unders included larger hinge pins and deeper breech shoulders that further reinforce the lock-up between the receiver and barrels. By the way, on the Perennias you can easily select between automatic ejection or manual extraction. It's a nice feature that allows you to pluck out your hulls and place them in your vest instead of searching for empties in the corn stubble. ighland Hills Ranch typically gets less than ten inches of rainfall per year, so it surprised all of us to wake up the next morning and see a fresh blanket of snow covering the valley. It was light stuff, however; nothing that would keep us from heading back out to the fields with Tyla and her great dogs. On this second day I was shooting a 12-gauge Action shotgun, the latest in Beretta's A400 Xplor line. Chambered for 2¾- and 3-inch shells, it features a stock with Beretta's Kick-Off system, but instead of just two dampers in the butt, it has a third behind S P O R T the bolt. Together with the inherent soft-shooting characteristics of a gas gun and Beretta's innovative Micro-Core recoil pad, all these elements combine to create the most "recoil reduced" autoloader I've had the pleasure of shooting. Beretta's new Blink gas system is claimed to operate 36 percent faster than on any other autoloader. While I've not thought of other modern gas guns as "slow shooting," with the Action you can go bang, bang, bang as fast as you can. Equally important, with its self-cleaning piston, the Action is highly reliable, even when not cleaned on a regular basis. Arguably, the most high-tech piece of wizardry on this gun is the Gun Pod. Located where a grip cap is typically affixed, the Gun Pod offers digital read-outs that include ambient air pressure, cartridge pressure of the round fired and the overall number of rounds fired through the gun. I remember a gun-writer once describing a new autoloading shotgun as "effective, but clunky." That's not the case with the Xplor Action. The gun is well-balanced and has that hard to describe but easy to feel swing to it. Highly versatile, reliable and with a weather-resistant finish, the Action can easily handle all the bird-hunting action you want to throw at it, from doves to ducks. he light snow didn't slow our hunting down. While the quail had hunkered down in heavy cover, the snowflakes didn't bother the pheasants one bit. Sooner than I expected, it was time for lunch and we headed back to the lodge, a bit wet but a lot happy. The snow picked up again after lunch and I spent a moment by the fire and wrote down a few thoughts: v Upland bird hunters tend to be a traditional lot. technology can still marry well with old traditions. v Locals will be quick to remind you their state is That's why Grandpa's smoothbore is often carried in the field and not just hung over the mantelpiece. Shooting the Perennia and the Action reminded me that new pronounced, Ore "gun," not Ore "gone." v Life is good at Highland Hills Ranch. Up in the morning and off to a great breakfast. Then there's plenty of time to lace up your boots before heading out with your guide for the morning hunt. Back at noon for perhaps pheasant enchiladas or a delicious thick soup. Stretch out for awhile and then get ready to head out again. After the hunt it's time for a cocktail and then a three- course dinner. Perhaps a cigar and a brandy by the fire pit before you retire. Wake up the next morning and repeat the above. Some routines, it turns out, aren't so bad after all. Highland Hills Ranch also offers a true British driven pheasant shoot with all the right trimmings in addition to walk-up hunting. The driven hunt is a two-affair with three drives each day, with 300 plus birds per drive. Call me if you are left with an open peg. For more, visit highlandhillsranch.com or call (866) 478-4868 IF YOU WANT TO GO T he author (left), guide Tyla Kuhn and Beretta executive Mountie Mizer head to nearby patch of cover where they'll hunt valley quail. T IN G CL ASSI C S 120