For Ruffed I use my Ruger 10/22 until I figure I have missed enough, then it's the Remington .410 pump. The pump let's me make use of the skills honed banging all those rounds at the trap club. If I'm into Sharp tails, it's the Winchester 12G pump with trap loads, gives me a little more distance. As mentioned in a previous note, those grouse can startle ya pretty good so in my case, they are generally well on their way before I catch my breath and get a bead on em. Sharp Tails scare ya almost as much as the Blue's.
Speaking of trap loads and the 12G .... I put a couple of rounds in a Black Bear's arse today. He decided to visit my neighbours apple tree. I didn't realize unitl then but I guess she's out of town and so hasn't cleaned the tree and picked up the ones on the ground ... obviously why he was hanging around. Normally I wouldn't care but I have new neighbours on the one side of me with four kids, they are quite young and always riding their bikes around there. So I figured I better scare him off good. Yes, I cleaned up the apples so hopefully he will move on.
It was kinda humorous, I grabbed the neighbour (the dad of the four kids) and asked him to back me up with the 30.06 should Mr. Black take exception to my 12G motivational lesson. He was surprised with the size of the Bear and the fact that this was all going on in the front yard accross the street from his house at 2:30 in the afternoon. Any way, as mentioned, a couple rounds of trap loads sent him off in a hurry. Now the humorous part, after we were done I noticed the dad, his wife, and the kids out with the ladder, cleaning up all of the apples on their tree !! A smart move. I had mentioned to him last week that he should clean up his apples because I had seen a Bear near their place .... I guess he didn't believe then ....
