1st trip grouse hunting soon! Any tips or tricks?

ranger_dave

ranger_dave

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I am going Grouse hunting for my first time soon and I am taking a bud with me. With are both new to upland hunting and have never done it but we have been practing with some skeet. I am SUPER excited to be going but I know its no easy thing to do. We are bothing taking Mossy 500s with 28" barrels but we were just planning on using cylinder chokes. That a bad idea? Any tips on what # of shot to use? Brand? Any other tips would be great.

Thanks, Ranger
 
CYL or IC tubes combined with #7 1/2 or #8 shells would be fine. Both target or game loads (any brand) should work well......alternately, just use the same loads (and chokes) if those are what you may have been using successfully at the range.

If you shoot a bird on the wing (i.e. when the bird is flying) just lead your shots a little bit as you were doing in skeet.

For stationary birds (should conditions dictate such) - aim above it's head and the edge of your pattern will drop that with very few pellets found in the breast.

In terms of establishing as far as how your individual shotguns pattern - you'd be required to spend some time at the range and try out various brands of shells using different chokes in order to determine which choke/shell (brand)/load combo patterns the best out of your shotguns.

However, for now just go out and enjoy. Ensure safety and whereabouts of your buddy at all times before taking your shots.

Best of luck with those birds.
 
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Way to go guys. Obviously you've done your homework on the gun/choke thing and have practised wingshooting. Yes, 1-1/8 oz of #7.5 shot (up or down a size) in an OC barrel will be deadly to 35 yards. Now be prepared for lots of walking. Are you after sharptails or ruffies? Very different hunting styles for these two birds. Ruffies, walk slowly through the bush and stop often to look and listen. Change direction often - think like a chicken. Keep near the edges of clearings and along trails. Good luck!
 
ranger_dave said:
I am going Grouse hunting for my first time soon and I am taking a bud with me. With are both new to upland hunting and have never done it but we have been practing with some skeet. I am SUPER excited to be going but I know its no easy thing to do. We are bothing taking Mossy 500s with 28" barrels but we were just planning on using cylinder chokes. That a bad idea? Any tips on what # of shot to use? Brand? Any other tips would be great.

Thanks, Ranger
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Don't let them fly, from an old ground sluicer from way back. FS
 
They're a ##### to hunt in thick cover.

IF it's a calm dry day, and you're not flushing them with a dog..take it real slow and look/listen a lot!
Often when they see you, they'll stay put and let you walk on by. If you stop and listen, you can hear them in the leaves... always be prepared for the flush....know it's going to happen..."be the bird"!

Half the time, they flush and it scares the bejeezuz out of us and by the time the barrel goes up, it's too late.

I've always used 7.5 shot and a full choke. Now I use an O/U for the most part and it's full/modified.
 
Fassteel said:
Don't let them fly, from an old ground sluicer from way back. FS
Click to expand...
I'll take em' on foot or on wing, they taste the same (even better without pellets). The old man used nothing but his old Coey Model 60 .22RF. Shooting on the wing is more challenging, but you run a higher risk of getting pellets in the meat. Sneaking up on them and busting them before they go to wing is challenging to.
 
Thanks for the tips.....its ruffled grouse were after. Whats this I alway hear about grouse loving gravel or being attracted too it?
 
Well I use a ruger 10/22 ALL the time so I guess I can bring that along. Would it be wise for me to bring my .22 and my buddy to bring his 12g? or should we both be shooting the same kind of gun?
 
Birds need grit in their gizzard to grind up their food. They feed, then they go to their source for sand/gravel.

"Pellets in the meat", well that's the lame argument for shooting birds on the ground with a shotgun. The truth is they can't hit a flying target. But generally when you shoot a bird in the air he's going away from you - you very rarely get pellets in the meat. That's partly why you use small shot. And the few that do appear are easy to find and remove. Since you've already practised wingshooting, it's time to rise to the challenge of a live bird in the air. Just wait for that first flush next to you . . .

If the cover is so thick that you can't see the birds when they fly and you HAVE to shoot them on the ground, then at least use a .22.
 
i use a rem 20 ga upland spcial and 7.5 trap loads , and carry a 310 round ball loaded on 4 grs bullseye, in my 30 wcf and 308 win, shoots a bit low but you get the hang of it quickly, it leaves a very clean hole without much meat damage, and is very quiet, so i dont mind poping the odd blue that sits to long when deer still hunting ,,wade
 
I've been hunting ruffies for years and have used mainly .22, as well as a .410 and 12 Ga, both with full chokes and 7 1/2 shot.

You generally see them in the open on logging roads, and on more wooded roads/trails you'll see them both on the middle of the road/trail as well as in the brush off to the side. They blend in so well that many times you will walk right up beside them without seeing them before they spook. You'll often hear the telltale crunch as they walk over dead leaves, any usually get a cluck/cheep immediately before they fly. It's a truly amazing bush experience to hear them drumming as they flap their wings while stationary. The sunnier the day, the more likely you are to see them out on the road eating gravel.

Your best bet is always to shoot them on the ground, and as has been mentioned go for the head to avoid ruining any meat.

Once they sense your presence they will either walk further into the brush or fly. They usually don't go far. If you hear the wings going look for them to be perched in a nearby tree, otherwise look on the ground in the brush.

My Dad swears by his .410, it is nice and light and you can carry it all day. I prefer the 12Ga because it gives me a distance edge over the .410, also because cheap 12 Ga target loads are less than half the cost of .410 shells.

In any case, because you're mostly shooting through brush, I prefer a shotgun...

I can shoot skeet respectably, but have never shot a ruffie out of the air because when they do fly it's usually into the bush. If you have a .22 and shotgun between yourself and your buddy you are prepared for anything.
 
An old friend that is a hunting purist drilled me a new one after I told him that I am the master of shooting grouse on the ground.
I explained him how I go about shooting the head with a 12ga and he kept a 5 minutes silence that told me more about it than a 2 hour argument in favor of wing shooting.

I would dare adding to Grouse Man's recommendations only this: It is not more challenging to shoot them on the wing.... It is the very essence of hunting that transforms a target of opportunity into game.
 
eltorro said:
An old friend that is a hunting purist drilled me a new one after I told him that I am the master of shooting grouse on the ground.
I explained him how I go about shooting the head with a 12ga and he kept a 5 minutes silence that told me more about it than a 2 hour argument in favor of wing shooting.

I would dare adding to Grouse Man's recommendations only this: It is not more challenging to shoot them on the wing.... It is the very essence of hunting that transforms a target of opportunity into game.
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Yup.

Now , to the Op about tricks.
Walk slowly, but for only a few yards at a time, and when you stop, be prepared to shoot.
many birds will let you walk right by if you do not stop, but as soon as you do they get edgy and will take off!
Keep watching the trees as well, ruffies will often sit in them instead of on the ground.
If you put on up and do not shoot or miss, keep an eye on it and watch where it lands, they do not go too far after they land, for the most part.

I use light skeet loads for my birds and never have a problem in tight bush because of it - if I miss, it's because I made a lousy shot!:D
Oh, and HAVE FUN!!:)
Cat
 
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