ideal shotgun round for grouse?
- Thread starter ruger22
- Start date
I agree with sharptail. The shotgun is way more important than the load. That being said, every double I have used has the front trigger firing the more open choke, I guess unless you use interchangeable chokes.
my 7.5 are patterning quite well. 8.5s or 9s are getting a little small for pushing threw bush IMO. i have taken big blues on the wing at 20yrds and folded them nicely.
M12shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- East St. Paul, mb
True, I used to shoot lots of snipe with my 410 and 8 1/2 or 9 shot, great for skeet as well. Never shot anything larger than a ruffed grouse or crow with a 410. Geese would be a real challenge
ninepointer
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Central Ontario
A well thought out response Sharptail. I've edited it down to a couple of points which illustrate why my 5.25 lb 20 ga. SxS with 24" bbls is my go-to grouse & cottonail gun, but is also a horrible skeet gun. It has all the smooth swing of a drinking straw, making tracking and leading a target difficult.
As practice for grouse, I stand a couple yards behing the trap house with my gun low and have a partner behind me randonly release a bird. Its snap-bang.
lol yes i went elk hunt last year and didnt have a change to get one.. however i found 2 grouse sittin on top of a tree that was about 10ft off the ground.. Had my 300RUM with me so wouldnt wanna shoot'em with it. got a stick that was about 6FT long and i jumped and swong the stick and one of the grouse's head poped off and dropped to dround... Other grouse that was right beside it Flew away but being a "grouse" it Flew back to the same place..... so Hit that other grouse again and had them for good pasta meal... but I usually carry a Sling Shot with me when i go hunt for big game. Will try to get grouse with slingshot if i can. if i miss.. then i just laugh it out lol
Your grouse must be way smarter/faster than the grouse I've hunted with a .22
It's interesting that different populations of the same species may behave entirely differently.
They do, indeed. Sharptail and I have been hunting the same covert for over 15 years. I remember in the beginning we used to find them on the ground mere meters away from the truck. Needless to say, none of those passed on their genes.
I haven't seen where the population has suffered from the hunting pressure that we put on them, but their typical behavior has noticeably changed. They're evasive, they're fast, and they know enough to try to keep some bush between themselves and us.
I literally can't remember the last time I saw one on the ground.
Browning_300wsm
Regular
- Location
- Eastern Ontario
I shoot a 28ga with #5's or #6's, don't miss too much with that setup, and hardly ever get a pellet in the breast!
open choke/7.5.field loads in 20 or 12 ga. worked for me in quebec/ontario/new york/vermont/idaho/b.c. but thats in my guns for the last 50+ years. your firearms might require something else. as you can see from all the posts,. you might be well served with a .22rimfire or a .300UM.
CZ o/u in 12, full and modified. Dual beads on vent rib. The full decapitates well when birds won't fly.
Parker s/s in 20, a classic but longer than the 12. Wish I had more flying shots with this one.
Win. 12 in 16. Love the gauge, gun is a little heavy.
Ithaca f/w in 12. Wish this one was in 16G.
Bottom line is they all work, every time out a difficult choice. I think a Citori in 20 or 16 would put the others in the safe for good though.
Parker s/s in 20, a classic but longer than the 12. Wish I had more flying shots with this one.
Win. 12 in 16. Love the gauge, gun is a little heavy.
Ithaca f/w in 12. Wish this one was in 16G.
Bottom line is they all work, every time out a difficult choice. I think a Citori in 20 or 16 would put the others in the safe for good though.
