Anything that'll throw a projectile is good for grouse hunting. What do I prefer? 20 gauge. I find that it's all the jam you'd ever need and less weight to carry all day. Still, all the other gauges and calibers discussed will do the job. One thing I've seen over the years is that different habitats instill different behaviors - in thick cover they almost always fly; with less cover, they rely more on their camo and remaining motionless (they really believe you can't see them - they're not stupid).
Sharptail are a whole other beast. IMHO you need a 12 gauge and heavy loads like 3 1/4 dram eq./1 1/4 oz, 6-shot or even 5. Those birds are tough and they won't let you get close, if they can prevent it.
There's actually 7 varieties of grouse found in Canada. Ruffies are the best tasting of the bunch (and the most common - yay!). Blue grouse and spruce grouse are found primarily in the mountains and foothills. They tend to be the gamiest tasting grouse, but it depends on the time of year and their diet at that time (ruffies take on more "flavour" later in the season, too).
Sage grouse are probably the least common and ptarmigan are found only further north. All of these varieties I would describe as 'red meat' birds except the ruffies, which are more of a 'white meat' (the breasts, at least).
The best grouse recipies are those that preserve or contribute to the moisture in the meat. Stews, shake 'n bake, pies, etc are good candidates. BBQ, pan fried, baked - not so much.
Hope you enjoy hunting and eating grouse. They are by far my favorite hunt.
SS
