'Best' grouse hunt of the season

Grouse Man

Grouse Man

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Winnipeg
Pretty lame compared to the others here, but it was the best one for me this season. And actually since I hardly saw one last year, best in two seasons. Flushed 8 birds, but 5 I only heard them. The first single that flushed, I saw him on the ground just before he launched and could see where he was going to fly. Tagged him through the trees. A 20 ga. Remington model 31, shooting 7/8 oz of #8. This is a very nice little shooter, and will be even better once the MOD choke is opened up to about Skeet. Then, just before I get to the truck, I flush a single on the right side of the trail but he doesn't fly far. I head towards where I think he landed, and flush one on the LEFT side of the trail flying left - BANG miss! Which then causes the one on the RIGHT TO flush to the right - BANG hit! So 3 shots at birds, 2 in the pouch. :dancingbanana:

But I got to try a neat little trick. The first bird was still fluttering a bit when I picked it up. Rather than giving it a twirly, I tried something I'd read about but hadn't used. Cupping the bird in one hand, you pinch the backbone just at the base of the ribs - you'll feel a little 'click'. Dead bird instantly! Very cool!
 
Grouse Man said:
So 3 shots at birds, 2 in the pouch. :dancingbanana:

Cupping the bird in one hand, you pinch the backbone just at the base of the ribs - you'll feel a little 'click'. Dead bird instantly! Very cool!
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Great action G-man! Glad you finally found some birds. Go back in a day or so and you might find that lost bird still hanging around the area.

What's this pinch the backbone thing? Need pics or more details, I haven't heard of that one.
 
It's as simple as it sounds. Hold the bird & wings steady in your one hand by it's front, feel down the back for the point where the ribs start and give a pinch on the backbone just below that. Doesn't take much, imagine trying to squeeze the pit out of a cherry. Much easier than twirling/wringing the neck.
 
popcan said:
What's this pinch the backbone thing
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I think I saw Spock do that on the old Star Trek episodes.:D

I've been out twice walked about 20km each day - put up 8 on each day - got 4 total. Knocked one down with the Winchester 24 and he started running into a dense spruce grove ... had to get on my hands and knees and crawl after him. Another one I heard drumming first and honed in on him.

I've determined that the thigh muscles(need to add more squats in the workout routine) are the most important for hunting. It's easy to walk ..... but to actual squat, dip, bob, and weave as you are moving along to look under/through cover takes all the energy.

Might get a dog someday to do the leg work ..... but not for another decade or two though.
 
Way to go Grouse Man ! Theres still time for more, so hang in there, the count will increase. Neat trick for killing them, I'll have to try that. The "whirly" method just doesn't work very well for me. I can't seem to produce the sharp "jerk" required to snap the neck and usually end up just swinging a half dead bird around. I think my count is up around 18 or 20 right now. Won't be going out again until our big deer hunt November 16th - 26th. , usually get a few during that hunt.
 
Grouse man, interesting method of dispatching cripples. There are a few methods out there that I've seen used. When I was a kid an old englishman that my father knew shared our blind on the Delta marsh now and again. He would take a crippled duck and gently compress the hart and lungs with his thumbs from the breast area. This would push all the air from the lungs and stop the heart in a few seconds with minimal trauma to the bird.

We in turn would simply give the a cripples neck a couple cranks and dispatch them that way.

Once asked the old man why he killed birds in such a manner and he replied that "a fine canvasback or greenhead mallard was too beautiful a bird to be killed in such a manner"... that is by just simply wringing their necks. He was a real fine man and true sportsman. Never saw the guy shoot at a bird out of range and he always included lost cripples towards the days bag. He shot some kind of double and always used CIL Canuck Heavy 5's... they were orange in color and I will never forget the sweet aroma of the spent shells! The guy always wore a tweed jacket and tie under his old canvas hunting coat! That was a lot of years ago... the late 60's and early 70's.

Enough of this "rant" as I'm dating myself here!
 
coups de grâce pour les oiseaux

Grouse Man said:
It's as simple as it sounds. Hold the bird & wings steady in your one hand by it's front, feel down the back for the point where the ribs start and give a pinch on the backbone just below that.
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Hey GrouseMan! A great season for birds in NWOntario too! I'm sorry to trouble you again but this backbone pinch I wanna get clear. So you hold the bird in one hand and feel where the ribs start just below the neck, is that right? What happens do you think? the neck separates from the back? Just like a cherry pit? Cool. I had one the other day with no head thanks to Mr. Remington that wouldn't stop flapping and sprayed me good until I got the wings under control.

I also started spending the time to take the liver, heart and legs ... Yes the legs! There's a few mouthfuls there to be sure. Why waste good bird eh? Love the taste of heart and liver too.

Someone was saying the other day that you could eat the gizzard if you cleaned it out real good. Anyone ever tried that? Reminds me of my mom cooking up all those organ meats before a turkey dinner. Giblets, she called them.

so long from Thunder Bay,
r
 
Hey Grouse Man, where did you go? magical whiteshell grouselands? 3 of us went up there Saturday before last, got 12 between us, but saw probably twice that.

Sounds like you need to chrome your shotgun and an a laser. It would make it more deadly.
 
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Deano said:
I just rip the head off. Hold body in left hand and grasp bird head in right hand and rip. I know, it sounds gross, but it is effective and quick.
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Deano, come on. I didn't want to say anything, but you were biting the heads off. The little puppet dance you did with them afterwards was unnecessary.
 
Sorry, I was unclear. Pinch at the BOTTOM of the rib cage, not near the neck. Midback, lower lumbar area sort of. Shuts everything down faster than removing the head.

Now that we're getting a good layer of snow, the success rate should go up a bit more.
 
Hey 9 & Deano, glad to hear you folks had good success. Hell, you guys shot more than I've seen this year.

As to 9's recommended gun 'improvements', I'm afraid I can't even think of a witty retort . . . ;) nor do I know which Smilie is most appropriate :runaway: or :rolleyes: or :p


Anyway, maybe we'll all catch a hunt together yet this year. :dancingbanana:
 
Good going Grouse Man! Glad you had success after seeing little action in your usual stompin' grounds.

I'll have to get out this weekend and see how much the new layer of snow helps. Too bad it also limits accessibility...
 
I was up for a week north of TPK's area and managed to bring home 15. Could have easily been twice that if I would have had the shotgun with me more often. :dancingbanana:
 
No Deano, we weren't anywhere near that logging road just 22 km south of the junction of #6 and 504, past the old equipment shed. Nowhere near it.
 
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