im an aware of how many birds u can shoot i dont think its more than 4
so 2 dzn shells would be fine... as you get older and if you fall in love you should buy the more expensive full bodies i preferably hunt in fieldsso we do not use a dog... a 7-9 yr old boy works fine we dont reall y use a spread just scatter themand we position and face so they land towards our face...ovouisly calls ...........yah your going to want to practice blow from the diaphram and the short are good and there are longer ones flutes etc