What would be a good firearm for grouse hunting?

[kawicrash]

last time i was grouse hunting we were using .22s.they're so stupid you can walk right up to them.heck,you can run them over and save the ammo.the right vehicle pops their heads right off.

My wife hit one while we were bike riding, she wasn't amused, but I found it pretty funny.

 

[VanIsleCam]

Another vote for the 870 - this year I took 5 in a day. To make it harder, I started going for head shots only.

 

[Shooter_01]

870 Wingmaster works.

 

[thepolinator]

If you want a good 12 ga pump for about the sAmerican price as a remington 870 take a look at the winchester sxp. It's a muxh nicer gun in the same price range.

 

[jay smith]

id agree with a .22 for grouse. most end up with a .22 and a shotgun. im not a fan of my sks sorry to say.

 

[njlondon]

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.
I had an old 20 gauge Franchi 48-AL semi that weighed 5 pounds; a joy to carry. After that a 20 gauge Citori Browning over and under, also light.
If you're shooting grouse on the wing without a dog in my woods weight is huge.
If budget is an issue the 870 Wingmaster in 20 gauge would be great.
Of course, the same in 12 gauge is more flexible, just not as much fun to carry.

 

[LarryG]

Semi auto 22 with either open sights or a low powered scope is one option.
Otherwise a 12 gauge with #6 shot and a very tight choke and aim above the head

 

[6.5x55swm]

just a plain old cooey 84 in 20ga which I bought in 1990 for $60 and has taken a few deer with slugs

 

[legi0n]

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.

this!
in some areas they are pretty fearless.
in heavily frequented areas they become skittish and one can't get close enough before they fly away.
I've seen both. In this video the area used to be off-the-main-road
One year later, logging started (again) and no more grouse.

 

[Drillbit]

My kids use Savage Rascal 22's.

They do pretty good....

 

[colonel3006]

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.

 

[Jonny_Cannon]

I noticed that as well. Up in Wahnapitae, the little buggers are fast, and they spook pretty easily, and from a great distance. In Sultan, they behaved "normally" - come out on the path in the morning, sit in trees, waddle along; hell - I had a big grey wander into camp in the middle of the day. I had to chase it into the bush away from the cabin & truck!

It's in my freezer.

Cannon

 

[Anvil109]

You can't go wrong with a 20. The wife & I enjoy grouse hunting here in Nova Scotia. It's probably more the enjoyment of a nice hike in the fall woodland, bagging birds is a bonus. We both have 20 gauge semi's. Mine is a Weatherby & hers is a Mossberg jr stock with slings. A little lighter to carry on a long walk & quick follow up shots are a breeze & minimal damage to the breasts with well placed shots. Welcome back to hunting.

 

[medvedqc]

nothing below a .375 they can be so aggressive ...

 

[win94luver]

10/22 with 2-7x33 Leupold vxII.
Line the head and neck up with the vertical crosshair and 'partridge for the pot' 99% of the time.
No molar busting shot in the meat.
If you think shooting a grouse on the walk with a 22lr isn't sport try it some time.
For the first while you'll miss quite a few.
The head is a small target and that scrawny little neck is buried in feathers.
But a miss is usually a clean miss and the bird is healthy and ready to challenge you or another hunter in the future.

 

[verminaard]

I do a lot of walking for grouse and find a 20 gauge pump easier to carry all day. Remington 870wingmaster. Autoloaders are too heavy for me.

+1 on the 870 20ga.

Mine serves triple duty.
Standard smooth bore vented rib barrel w/ mod choke and #7 for grouse.
Swap in a turkey choke w/turkey load for turkeys.
Swap to a rifled barrel w/sabots for deer.

Lighter to carry around, less recoil.

 

[hemifoot]

every morning when hunting, we walked a few hundred meters down the road and had enough for breakfast.they just sit on the road in the sunny spots waiting to get shot in the head.

 

[torontogungal]

Our neighbour uses one of those surgical tube slingshots you can buy at crappy tire for less than $25 that he takes with him when he’s deer and moose hunting.
He says his kill ratio is 1 out of 4 grouse thereabouts.
The projectile according to him stuns them long enough to grab them and wring their necks.
His ammo that he also got at ct looks like steel ball bearings.

 

[Slimbo]

nothing below a .375 they can be so aggressive ...

Slamfire? How did you get on Phil's account?

 

[nw mb]

...they are so stupid here...i use a chiappa little badger with .22 short ammo