chicken gun help please

[Brutus]

That's some dark meat on those birds! How do they compare (taste) to ruffed grouse?

Not quite as good as the wonderful ruffie. But still a much finer meal than the culinary challenged spruce grouse. I used to be much less picky during my earlier hunting days in South Saskatchewan. Sharptails are more frequently seen and shot for the table down there IIRC. The extra value is the mature sharpies tend to be almost a third heavier than most ruffies. Sharptails are a bit harder to put down IMO, so what could easily slam dunk a ruffie, might let a sharptail escape with injury.
Matter of fact, a spruce grouse (yuk) is the one and only grouse I did see this evening. Yeah, I did not even put up my gun fellas.

Cheers!

 

[Brutus]

The woods have been very quiet lately but on the last two trips I did see a very unusual sight. I do believe I came across the world's largest spruce grouse! I believe it to be a hen and not being so black like her make counterpart is what through me off at first. I swear it looked so funny/odd to see a spruce grouse about the size of a barnyard chicken sitting on a tree branch that could just barely hold it's weight. Next time I think I'll shoot it for the pot and before it's cleaned in the field I'll post pictures here.

What a very weird sight and I did not have time to dig out my digital camera.

Next time for sure fellas.......

Edit: Do any off you BC bird hunters have a favorite spruce grouse recipe and are willing to share it here??

Cheers!

 

[drakes only]

20 gauge is a great all around gun.

 

[.22LRGUY]

Took my first 2012 grouse 2 days ago using my 20ga. Wingmaster with a 22" barrel~no choke. 7/8oz. serving of #7.5s. The spot I was hunting seems to provide opportunities on ground birds that are reluctant to take flight. Having said that, they're not keen on being watched or sticking around once a hunter stops walking! Anyhow, I had this spare barrel cut to this length by a gunsmith, re-beaded. The shot on the one I got was maybe 15 yards and his breast maybe had about 7 pellets go straight through. Didn't leave any unusable meat though.

 

[gunrunner100]

Edit: Do any off you BC bird hunters have a favorite spruce grouse recipe and are willing to share it here??

Cheers!

I've been told that if the meat is soaked in milk long enough, it takes the odd taste out.
My preferred way of doing it is not to shoot a Spruce Grouse...

 

[Brutus]

Well, I mistakenly grabbed the two ruffies I shot on the second opening day of the season versus the sharptails I wanted for this recipe. But I'll pass this one on to you guys/gals:

Brown two breasts of your chosen birds in a frying pan with olive oil.
Once browned, remove the birds from heat source, and set it aside for now.
Into the oven in a roasting pan with 1/4 cup butter, one diced onion, oregano, salt & pepper to flavor, 1 cup of whiskey, and blotch sour cream onto each chunk of grouse.
Bake at 350 degrees F until done.

This is a nice meal with veggies of your choice and a glass of red wine along with dinner.

Enjoy!

PS: I took the legs and made ditch chicken soup with the vegetables/vegetable water.
Tomorrows lunch, yum yum yum!

 

[Sbarkowski]

Thanks, grouse hunting is one of my favorites second only to ducks. The 20ga wingmaster is a perfect grouse gun. Only problem I have with the wingmaster is that they are usually too nice to be banging around the bush with lol. I'll never own another 870 express. Not unless they come out with a better finish on the metal. That bead blasted finish rusts like crazy. I was a remington fan at one time, not so easy to be these days.

 

[.22LRGUY]

Thanks, grouse hunting is one of my favorites second only to ducks. The 20ga wingmaster is a perfect grouse gun. Only problem I have with the wingmaster is that they are usually too nice to be banging around the bush with lol. I'll never own another 870 express. Not unless they come out with a better finish on the metal. That bead blasted finish rusts like crazy. I was a remington fan at one time, not so easy to be these days.

I hear you, and mine looks like a brand new gun. (model year 1968 too!) I will say this~I was shopping for a 20ga. LW (smaller receiver, interchangeable chokes) when I stumbled upon this gun. It's a "large frame" 20, meaning it was built using a 12ga. receiver. Don't know all the history, but I think this was Remington's earliest 870 20ga. Anyhow, they're considered less desirable (=less expensive) due to the lack of interchangeable choke, slightly larger size (feels like a 12ga. Wingmaster), difficulty/expense of spare barrels, but honestly..I think it's a treat to carry in the bush.

How to identify~see the barrel where it meets the receiver;

 

[IronCanadian]

Not a flattering picture at all. But I just proved to myself that sharptailed grouse live nearby.
The irony of today was I could have really used more effectively the pump action Ithaca with it's full choke barrel on this field edge.
But the SKB O/U was utilized today and I really stretched out those Mod/IC barrels. Both are in 20 gauge.

Mmmmmmm! Sharpies taste so fine.

 

[Brutus]

The Ithaca M37 20 gauge strikes again!

One shot 6-7 yards, cheap Winchester 7 1/2 target leadshot.

 

[rbinfet]

I have a beretta O/U that would be perfect for U

rbinfet@telus.net

 

[kamlooky]

The Ithaca M37 20 gauge strikes again!

One shot 6-7 yards, cheap Winchester 7 1/2 target leadshot.

I would of dove on it that close.............
I just bought a 16 gauge old Wingmaster for the feathers.
Around here they usually fly up long for the .410.
Hate to use the A-5.
Will try out this older than me s'perianced pump.
Great photos and I think a 20 or 28 gauge is on my list.
Cheers.

 

[Brutus]

I would of dove on it that close.............
I just bought a 16 gauge old Wingmaster for the feathers.
Around here they usually fly up long for the .410.
Hate to use the A-5.
Will try out this older than me s'perianced pump.
Great photos and I think a 20 or 28 gauge is on my list.
Cheers.

A good friend and co-worker asked me to take upland bird photos, to teach his son on differing species in the Cold Lake area.
Hence the close up mortuary pics. Digital by Samsung.
Honestly kamlooky, alot of local ruffies are taken within easy .410 harvesting distances for sure.
Just this morning I was out deer hunting and a ruffie landed about 12 feet away from me on the quiet backwoods trail.
One da@n lucky bird!!
I think I got to stop by CT, and purchase myself a slingshot to slip in my pocket for the duration of deer season.

Cheers..........

 

[kamlooky]

A good friend and co-worker asked me to take upland bird photos, to teach his son on differing species in the Cold Lake area.
Hence the close up mortuary pics. Digital by Samsung.
Honestly kamlooky, alot of local ruffies are taken within easy .410 harvesting distances for sure.
Just this morning I was out deer hunting and a ruffie landed about 12 feet away from me on the quiet backwoods trail.
One da@n lucky bird!!
I think I got to stop by CT, and purchase myself a slingshot to slip in my pocket for the duration of deer season.

Cheers..........

The mindset of all on here is interesting with their views as to what works and shant.
The pup was doing her sweep and hadn't quite yet discovered the ruffie about 40 yards off.
My older than me 311H .410 and 2 1/2" shell just didn't quite make it with the second barrel
or full choke. Dang feather flew off and I was pizzed. No feathers to speak of and I had both eyes
open. I took the shell out of the other barrel and shook it. I was almost sure I was pelletless
This grouse needed the pup's nose.
Them .410's are wonderful little pee shooters, but sometimes they just don't have the legs.

 

[badgreenbird]

The woods have been very quiet lately but on the last two trips I did see a very unusual sight. I do believe I came across the world's largest spruce grouse! I believe it to be a hen and not being so black like her make counterpart is what through me off at first. I swear it looked so funny/odd to see a spruce grouse about the size of a barnyard chicken sitting on a tree branch that could just barely hold it's weight. Next time I think I'll shoot it for the pot and before it's cleaned in the field I'll post pictures here.

What a very weird sight and I did not have time to dig out my digital camera.

Next time for sure fellas.......

Edit: Do any off you BC bird hunters have a favorite spruce grouse recipe and are willing to share it here??

Cheers!

You might have seen a Blue Grouse (now known as Dusky Grouse anywhere east of the coast mountains). They look quite similar to spruce grouse, especially hens... but are pretty huge and just as dumb in areas where they aren't hunted. The younger blues and even spruce grouse aren't bad eating... it's after their first winter of eating conifer needles that they go downhill. Of course, it can be pretty hard to tell which ones are the young, especially later in the season.

As for the original question.. I'd go with a cheap single shot .410, for road grouse. I used one this fall and was surprised how effective it was - no bush deflections like I sometimes get with a .22, still capable of dropping a flushing bird, and rarely mangles the close-in birds that you do shoot.

For an all-round upland gun, however, 28 gauge is the answer!

 

[skneub]

I bought a Yildiz .410 ... seems to work good on grouse
Not sure about how long lasting it is though.
Once in a while it will click then when you pull the trigger again it Will go bang
Might need cleaned, but it was cheep and it folds up real nice
Also light


"Do any off you BC bird hunters have a favorite spruce grouse recipe and are willing to share it here??"

Well im not from BC , but have you ever tryed fish crisp on your birds ?
Keeps them from drying out and adds a little spice

 

[Brutus]

I digress fellas. Because although ruffies are shot close here, I still really like using one of my two 20 gauge shotguns. Nice to hear other peoples thoughts on this and cooking ideas!

Thank you folks.........

 

[Bland]

My quest for a a heavier gauge came about this way. I needed one more for supper and the light was fading so the trigger was cocked on 22 (Savage 22/410). Wing shooting was no longer on the agenda.The next opportunity presented itself as we were heading home. I took my shot and the fur jumped on the base of its neck ( I aim there not the head as there is less head faking going on). It dropped. I unloaded, put the Savage on my pick up seat and smugly began walking when it jumped up and started walking down the road. I rushed back, grabbed my gun, slipped a 410 shell in and started to make sure I got it this time when it took off, a perfect passing shot and like about 15 feet away. I snapped the shot and there was a burst of feathers, the bird spun sideways, looked me straight in the eye then straightened and disappeared into the bush. The cloud of feathers drifted down as my hunting mate and I looked at each other in disbelief. We refer to it as the grouse on steroids. At this point I began to wonder perhaps that a 410 will run a higher risk of of wounding when wing shooting. At this time I am still at the very beginning stages with my pup and this low year was no help. To my mind there are two basic types of grouse hunting, one with a dog and one without. My personal preference is a 20 ga. with my pup holding the perfect point while I get set for the perfect double. I will have to get to get back to you on that.

The mindset of all on here is interesting with their views as to what works and shant.
The pup was doing her sweep and hadn't quite yet discovered the ruffie about 40 yards off.
My older than me 311H .410 and 2 1/2" shell just didn't quite make it with the second barrel
or full choke. Dang feather flew off and I was pizzed. No feathers to speak of and I had both eyes
open. I took the shell out of the other barrel and shook it. I was almost sure I was pelletless
This grouse needed the pup's nose.
Them .410's are wonderful little pee shooters, but sometimes they just don't have the legs.

 

[chasseur]

I like to use my winchester 9410 traditional

 

[birdinator]

I've been hunting partridge for years almost exclusively with .410s and I do pretty darn good with it. For me, I got tired of picking lead out of my supper. If you're shooting birds in trees or on the ground it will do just fine, just remember the range is a bit less. If the bird is flying in the open and within range you can even make some wing shots with it.

Having said all that, I am going out tomorrow with a 99 year old 20 gauge model 12 I just bought (but I will take a .410 along just in case).