blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
IC in everything except 410. Full in 410
Grouse choke preference
- Thread starter cdncowboy
- Start date
Depends on your provincial hunting regulations. Most provinces specify shotgun only for grouse and upland game birds. BC allows rifle including .22, for grouse only but not pheasant, chukars, etc. Turkeys are allowed with a rimfire under some circumstances in BC but not quail or Hungarian partridge. These are hunting regulations which are provincial jurisdiction and vary from province to province. Don't try shooting birds with a .22 in the Maritime provinces and don't advise people that they can just because it's allowed in your own province or territory, you won't be paying the fine for them.
Most of my black powder cartridge guns guns are fixed chokes, cyl/choke ( about Mod) , but my favorite had the barrels cut many years before i got it and they are cyl/cyl.
My newer 20 gauge however gets choked imp/mod just because.
The dog holds the birds pretty tight and our shots are typically close.
Cat
My newer 20 gauge however gets choked imp/mod just because.
The dog holds the birds pretty tight and our shots are typically close.
Cat
I been all over on this one, initially going with what I had then onto what I was “supposed” to be using. Eventually I ended up going with mod and full in an O/U for practically everything including ruffies.
I’ll give our eastern brethren the benefit of the doubt; but around here a ruffie isn’t much of a game-bird at all, just something to eat. You pretty much have to chase them to get them to fly; and even then they are about as likely to land in a tree and look at you. Compared to that a 22 is sporting, and catching one by hand isn’t exactly out of the question.
I’ll give our eastern brethren the benefit of the doubt; but around here a ruffie isn’t much of a game-bird at all, just something to eat. You pretty much have to chase them to get them to fly; and even then they are about as likely to land in a tree and look at you. Compared to that a 22 is sporting, and catching one by hand isn’t exactly out of the question.
Chuckbuster
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I normally use an O/U and have the top barrel choked I/C and the lower barrel M. The rationale being that if I'm walking or on an ATV and spot a bird, it will be fairly close, and, if I have to dismount and load I can just crack the barrels and quickly drop a shell into the top I/C chamber.
Here in NB they take off when they even get a hint of you coming their way. I hear way more of them flying just out of sight than exploding behind me or just flying up into a tree.
Unless you run into spruce grouse, then they just hope you don't see them and call it a day.
I usually go with IC and Mod if i have two barrels, flip a coin if only 1 barrel, but usually IC.
- Location
- Blaster land, Okanagan BC
Ain’t that the truth, I hardly ever get the opportunity to wing shoot. It’s 95% or more ground swatting or perched in a tree after it flushes.
Last time I hunted - and actually shot a grouse - I used my Remington 870 LW 20 gauge (mahogany stock) plain barrel ... I/C .... the shotgun was fast ... the bird not so much.... I wouldnt have wanted a full choke based on the number of pellets I removed.
Here in Northern Ontario, the early season, young Ruffed grouse may act like Spruce grouse, but for most of the season they flush quickly and often wildly... the more pressure they get from predators and hunters, the spookier they are. Whenever possible I run my Springer into the birds for wingshooting... I don't judge anyone for ground-swatting... growing up that was all we did as it was just about filling your limit and the pot. These days running a Springer and carrying nice double guns, I get far more enjoyment from wingshooting... if I miss c'est la vie... just means I get to hunt longer... and I have a miffed dog on my hands until we flush another bird.
Brutus
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
410 choke full just about anything else IC. I found one exception though in 28 gauge. The Winchester one ounce load seems to perform best modified choke.
But I am not really sure if I need one full ounce in this gauge for easily harvested snowshoehare.
But I am not really sure if I need one full ounce in this gauge for easily harvested snowshoehare.
Depends. Northern ontario anything works. Even sling shots. If you miss just walk closer and try again. My last northern grouse was shot with a 300wm. Down in the southern tip of ontario if youre fortunate enough to flush one a full choke is prime choice as theyll be at least 40 yards out by the time you see them if you do. Down here theyre rockets and spook easily. Not many left though. I generally carry a sxs choked cyl and full and take 1 or 2 grouse every other year or so while bunny hunting. 20 to 25 years ago id get 5 or 10 each season as my beagles would flush them out of the cedar swamps. Now those cedar swamps are only a memory. Its all flat farm land now. Nothing but deer turkeys and coyotes left. Although the jacks are coming back
I hear a heck of a lot of drumming during SoOnt turkey hunting season, and flush a dozen or so during the 4-5 days in the field for gobblers... so there are still plenty of grouse around... you just have to find their haunts... but it won't ever be like remote Northern hunts. We limit out every day before noon up North... that is 10/day/hunter (spruce, ruffed, sharptail).
