Grouse Hunting Ethics

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coleman1495

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I was wondering what the general consesus was on the ethics surrounding hunting grouse. Specifically whether people generally shoot them on the ground or in the air.

Another thread showed that some people felt that shooting them on the ground wasn't very sporting. Personally I must be doing something wrong because I always shoot them when they are landed. Only once that I can remember have I seen one hit out of the air.
 
If you are from Toronto and hunting with a 3000 dollar shotgun, you should definitely shoot them in the air. The rest of us can shoot them on the ground.
 
I enjoy shooting them on the wing. It is not an easy thing to do. If I am a grouse short for dinner, well I make sure.
 
Maybe the duck guys think its only sporting if its in the air? I shoot the first one on the ground and then all the others while they fly into each other and into trees. Walk down the path until the next gang is eating berries and repeat.
 
I usually use 22 and I couldn't in good conscious shoot one in the air. With a scatter gun either seems fine in my books. I consider taking shots that exceed ones ability and/or equipment unethical. Everything else is tasty meat for me.
 
The woods I hunt, up near Algonquin Park, you'd never hit them when flying because the trees are too dense. I usually shoot them on the ground, and usually in pairs. Haven't lost a wink over it to date.
 
I shoot them on the ground or in the roost only
I never have shot then on the wing just seams too much like a uppity English thing to me and I'm not a Englishman haha

The funnies is hunting them with a dog and hawk !
I just did it once but it was really fun watching the dog and bird work together as a team
 
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Most important is to kill it cleanly and be legal.

Other than that, hunt how YOU want to hunt. In early September I like to walk the trails and overgrown roads and wingshoot them with a 20 gauge. But if I'm driving on my way to hunt deer or moose or whatever and I see one on the road, I'll shoot with with a .410, 20 g or .22. Sometimes I want to "go grouse hunting" in the classic sense, and sometimes I just want to get some grouse to eat.

Shooting ANYTHING on the move may be more "sporting" to a person, as it's more challenging, but don't kid yourself that it's more ethical. It increases the chance that you may cripple or wound and not retrieve the animal, so doesn't increase it's ethics at all. Sure, you can practice at the clay range so you are good, and you should- but your chances of a clean kill is still better when the animal is stationary. Please note I am not saying that wingshooting is unethical, just saying that it's no more ethical than any other method.

Its funny....Here in BC and I'm sure other areas, we have "shotgun with shot only" zones for deer hunting. They are mostly closer to town or areas where you may encounter other people so it's a safety thing rather than using rifles. So you hunt deer with buckshot. I've never once heard someone say it's more sporting or ethical to only shoot deer that are running.....

Hunt legally and safely, and don't worry about what others think.
 
I will say it is certainly very satisfying to bust them down on the wing. It is also very much different then shooting ruffies with a rimfire rifle.
Can vividly remember here, during the good old days of lead birdshot, it took me about 4-5 fall/winters of duck hunting to become a passable wingshooter on green heads and teals.
Paintbrush for the sky!! Lol

It's not for everybody. And I know I'm not the same young duck hunter that haunted the sloughs of South Saskatchewan either.
(grouse wing shooting is a bit easier IMO)
 
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Your mileage may vary but personally I shoot grouse for food and the only ethics that come to mind are getting a clean kill. I don't think a bird that is dumb enough that you could probably hunt with your bare hands constitutes good sport anyway. As long as you are keeping within the law and kill them cleanly just get it done however works and look forward to a good meal.
 
MackForce said:
Maybe the duck guys think its only sporting if its in the air? I shoot the first one on the ground and then all the others while they fly into each other and into trees. Walk down the path until the next gang is eating berries and repeat.
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I'm a duck hunter and grew up walking trails shooting "partridge" from the ground or in a tree with my Grandfather and Father. I wouldn't get many ducks though if I waited for them to land on the ground or on a tree branch.
 
I never was comfortable shooting grouse with a .22. Growing up I always was told to take a .22 and start with the lowest grouse in the tree and work your way up, as a bird falling past the others will cause them to fly. Slinging .22 into the air never seemed to be a good idea to me so I always have used a shotgun. .410, 20 or 12 depending on how thick the brush is.
 
the spank said:
I'm a duck hunter and grew up walking trails shooting "partridge" from the ground or in a tree with my Grandfather and Father. I wouldn't get many ducks though if I waited for them to land on the ground or on a tree branch.
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Haha just ribbing the duck hunters spank. I don't mind spending some time in a blind myself.
I take both, a 22 and a 12 or 20. If they are out of range of the shot, they get beaned with the 22. It all tastes the same.
Can't wait for the hunting pic threads to start rolling in.
 
MackForce said:
Haha just ribbing the duck hunters spank. I don't mind spending some time in a blind myself.
I take both, a 22 and a 12 or 20. If they are out of range of the shot, they get beaned with the 22. It all tastes the same.
Can't wait for the hunting pic threads to start rolling in.
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I'm heading out with the tide from Prince Rupert to Haida Gwaii on a 70 foot commercial fish boat in the morning on a fishing and deer hunting trip
I will get a new hunting Pic thread going with a bit of fishing west coast style

 
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mr.e moose said:
I never was comfortable shooting grouse with a .22. Growing up I always was told to take a .22 and start with the lowest grouse in the tree and work your way up, as a bird falling past the others will cause them to fly. Slinging .22 into the air never seemed to be a good idea to me so I always have used a shotgun. .410, 20 or 12 depending on how thick the brush is.
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I've head shot grouse in a tree with a centerfire rifle. What I did was to maneuver around so that the bullet hit the trunk of the tree after the head shot. I don't do this normally, but a few times I got hungry :)

I've head shot lots of grouse on the ground with a rifle, though. Enough that I ended up loading subsonic or very mild loads that I would pop in the rifle for grouse.
 
Bland said:
I enjoy shooting them on the wing. It is not an easy thing to do. If I am a grouse short for dinner, well I make sure.
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^^^ This. If you just want meat for the pot, then shoot them on the ground, but there's no challenge to it. I quit ground shooting because it was too easy and the hunt became more important than having a bird for dinner.

If you waited around for sitters in southern Ontario you wouldn't get much shooting.
 
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