I've told the story here, or so I thought ...couldn't find it.
I didn't start it.
Most dove hunters used bird shot (regular gunpowder load) and short barrels with wider 'Modified' or 'Improved' chokes to improve the pattern spread. Less powerful 20 gauge shotguns were also pretty common. However, my partner (Billy) and I always used a mix of barrel types. Billy used a 20 ga Improved for when the doves were close to our position. I used a duck gun --12 ga high-powder shells, extra long barrel, full choke-- a *tight* pattern for distant targets. This combo worked great for us. On a good best day I shot as many as 100 shells. Important:We were more than well-acquainted with the range and patterns of our shotguns.
Dove hunting in corn fields can sometimes involve 6-8-10 hunters that spread out to cover the edges of the doves' flyway 'path' to form a sort of gauntlet. I usually hunted with just Billy but this day we were joined by a group of high school acquaintances. I knew a couple of them fairly well, so OK.
The morning turned hot and the hunting was lousy and boring. Billy & I were in a ditch on one side of a cut field, the group was on the other side about 75 yards away. As I stood up to leave, known-to-be-crazy Harry yelled "Hey, Jordan!! Think fast!!!" BLAM BLAM BLAM
I could see the shot raising dust as it came across the field toward me. I was barely in range but dove to the ground as the shot fell around me. I did what any teen would do ...rolled over, stood up, and unloaded my duck gun at Harry.
Then the war began. hhh