I'm a guy that carries one gun for everything. I grew up on the South Plains of the Texas panhandle. Game birds were always in abundance there; dove, quail, pheasant, geese and duck. During the period of November - December, most of the bird seasons overlap. In order to shoot whatever presented itself, a 12 ga was essential equipment. There is nothing worse that missing out on shooting a big pheasant because you're carrying 20 ga quail load!