What kind of gun do I need for grouse?

12,20,28,410 gauges all work fine or a .22
I've always used a 12 ga with #7.5 shot and had a "blast" doing so.
And they are so yummy.
 
It depends if you are only hunting grouse or while hunting other (big)game where you may want to carry another type of firearm. Are you hunting northern grouse that sit there and look at you or southern grouse that flush?
Northern- anything including a net, stick, sling shot.

Southern- All the ones mentioned.
 
Took a grouse with my bow from my tree stand, (I usually use a 20 guage), it's amazing how much breast meat these birds have, very tasty.
 
I'd be going after the northern ones, I thought that 12 gauge would be kinda big for them. I have a 10/22 so maybe I'll slap a scope on that and try using it.
 
I use my 20 guage SXS with #6 shot. Sometimes you see them through fairly thick cover in clearcuts, I find #6 works better than 7.5 when you cant see the whole bird. Second thing is I shoot a IC then mod barrel. A full choke can just about destroy them at close range.
 
Now for the laws part, I have a deer license, is it good for birds too? And if I use the 22 do I have to figure out a way to pin the mag to 3 rounds? And is lead shot only banned for waterfoul or all hunting?
 
I've hunted, and still do hunt, hungarian partridge, sharpies, and roughies but I don't know of a stupid grouse that you can hunt with a .22. Well then maybe Spruce grouse, but they taste too much like spruce sap, which sucks. A shotgun of anything from 12 to 410 gauge, your pick, is the only choice for grouse. And, yes they do taste very good.
 
gitrdun said:
I don't know of a stupid grouse that you can hunt with a .22.
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For Huns and Sharptails a shot gun may be prefered, but Ruffed Grouse and Spruce Grouse that havn't been hunted often seem stupid in that they often just stand there and don't fly. It's one of the reasons that they are called fool hens. Many wing shooters equate ground shooting with a shot gun to shooting ducks in the water:mad:. Using a .22 a head shot grouse is a bragger and a body shot bird and may have too much damaged meat and is worse than a miss:redface:. Another reason Ruffies are called fool hens is that when they are pushed to flight they can often make the best wing shots look incompetent:redface::redface:. The only way to never miss is to quit hunting them:evil:

When I am in good ruff cover, I can put more in the bag with a .22.
 
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