What would be a good firearm for grouse hunting?

[Butcherbill]

Go walking for them and your opinion of them will change. It's amazing how fast they can fly through thick brush once they've been flushed.
Totally different hunting grouse in the bush on foot then seeing them on the road and then jumping out of the vehicle and popping them.

Very true and some days even the road grouse flush quick fast, I've been getting my limits lately when I'm out for grouse but the other day I got royally skunked. 0-5 and I didn't even get off a shot, they all flushed quick fast, you win some you loose some lol.

 

[Butcherbill]

Oh and I'm in the 12g camp myself, pattern it and know your distances and you can't beat it.

 

[verminaard]

It varies depending on where you hunt.
I hunt southern Ontario. Good luck with a .22.
It's all wing shooting here. Up north you can ding them on a road or tree (with safe backstop) but
our grouse are wary, and will flush.


That is for sure. They are totally different in northern Ontario vs southern Ontario. The 1st time I went moose hunting (Geraldton area) I couldn't believe how dumb the birds were. Going into 1st moose stand I popped up over hill on the trail and their were 3 grouse standing about 15 yds away. Shot the 1st and other 2 just stood there. Shot 2nd and last one flew toward me and into the tree right beside me and just looked down at me. Down here you're doing good to even see 1 before hearing it flush.

Yeah, up north when you are creeping in to your stand in the pitch black they walk along beside you to get away.
Same scenario down south, they flush to wing and scare the bejeezus out of you.

 

[NHunter]

Well done. Hats off to you for meticulous cleaning and handling as well! Outstanding!

Oh and I'm in the 12g camp myself, pattern it and know your distances and you can't beat it.

 

[Butcherbill]

Well done. Hats off to you for meticulous cleaning and handling as well! Outstanding!

Cheers, I do love bringing home grouse and this year has been even better than last year. I've got a few good honey holes that have paid off nicely this year again. They are so tasty, I recently found a bag of legs from last year and made grouse fajitas. Mmmmmm mmmm good!

 

[Sumonda]

.410... got this guy this morning.

 

[Deuce-deuce]

I've killed grouse with .22, .410, 16 gauge, 20 gauge, 12 gauge, a sling shot, a (thrown) stick and a (thrown) draw knife... my favourite gun for the task is a old SXS iver Johnson in 20 gauge. I'm not sure why... the gun was given to a life long friend of mine by his step dad Pepsi Pete. Years of badgering him to buy the gun and he came up hard for cash one day. Strange what happens when you have kids, eh. I didn't have the heart to buy it and gave him more than the gun is/was worth. I told him he can buy it back when his boy is old enough to enjoy it... the boy is pretty light in the loafers and might never be into it. What was I talking about? Lots of good guns out there for the task. Find one that tickles your fancy, another will be along shortly.

 

[Camp Cook]

I've shot hundreds over the years with 22LR never not even once shot one with a shotgun.

My go to grouse gun is now chambered a 17HMR I shoot them in the head/neck from 10 yards out to 75 yards only once have I nicked the top of a breast.

Not all grouse are fool hens spruce grouse are super wary they are ready to fly in seconds and you can still be 75 yards away the 17HMR stops them before they disappear.

 

[Butcherbill]

Not all grouse are fool hens spruce grouse are super wary they are ready to fly in seconds and you can still be 75 yards away the 17HMR stops them before they disappear.

I find it interesting watching their behaviours, especially since we keep chickens. A lot of the same mannerisms sometimes, we have chickens that could care less about you being in the run and others that take off running when you open the gate.


Earlier in the month I was out rolling around on some service roads and I almost ran into a group of five grouse, 3 spruce and 2 ruffed. Hopped out of the truck, loaded the 12g with one in the chamber and two in the tube. Shot the biggest of the spruce, then the next two spruce. All the while the ruffies were just frozen, I had time to grab more shells from the truck and reload and take a fourth as number five finally realized it was time to fly away lol. All were about 10-15 feet from me as I came around the bend in the road, sometimes they are clueless and others are so wary.

 

[win94luver]

The smartest grouse are usually around to parent the next generation in the spring but the smartness bar for grouse is set pretty low.

 

[Camp Cook]

This is one of the smart ones flew into the trees when I was appr 100 yards away snuck up to where it flew in glassed the trees for 5 - 6 minutes before it got nervous again and started to move.

I had to shoot thru a thick wall of cedar branches fortunately I was using my brush busting 14" barreled T/C Contender carbine in 375JDJ loaded with 220gr Hornady JFP's.

This was my 12 month old dogs first grouse retrieve have to say I didn't expect her to go get it.

 

[Tazzy]

^^ This is the best advise given so far in this thread!! ^^ ........... I grew up shooting grouse in N. Ont with a 22 and thought it was great till I moved to NB where the birds usually flush even before you see them. I flushed 7 birds two weeks ago and only saw two. Without a shotgun with open chokes I wouldn't have got either. A 22 would be totally useless here.




^^ Fixed it for you ^^

I got one the other day with my .22 and one yesterday with my 25-06. When I bit into the cooked breast of the one I shot with the .22 I bit into a pellet. There were two #6 shot pellets already in the meat.