Hunting grouse 22lr or 410?

quinnjoblow

quinnjoblow

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
172   0   0
Location
East of Toronto
What do you prefer for Ontario grouse hunting, 22lr or 410? I have never used a 410 on grouse. With the cost of 410 shells these days is it cost effective to use? 22lr is a clean dispatch with a well aimed shot and no biting the odd #7 shot. And ammo is cheap.
Others in the group are insisting on taking their 410s. Should I stay with the 22? Or go with the flow?
 
Well I never used a 410 but plenty of 22lr and 12 gauge and both are effective! With the shotgun I aim above the head and usually I end up with no shots in the meat!
410 ammo is hard to come by in certain areas and expensive too, 20 gauge would be more practical ammo wise !
 
I'm in BC not Ontario, but most of the grouse I see come in groups of 2-4 and they take off at the first shot (or sooner), so a shotgun that's capable of taking them on the wing is best if you're trying to hit a limit. I'm not good enough to do that with a 410, most of my grouse are killed with target loads in a 12ga.

That said, I absolutely love using the 22lr. Making a good shot on a grouse at 75-80yds with the 22lr is much more satisfying to me than doing the same thing at 30yds with a shotgun.



I'd say rock the 22lr if they're taking 410s. That'll give you the best of both worlds.
 
If I could only have one gun for grouse it would be a 20 gauge. The cost of .410 shells is stupid, 20 gauge is much cheaper and more readily available. Also, a 20 gauge is also a good wingshooting gun... good luck wingshooting with a .410, it can be done, but with the cost of the shells, you could buy a side of beef for every bird you bring home. Sniping with a .22 is also fun, and when head shooting you don't have to worry about pellets in the meat. But I would go with the 20 gauge over the .22 if you could only choose one.
 
410, full choke, #4, 5 or 6 shot.

Works every time, been using this for decades.

I have used a 22 before and it works almost as well but a lot harder to hit the runners.
 
our group uses 410s. hard to miss when you are 30 feet away and just ground popping them for that nights dinner... a box of shells lasts 25 birds.


ive used 22, but seem to miss more, and have heard ricochets after the shot bounces off rocks.

i think the ideal Northern On grouse gun is a cheap 410 sxs or OU as they are usually not alone, so its nice to have a second shot


south of North Bay, my 20ga or 12ga would come out
 
22lr ,.410 is a waste of money. Shoot ‘em in the head. If you like eating spruce grouse you can start at the bottom of the tree and get em all. I prefer ruffies, not sure what part of Ontario your hunting but I don’t target spruce or sharp tails.

Last year was an excellent season birds everywhere, this year who knows
 
Chasing grouse through aspens... I don't think I'd eat too many should I be using a 22lr...

RGS_Special-Relationship-Between-Grouse-and-Aspen-feature.jpg
 
Mostly use a 410 but only take a couple a year, usually on a utv ride with the family. If I was hunting any real numbers I’d think a 20guage would pay for itself. On occasion I’ve taken a single shot cooey with .22 shorts or 22 quiets while big game hunting. It’s definitely better than throwing rocks.

Pic was today behind the house.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_8081.jpeg
    IMG_8081.jpeg
    287 KB · Views: 29
TrollGRG said:
Have you tried throwing rocks? With a good slingshot (even a shepherds slingshot) and a bit of practice you can get pretty good.
And it is surprisingly satisfying
Click to expand...
I was with my field assistants around Beardmore, Ont. All were locals.

We were walking in the bush when we saw a ruffed grouse 30' away sitting on a downed tree log. i had a folding wrist support slingshot in my pocket and .25" ballbearings. I aimed at the center of the body, yipped the shot and accidently hit it square in the head and it was DRT.

My helper said "Holy F! were you aiming for its head?"

My reply was "Of course I didn't want to damage the meat."..................

The word went around the bar at the crestwind hotel that night that I was the best slingshot guy in the world........
 
geologist said:
I was with my field assistants around Beardmore, Ont. All were locals.

We were walking in the bush when we saw a ruffed grouse 30' away sitting on a downed tree log. i had a folding wrist support slingshot in my pocket and .25" ballbearings. I aimed at the center of the body, yipped the shot and accidently hit it square in the head and it was DRT.

My helper said "Holy F! were you aiming for its head?"

My reply was "Of course I didn't want to damage the meat."..................

The word went around the bar at the crestwind hotel that night that I was the best slingshot guy in the world........
Click to expand...

On my very first hunting trip here in bc, a buddy of mine who was a manitoba transplant and I bumbled around the forest with an sks, a remington 870 and my dad's lee enfield. We were sitting alongside a slash road making some coffee and lunch and a grouse landed 30 feet away at the base of a big tree. Sittiing on the ground working the sigle burner stove, the only thing I had close to me was the sks so I leaned over and grabbed it. I made sure Ed was behind me somewhere and I aimed at it's head. The bullet struck and bark went flying but the bird remained..... I was stunned LOL he ducked the bullet and just sat there crouched..... a few seconds later he pops his head up again and I just aimed a smidge lower and fired again. Took his head clean off at the neck LOL
Not the ideal tool for the job but sure worked that day

I use a scoped 22LR for grouse. I like head shots ;)
 
Depends on which part of Ontario and if you’re more into getting meat or being more sporting.

Northern grouse let you get close and are seemingly stupid so a 22 is alright if you’re into taking them in the ground. But a stick, rock, slingshot or pellet gun is fine many times for northern grouse.

Southern Ontario they usually flush 20-30 yards out so a shotgun is practically a necessity as pot shots suitable for a 22 are rare. I wouldn’t bother with anything smaller than a 20 gauge for grouse around these parts. I prefer 5 or 6 shot as pass through are more likely.
 
I've been a 410 guy but the past 7 or 8 years, birds are pretty scarce around where I hunt, so the ones I do see, get a pass in the hopes they can recoop. The ones that are around, unfortunately get "taken" by a asshat local, who drives around on his atv and shoots them right on the road, sometimes 100' from my laneway, sometimes right in front if it. He uses a 410, fyi.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom