Advice for a first time grouse hunter?

Isaac799

Isaac799

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Hey everyone, I'm heading up to my cottage this weekend and I'm hoping to try my luck at grouse hunting. I've found some crown land that allows hunting and I saw a couple birds last time I was up. So I'm bringing up my gun this weekend and hope to see them again! Any advice when it comes to hunting them? Anything I should know ahead of time? I'm planning on using 6 or 7 1/2 shot with a modified choke in my 12 gauge.
Thanks!
 
Sounds like you are well set up...... walk slow, look for movement, be prepared for a flush and practice makes perfect....

You will find over time your memory builds a "bank" of sightings and it makes it easier to spot them before they flush..... After a while you will learn where to look for them and how to spot them and be more successful....

If you go home with an empty game bag and spent a day in the fresh air and had a few sightings and can feel happy about that then it won't be long until you are hooked.... It was my first hunt and still my favorite type of hunting... good luck!
 
I'd recommend #5 shot. Anything smaller tends to ruin a bit more meat. Aim a bit high modified choke.
As you walk stop frequently. When you start moving again is when they will spook and move.
Enjoy your hunt and the gorgeous weather!
Cheers
 
I actually use number 6..... but hawkmp9 makes a great point.... always nice to have in case you push up a bunny too....

Oh yeah.... more advice.... bring toilet paper..... :)
 
#6 is a good all round compromise, but when I am after grouse specifically I use 7.5's... it has work pretty good for close to 50 years... most of our grouse hunting has been done with air rifles... but that will be a frustrating experience if they are pressured birds.
 
No less a grouse hunter than the magnificent Burton Spiller recommended no larger than 71/2 shot, and I can add my celebrity endorsement to that as well. Shots on body count, not the size of the shot. The big issue is whether or not you'll be shooting grouse on the ground as opposed to wing shots only. Purist sportsmen will only take wing shots, and I prefer those, but when I'm hungry I'm no purist. I tell myself that you have to take the stupid birds out of the gene pool to have any sporting birds left, which is at least slightly true. If you're in an area where the grouse are hunted and wary, I recommend very comfortable walking boots because a lot of walking will be involved.

There are very good books on the subject of grouse shooting, many of them Mr Spiller's. The really good and informed books were mostly written up to about 1975, and then for quite a while men got all sensitive about shooting things. Check some out, as an intro I assume London has a good public library but go interlibrary loan if you have to. Great reading through the fallow winter months.
 
I use #6 in the 12 and #7.5 in the 20. Just me. I never see rabbits :(

I carry a "grouse" bag with a few items. Something to carry my gear and any birds I get. Having a bag set up means I just grab it, the gun and go. In it are:
  • Toilet Paper - ah yes, mentioned before, worth mentioning again. In a ziploc bag FTR.
  • couple grocery bags - to put birds in so they don't bleed over the inside of the bag. Not for long term storage, but fine for a couple of hours.
  • handful of ziploc bags and hand sanitizer - sometimes I'll clean the bird after shooting, not often though as I've learned when the hunting is hot, stay with it
  • compass!!! - is a must. Can't tell you how easy it is to get lost in the bush. A phone app is good too, but beware the dying battery. A compass always works. When you step off the trail after a grouse, know which direction you're heading
  • binoculars - Is that a grouse in yonder tree? Sometimes it's nice to be able to see
  • a couple extra rounds - more because I miss than anything else. I keep a couple in my pocket for easy access but more than that and they jangle.
  • miniature survival kit - knife, matches, lighter, some dryer lint, a bit of paracord, flagging tape. Did mention how easy it is to get lost?

Other random thoughts:
  • wear comfortable boots
  • walk quiet and stop and listen - you'll often hear them, especially if the leaves are dry
  • listen for drumming - sounds like an engine that can't quite turn over. I just got a bird that called me in.
  • when you clean a bird, take a look at it's crop - it's the 1/2 digested food bag at the top of the throat. It'll show what they are eating therefore where they will be. My birds had poplar and birch buds, plus some mushrooms.
  • Don't give up. If you see a bird and it runs, chase it. If you lose it, try waiting it out or slowly stalk the area. Grouse hunting can be a battle of wills, and these birds are tough.
  • Look up. Often they are roosting in trees, especially early morning - late evening
  • If you wing it, then lose it - keep a sharp eye out for small feathers on the ground
  • You won't be the first man outsmarted by something with the brain the size of a chicken's
 
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Don't blink lol, I've yet to get a grouse here in southern ontario. It's almost as if they know when you're distracted. They're so few and far between around here.
 
Listen for the birds. They will make a pucking sound, sort of similar to content chickens. They will also almost coo to each other.

If you flush a bird but don't get a shot or miss, try to watch where it heads. They rarely seem to fly more than a hundred feet or so, and if you follow slowly you can hopefully get a second opportunity at a shot.

Crops on my last few birds held wild clover, slugs and red berries.

If you find one grouse, there is a good possibility that more are close by. Even after missing a shot at a bird, I've bent down to pick up my shell only to have a 2nd, 3rd or 4th bird flush from only feet away. Even when approaching a dead or flapping bird, be ready. Unless your injured bird is out of sight. Then devote full attention to getting eyes, and possibly a follow up shot on the bird you've already hit.

And grouse appear like the Cheshire cat. They frequently appear on the trail behind me, just minutes after I've walked by. Last night I walked my two nosy hounds down a trail close to home. No birds heading out, 2 birds coming back on a 30 minute walk. I've had as much luck doubling back on a trail I've just walked as on the first walk out. I flushed 8 birds on Saturday and 6 of them were on the way back to the trail head where I'd walked only minutes before. Almost seems like it stirs em up...

And since the weather has been crap, birds seem to really like the sunny breaks or lighter drizzle on a rainy day and will take the opportunity to get out when the weather breaks a bit.

Also, keep in mind that moose season is opening up for a lot of the province this weekend.
 
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If you come across a flock take the ones on the ground first and if they fly in the trees start picking them off from the bottom up. If you shoot from the top down the falling birds will make the others fly away.
Bob
 
Last hour of legal light they will go to yellow birch or ironwoods to feast on buds. They stick out like sore thumbs silhouetted against the sky.

If you flush one, they will often land very quickly. Follow them and you'll likely get another chance. Or, stay stone still exactly where you are. Some birds will return exactly where you flushed them from.
 
If you're using a 12G, don't blow up your bird. Know how to aim high enough at the right distance.


If you're not used to your shotgun, draw a picture of a chicken on a 8 1/2x11 piece of paper. Make a few copies and take some shots at different distances. I did this with my kids so they could see if the pellets are hitting the head, the meat, or not at all.
 
I would recommend 7.5. Anything larger is going to hurt the meat if, yup, if you hit the breast. Been hunting grouse for 30 years and have never "blown up" a grouse yet using 7.5, mod choke and a 12 gauge. Guys are going to say aim hi and a lot of other bs, just pattern the gun a couple of times and giver. I have used 8, and 9's, and have gotten very little shot in the meat of a grouse. Recommend using a mod or imp choke though. If you want to wing shot only use imp at 25 yards or less, or mod if your hungry. Whatever you do have fun!!
 
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