Grouse help
- Thread starter MDS
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Brian Pfleuger
Moderator Emeritus
Short, maneuverable gun, the most open choke you can get and shoot fast.
FrankenMauser
New member
I don't know what kind of super grouse people encounter in Ohio, but the species out west are easy to bag. (I hunt Dusky, Ruffed, Blue, and two species of Sage/Prairie.)
I use anything from #4 to #9 shot, in .44 Mag, .444 Marlin (consider it a .410), and 12 ga.
Most first shots are 5 to 15 feet, at most. The rare occasion of a second shot is usually 20 to 45 seconds later (after a short relocation), and 20 to 40 feet, at most. So, choke doesn't matter much, and there is almost always time to reload even the slowest single-shot. I generally don't even bother trying to shoot, unless I have a head shot opportunity (at 10 feet, a 12 ga to the chest doesn't leave much bird to pick up).
An "ideal" load, for me, would be 7/8 to 1 oz of #6 shot (at standard velocity) in a shotgun that's easy to carry and quick on target.
I use anything from #4 to #9 shot, in .44 Mag, .444 Marlin (consider it a .410), and 12 ga.
Most first shots are 5 to 15 feet, at most. The rare occasion of a second shot is usually 20 to 45 seconds later (after a short relocation), and 20 to 40 feet, at most. So, choke doesn't matter much, and there is almost always time to reload even the slowest single-shot. I generally don't even bother trying to shoot, unless I have a head shot opportunity (at 10 feet, a 12 ga to the chest doesn't leave much bird to pick up).
An "ideal" load, for me, would be 7/8 to 1 oz of #6 shot (at standard velocity) in a shotgun that's easy to carry and quick on target.
As FrankenMauser pointed out, the western upland fields are a bit less "brushy" than you may encounter in Ohio. Out here in the west, we usually shoot those Ruffy's with a .22 pistol or rifle. I have been know to fill a pot during an elk hunt with a blue grouse killed with my .30-06! We consider the Blues and the Ruffs to be "mountain grouse" and they are fair game with any weapon - from stick to slingshot to rimfire to magnum pistol and hunting rifle!
But in Wyoming, sage grouse are only permitted to be shot with shotguns. My daughter uses a Mossberg 410 loaded with 3" #4's, my wife uses a Remington 870 youth 20 gage loaded with 3" #4's and I use a Remington 870 Wingmaster 12ga. loaded with 2 3/4" #4's. Sagfe grouse are BIG birds, and #4 shot kills them dead.
So, use what is legal in Ohio, Ruffy's should die very easy with #6 in a 20 ga.
But in Wyoming, sage grouse are only permitted to be shot with shotguns. My daughter uses a Mossberg 410 loaded with 3" #4's, my wife uses a Remington 870 youth 20 gage loaded with 3" #4's and I use a Remington 870 Wingmaster 12ga. loaded with 2 3/4" #4's. Sagfe grouse are BIG birds, and #4 shot kills them dead.
So, use what is legal in Ohio, Ruffy's should die very easy with #6 in a 20 ga.
buck460XVR
New member
#6s work well all season long. Grouse molt in the summer, so they have no more feathers later in the season than they do at the start. If it looks like they have more it is only because the fluff then up more in cold weather to trap more air for insulation. As for size, a pound and a quarter is about average. Without a dog, one should stop and pause often as you walk thru the woods, as grouse will sit tight and let you walk by, but get nervous and flush when you stop. Just make sure you stop somewhere that will present you with a shot.
tahunua001
New member
there are a few different kinds. here in central-ish idaho we have ruffle grouse and blue grouse. ruffle grouse are a little smaller than pheasants, blue grouse are a little larger than your average chicken. grouse are one of the few game animals that are legal to use a rimfire on in idaho so that shows just how hard they are to take down. blue grouse for some reason don't like to drop with a 22 from a handgun but higher velocity like CCI stingers do good out of a rifle. normally a standard birdshot load from a 410 or FMJ/cast bullet from any centerfire handgun will drop them like a sack of flour.
aim for the head, the only thing worth keeping are the breasts and my older brother took my 44 lever gun to a blue grouse last fall and completely took out one of the beasts.
aim for the head, the only thing worth keeping are the breasts and my older brother took my 44 lever gun to a blue grouse last fall and completely took out one of the beasts.
FrankenMauser
New member
I try not to mention centerfires and rimfires, since they were officially declared illegal for all Grouse species in Utah, a few years back. I've bagged plenty that way, and prefer it; but I don't want people to think I have been poaching since the regulations changed.
And, based on Ohio's big game regs, I figured upland game would be shotgun-only.
(I'll have to check Idaho's regs, now that I've moved. Can't hunt 'til next year, anyway; so I have some time. Waiting periods....
)buck460XVR
New member
In Wisconsin, Grouse are shotgun only too. Unlike out west and Canada, you can't knock them outta the trees with a stick. They are hunted hard, heavily pressured and know all about humans and how to avoid them. I assume the same is true in Ohio.
Crankylove
New member
Nope.
Has to be either a shotgun or centerfire cartridge firing at least 1/2 oz of #8 shot. If I remember right, archery tackle isn't legal for grouse either.............but it's legal to hunt elk with a .25 auto chambered rifle (using an "expanding bullets)..........some of the regulations here are a bit odd.
I make shot shells for taking grouse (while deer/elk hunting) for my .41 Mag using cut down .30-30 cases, and can just barely fit the 1/2 oz in. I'll be making some up for my .45 Colt shortly, much easier to fit the shot load in those cases.
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Grouse are such different birds in different parts of the country. I've seen the youtube videos of people walking down dirt roads and plinking them with a .22! Around here...grouse are as spooky as deer! Most times you only hear a flush and never even see the bird much less get a shot off. With a dog, they flush even further ahead. Very hard birds to get around here in NH. Even still, I did get one last year and it's mounted on my wall. It's a cherished trophy because they're so hard to get. Someday I'd love to hunt an area where the grouse are more cooperative...they really are an incredible game bird.
Sure Shot Mc Gee
New member
410 single shot Iver Johnson is all that I use. I prefer as light a weapon as possible. Hence the 410 fits my application. Since I reload 410s I prefer #6 in a 3". Prior to the leaves falling. I'll hunt old logging roads throughout the day. In the early morning and evenings I walk down an abandon old county dead end gravel road. I never pass up a balsam grove of trees alongside a fields edge without a overly observant slow walk thru. Those clover or alfalfa field edges are also great place for jumping both partridge & ruffled grouse. But I will not walk the dense woods for them. Leaves up or down flying birds are indeed hard to recover without having a good retrieval dog along in those circumstances. Hunting with a 410 is a bit tricky at first until you get to know its actual killing distance. After one acquires that small bit of knowledge. Birds will either be given a pass or be going home with you. Don't be one of those fellows who chase's a lone bird all over creation hoping for another & yet another shot. Let it go the first time you miss. Maybe that bird will greet you again near that same location. Maybe not. "Leaving a little seed behind never hurts." Hunting alone or with friends. Always keep an eye on the direction your barrel is pointed. Safety while in the field should be your main concern above all else.
S/S
S/S
In the East where you live, .410 bore is not considered to have enough shot in the payload to be effective on Ruffed Grouse. Most North East (Michigan is where I grew up hunting grouse), grouse hunters use open chokes...you will only get one fleeting shot at a grouse, from close range. "Speed" is the name of the game...even a slight hesitation of getting the shot off usually means no shot at all.