.12 ga for grouse seem too hard!!!

sametwinnie

sametwinnie

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Hi everybody,
today I shot 2 grouses with my .12 ga. on 2 differents scenario: the first one was about 20 feets on a tree and as soon as the shot was sent to her, she fall like a rock (I mean "paf" and "pof" on the ground without sign of life) At first, I was happy with a clean kill but when I went home to clean it I realize that I took a full shot of 7 1/2 in front chest of the grouse. So it look like chopped meat for this one! But since I hunt to eat, I was very disappointed with my shot AND the performance of the gauge I choosed. The second one I shot was about 8 feets from me, standing on ground. Since I was armed with a .12 ga, I shoot for head. Yes, I kill it after 1 minute of "flop flop" and agonizing (I hit the eyes). I always like firearms since 14 years and I like to shoot but this is my first season of hunting (I moved here for nature 1 year ago). The probem is that I really don't like to see an animal agonizing and I don't like to lost meat from an animal I killed.
You can be sure I took the more than I can from the grouse I shot first!!!
And now for the question!!!
What is the caliber of choice for this type of hunting????
After this day, I tough about a .410/.22 (.410 for close shot(the second one) or .22 for long shot (the first one)), Or maybe a .12 SxS with removable choke, one in full (for the second) and one cylinder.
BUT, I like to have a .12 since there are some black bear in the area and I feel safe with a .12 and some 00 BUCK and a slug.

What do you think fellows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks
 
12 guage is a great gun for grouse. You may have to get used to shooting it at grouse since it's your furst year of hunting. Keep shooting.....

For me, I use a 22 with a little 4x scope. Good clean kill, or nothing but air.
 
Yes. If you are shooting at 8 and 20 feet then 12 gauge is too much. It's not too much if you are shooting them on the wing. For ruffs I use a 12 gauge with cylinder choke and 7/8s ounce of shot but where I hunt they are spooky and I typically shoot them in the air.
 
I've used .410 when I first started hunting, now for the past 6 or more years have been using 12 gauge with #6 shot.

If you hit the grouse full on then yes you will be spitting out pellets when you eat. Shot placement really counts here....you may want to aim a little higher (i.e. shoulders and up).

I like the 12 gauge for it's versatilitly.....grouse, rabbit, coyote and in some cases bear.
 
I have shot many grouse with both the 410 and the 12 guage.I find that if I aim above the grouse with a 12 guage and just hit it with the bottom of the pattern,there is less meat damage than if you center them in a 410 pattern.I use 7-1/2 shot,and most times only the head and the very top of the breast are hit.
 
Funny thing; when they are flying AWAY from you, two good things happen. It quickly makes the shot spread out, and most of the pellets hit the BACK of the bird. Suddenly that 12 gauge doesn't seem like overkill.

If you are in such a position that they are consistently 8 feet away from you, use .22 shorts. Or a rock. But don't shoot them out of trees with a rifle.
 
The last few times I have gone out I took my little .22 Rifle, but when you are alone in the deep brush in Bear, Cougar, Wolf country, that little .22 Rifle seems pretty small. :D

I'll be trying the 12 gauge next...esp' since the little buggers around here are spooky right now.
 
you aim a couple of inches high that way you ghget them in the head.

what I did was draw a life size outline of a grouse & filled it in, photocopied it, stapled the copies to stakes and and set them up on on the ground at various distances and elevations (rising, falling from me), and practiced firing at them. it's amazing what you can learn by doing this.
 
sametwinnie said:
Hi everybody,
today I shot 2 grouses with my .12 ga. on 2 differents scenario: the first one was about 20 feets on a tree and as soon as the shot was sent to her, she fall like a rock (I mean "paf" and "pof" on the ground without sign of life) At first, I was happy with a clean kill but when I went home to clean it I realize that I took a full shot of 7 1/2 in front chest of the grouse. So it look like chopped meat for this one! But since I hunt to eat, I was very disappointed with my shot AND the performance of the gauge I choosed. The second one I shot was about 8 feets from me, standing on ground. Since I was armed with a .12 ga, I shoot for head. Yes, I kill it after 1 minute of "flop flop" and agonizing (I hit the eyes). I always like firearms since 14 years and I like to shoot but this is my first season of hunting (I moved here for nature 1 year ago). The probem is that I really don't like to see an animal agonizing and I don't like to lost meat from an animal I killed.
You can be sure I took the more than I can from the grouse I shot first!!!
And now for the question!!!
What is the caliber of choice for this type of hunting????
After this day, I tough about a .410/.22 (.410 for close shot(the second one) or .22 for long shot (the first one)), Or maybe a .12 SxS with removable choke, one in full (for the second) and one cylinder.
BUT, I like to have a .12 since there are some black bear in the area and I feel safe with a .12 and some 00 BUCK and a slug.

What do you think fellows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks
Click to expand...

Aim a little high , like was suggested, and get a little dikstance, as ws suggested.

If you hit the grouse in the eyes and it was flopping about it was not in agony, it was stone dead and the nevous system was in "overload" that is all!
Don't worry about it if this happens again, as the bird was dead before it hit the gound.
Good hunting and good luck!:dancingbanana:
Cat
 
If you are going to pot sitting grouse at point blank range, don't use a 12ga shotgun. A .22 would be a better choice, even a slingshot. An open bored 12ga. with small shot would be fine for wingshooting if you are interested in sporting hunting, but if you are gathering meat for the pot, use something that will dispatch the critter cleanly without spoiling it for eating. If you wound a bird, break its neck and finish it off, don't let it flop around until it eventually expires.
 
JohnC said:
what I did was draw a life size outline of a grouse & filled it in, photocopied it, stapled the copies to stakes and and set them up on on the ground at various distances and elevations (rising, falling from me), and practiced firing at them. it's amazing what you can learn by doing this.
Click to expand...

I was just thinking of doing this. :)
 
if you have an O/U or single shot you could try little skeeters or other gauge reducers. i think you can get them in 12g to .410 so if you have a grouse 20ft away you could just put in a gauge reducer and shoot the grouse with a much smaller load. then if need be, you could quickly change to a 12g slug for bear.

i havent tried them before but i have heard from a few guys that they work ok.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grouse Man
But don't shoot them out of trees with a rifle.


Why?


This is for safety reasons,since a rifle bullet will travel great distances,especially if fired upward.
 
If you are going to pot sitting grouse at point blank range, don't use a 12ga shotgun
Click to expand...

The closer the grouse is,the easier it is to hit only the head and neck by aiming high.I have shot many grouse this way without ruining the meat.
 
Your idea of a .410/.22 is a good one (ie; Springfield M6 Scout), although you may find that you're using the .22 cal pipe a lot more often than the .410 cal one ;) Rimfires are great for grouse. If they're really close, like the ones you described, use a rock. When I was younger (ie; too young to tramp around the bush unsupervised with a .22), my friends and I all used rocks for bagging grouse. A friend of mine can throw rocks like a FRIKKIN' LASER BEAM, it's amazing! :D I've also heard of using a short length of wood, about 8" to 10" long, 1" diameter (like a short length of thick alder branch). You whing it sidearm, like a boomerang, and if you get good with it you can almost take a grouse's head clean off :runaway: I've never seen it done, just heard about it. My 2 cents, anyway :dancingbanana:
 
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