Late season grouse
- Thread starter dak0ta
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troy fairweather
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Should be fine, you can get pretty close to them.
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dak0ta
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I would use my Beretta Silver Pigeon with Cyl/IC but it's also buck season so I wanted to be able to swap to a 00 buckshot or slug if I bumped a deer and get an accurate shot off. Not really sure how good using an O/U for slugs/00buckshot would be.
A fixed Mod choke on my M37 would be an all rounder for 00 buck, decent for foster slugs, and all-rounder for birds.
A fixed Mod choke on my M37 would be an all rounder for 00 buck, decent for foster slugs, and all-rounder for birds.
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Personally I would still prefer IC, but Mod will absolutely work. I would not, however, use #8 shot with a modified choke. You'll end up picking a ton of feathers and pellets from tasty grouse meat due to the higher density of patterns. I would use a lighter load of #6. I find 6 drops birds with more authority than 7 1/2 or 8. When I still did a lot of grouse hunting, I used a HV load of 1 oz of 7s (special order from BPI). This load was really outstanding, but now as I hunt the critters less frequently, I just use a 1 1/8 oz trap load substituting #6 shot. If I were shooting mod, I'd use 1 oz of 6.
Counterintuitively, I find my shots to be even tighter in late season, as my birds tend to hole up in or near heavy conifer cover, particularly spruce and balsam, and sit very tight.
Counterintuitively, I find my shots to be even tighter in late season, as my birds tend to hole up in or near heavy conifer cover, particularly spruce and balsam, and sit very tight.
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dak0ta
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Thanks for the advice, will pick up some appropriate ammo. What's the best way to spot/flush grouse without a dog when hunting up in the alpine levels?
Random 8
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Can't speak for alpine terrain, I hunt in flat land MN. I guess I assumed you were referring to ruffed grouse. Perhaps someone can chime in on mountain grouse. Ours tend to roost in conifer stands adjacent to mature aspen around sunset. They sit very tight, and the best technique I've found is to walk 20 yards, stop for a while when you are in a clear field of fire (they'll flush when you are stopped usually). While you are walking, look for tracks in the snow to see if you are on the right track. Food is key, aspen is their bread and butter, but scattered patches of shrubs retaining some berries into winter will be a hot spot late season. Look for roosting cover adjacent to areas showing tracks. Hunting late, you'll cover a lot of terrain, and a lot of trial and error is in order. Build on what works.
troy fairweather
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I wish we had them. I think the state still releases some but the coyote get the in a few days. I never seen one even along the road. My dad is 63 he never seen one either. Looks like a fun hunt.
Random 8
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You really should make a journey to hunt grouse some time. They will put your instinctive wingshooting (and your nerves and patience) to the ultimate test. Picture a rocket propelled fluffball that springs into the air with a loud whirr at the least expected moment, often from nearly under your feet, and endeavors to place every obstacle possible (usually a hard maple or black ash that rebounds your pellets) between it and your gun. My best miss ever squarely connected with a rotted birch about 10" in diameter, nearly bringing the top down on my head. Grouse 1...me zero.
troy fairweather
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I believe the 9000 acer peace of state land by my dad releases them, I'd have to look when and where.
I too was thinking of ruffed grouse in "flat" land. For me, best luck was Apple orchard next to conifers. Logging roads also had their share.
No dove hunt can match a good day of partridge hunting. It's the main thing I miss about up North.
buck460XVR
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Mid-western Ruffed Grouse hunter here myself. Later in the season around here, when the leaves are gone and grouse have been pressured, they generally don't hold as well as they did early in the season when there was more leaf cover. They also tend to have more feathers. Thus I usually go down in shot shot size(up in diameter, generally from 7 1/2s to 6s). Using SxSs, with double triggers, I already have a choice of chokes
huntsman
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After the leaves came down I would go from 8 to 7-1/2, my doubles were imp/mod and I hunted over pointers. If you’re walking up birds mod choke is fine.
Patocazador
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In my limited experience mountain grouse (ruffed, blues, and spruce) are much less wary than grouse hunting in Wisconsin or Minnesota. Once I killed 3 blues with my .38 snubbie when they followed the leader by jumping up on a downed tree one at a time about 20 feet from me. Ruffed grouse sometimes just sit tight and don't flush even though you are very close to them. Finding them is the problem, not shooting them.
Patocazador
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That's less than 5000' so what I said in post #14 may not apply at that lower altitude. My experience is above 9000' in the mountains while hunting elk, moose and bighorns.
buck460XVR
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Is it legal there to do that? In my state, you cannot have both birdshot and slugs on your person if you are actively hunting deer with a shotgun for your primary weapon. You can hunt grouse during the gun deer season, but you better not have any slugs on you.Well the area I'm hunting goes up to 1400m elevation. As I patrol for deer, I'll be on the lookout for some grouse. Just got to remember to swap out the 00 buckshot for some birdshot
tactikel
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I shoot a Rem model 17 (same gun) it is great for Grouse. Are you shooting over dogs? Late in the year birds tend to flush wild. IMHO I'd shoot 6 shot over a good dog, copper plated high base 6s without a dog. Early in the season it is 7 1/2 shot.
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