Tips on choke/shot selection for grouse??

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Coolhand_Luke

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Hi all. I recently had an opportunity to try wingshooting on doves and found I really enjoyed the sport! I thought I would like to try doing some wing shooting for grouse/partridge this hunting season. I have never really tried to hunt grouse with a shotgun so I am looking for some tips to help me get started (I usually have shot my grouse with a .22)

For a shotgun I have my old Mossberg 500 12g which I hope to put into some use. I checked out some info on wingshooting and gun fit seems very important. My mossberg seems to fit me pretty good since if I mount the gun with my eyes closed, when I open my eyes I am looking right down the ventrib. This seems promising! Now a couple of questions:

1. what is a good choke/barrel combo for grouse? I currently have the choice between the 28" barel with I think a mod choke or also a defense 18" barrel with no choke. I am guessing the mod choke barrel would work better for grouse? Should I look for some different chokes? Would the 18" cyl barrel work or is that too open?

2. what about shotshells? I looked over my selection of shells and I have lots of the cheapo gameclub shells 12g 1 1/8oz 7.5 I also have a box of 3" 1 7/8oz #4shot that is probably too much right? What do most folks use for grouse?

Thanks for the help.
 
IC or Modified are good to start with. Regular target loads early in the season in 7, 7.5, or 8 will work.

As the season progresses and the leaves fall, they may flush further away so Modified and 5, 6, 7 would work then.

You do not need 3'' shells. 1 1/8 oz is good in 2 3/4''

The 18'' barrel may work fine in the early season, and 28'' later on.

Save the #4 for ducks.
 
I will admit that most of the time they don't make it into the air when I'm hunting them. But when they do, I seem to tag them well enough with a full choke and #7 or #6 shot in 2 3/4" shells.
 
I'm finding that 1) birds are few and far between in my neck of the woods, and 2) even up close, open chokes are not getting it done because it is early in the season with lots of vegetation still in the green and on branches and stems, which prevents pellets from making it to the bird. I'm seriously looking at putting the full choke into to my 870.
 
okay, I will try out these 7.5 target loads since I have so many of them already. I think I will check and see if anyone sells mossberg chokes around here (Fraser Valley BC) I would like to pick up an improved cyl and full chokes just to have them on hand. I will probably bring along both barrels the first time I go out (hopefully next week!) and see what looks to work better. It only takes like 20sec to swap the barrels on a Mossberg.

Does anybody know who stocks mossberg replacement barrels in Canada? Their website wasn't very helpful.
 
I never shoot any bird near the ground with a shotgun, definite no-no with a dog. Don't always hunt over dogs, but a bad habit nonetheless. IC with 1-1/4 oz. #6 for early season, modified with 1-1/4 #6 for late season. I use the same for pheasant, sometimes #5 when they're really out there.

Cabelas has mossberg barrels, not sure what variants.
 
You might be able to get a used barrel here on the equipment exchange. I know Ellwood Epps often has used barrels. They are a sponsor. Check the logos at the top of the page.

Good Luck, and ENJOY.
 
Ive never ever felt the need for a full choke while hunting grouse. IC is my go to while mod gets a bit of action. My wife has a nice skeet barrel for her 870 and it get a lot of action as its 26" and swings nicer in the bush.
 
"...good choke/barrel combo..." The 18" will be best. Grouse tend to live in deer bush and rocket away from right under your feet. A short barrel with an open choke works best.
 
Okay thanks for the tips! I usually see grouse while deer hunting but pass them over not wanting to spook the deer. Then I usually end up coming home with nothing. I think this year I'm going to change my strategy to go grouse hunting, and maybe stumble onto some deer. At least I should (hopefully) get some shots at grouse!
 
I use a SxS on ruffies mostly. Mine are choked Cylinder and Light Mod., and the other one is I.C. and Mod.. For loads, I shoot either trap loads with 7 1/2 shot or light field loads with #6 shot.

But if shooting in open areas in farm areas, I'll carry my Beretta 302 with 1 1/4 oz loads of #6 shot later in the season.
 
My current upland SxS is choked .007" & .015" about a tight Skeet and Light Mod. ... 7-1/2 Light Trap loads will work just fine. I often use
either 24 gram (7/8 oz) 8-1/2's or 28 gram (1 oz) of 8's. ...smalerl shot for early season ... 7-1/2's later, when the leaves are down.
 
'Grouse' are very different birds depending where you hunt them. If you are in BC I must assume you are talking about ruffed, spruce, and blue grouse in dense cover. A VERY different game than sharptails on the open prairie of AB. SK & MB. For forest grouse, most hunters who do not shoot grouse on the ground are handicapped with any choke tighter than improved cylinder. If you like the sub gauge guns like 28's or .410's modified choke might serve well. But for 12-16-20 ga gun used for Western forest grouse, IC is as tight as I would go. Eastern ruffed grouse may be an entirely different proposition, hunters there may opt for tighter chokes for spooky educated birds. Hunting style also affects gear, no dog vs flushing dogs vs pointers for instance.
 
Before the snow flies, I carry an H&R Pardner 28" barrel, Modified Choke, 12ga. After the snow flies, Marlin 55 25.75" barrel, Cylinder Choke, 12ga. I shoot 1Oz reloads #6 shot @ 1180FPS, the Pardner throws an 18" at 25 yrds, the Marlin throws a 22" pattern at same distance. The reason switch up to the Marlin after the snow flies, is that is when I start focusing on Varying Hare for Christmas, the more open choke is easier on them close up.
 
Longwalker said:
'Grouse' are very different birds depending where you hunt them. If you are in BC I must assume you are talking about ruffed, spruce, and blue grouse in dense cover. A VERY different game than sharptails on the open prairie of AB. SK & MB. For forest grouse, most hunters who do not shoot grouse on the ground are handicapped with any choke tighter than improved cylinder. If you like the sub gauge guns like 28's or .410's modified choke might serve well. But for 12-16-20 ga gun used for Western forest grouse, IC is as tight as I would go. Eastern ruffed grouse may be an entirely different proposition, hunters there may opt for tighter chokes for spooky educated birds. Hunting style also affects gear, no dog vs flushing dogs vs pointers for instance.
Click to expand...

No. Most of Ontario is uninhabited and the birds are dumb as rocks. Its only southern ON where they are spooky.
 
A Ruffed only needs a few pellets to put it on the ground, either dead or fluttering. A sharptail is very different. I've knocked them out of the air with #6s, watched them them bounce a few feet in the air, and then see them run off like a rabbit. Ruffies I'll use #7.5 or #8 with light loads and very open chokes. Sharptail, #6 or #7.5 and IC/Mod depending on their flushing distances.
 
My old semi ithaca 12 ga has a very tight full choke,and works great for me with #6s.I don't hunt with a dog so I try to get them while they are on the ground.Out to about 25 yds I can usually pick there heads off.I got 4 last week and between them there were only 3 pellets in the breast.
 
I hunted and shot many Ruffed Grouse and PrairieChicken, plus a few Huns, with an old Tobin double that had belonged to my Dad. It was full choke, both barrels. Bush partridge are dumb enough that you can intentionally aim high, and any chicken I managed to shoot in the air, I aimed right at them. They were usually far enough away to lessen the chance of destroyed meat. Those target 71/2's will do just fine. My old Dad only ever used Imperial Special Long Range - for everything, usually 7 1/2. He seldom missed.
 
I am a fan of Improved Cylinder and Modified chokes in double guns. They may be closer to Skeet and Improved modified on some guns of European extraction. Some of my favourites are hammer guns which are no slower for the first shot but a little slower for the second shot. I never #### both barrels at once for safety reasons, but that may just be an old guy's over caution.

Not all grouse are created equal, as has been said before on this thread.

Late season Sharptails that flush further out and big Blue Grouse in the mountains, where they can pitch off a mountainside and go for miles, need more choke and more "slamdown" than close flushing birds. I would recommend #6 shot for longer shots on bigger birds and premium plated shot loads that penetrate better. I load nickel plated shot for premium loads since I have a resistance to high prices of premium factory loads.

All other grouse and Hun shooting does well with 7 1/2 shot and more open chokes. One ounce of shot, or 1 1/16 oz. at most at light trap load velocities, out of a 20 or 12 ga. lightweight upland gun has brought a lot of grouse to bag for me.
 
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