Grouse Question Or Two

R

roy reali

New member
I have never hunted for grouse. I am going to give it a try this fall. Does anyone here have experience hunting these birds, especialy the Blue Grouse?

I have asked around about grouse calls. No one around here knows much about this. In fact, some don't think any exist. Are there calls for grouse? Do they work?

I appreciate any feedback.
 
I live in wyoming in the mountain and blue or pine grouse are all over the place. You don't use calls, you hunt them like you would quail, phesants. Just walk and keep your eye open. Blue grouse are not shy at all, but willow grouse ( sharptail grouse) are very shy, and they will fly as soon as they see you.
 
Blue grouse are the quintessential "fool hen". I have had them just sit on a branch looking at me. Hunt south-facing slopes and edges, especially around berries. When you find one and it flushes, it sounds like a B52 taking off. If you kill any, clean them right away or they will taste like pine resin. I hunt them in the aspens because they lose some of their sharp taste when they have been eating aspen buds.
 
Cover a lot of ground and focus on ridges and slopes below them. The best ridges to me are ones that have both stands of trees and open areas, sometimes they are right on top and sometimes they are a little downslope. If there is another treeline just below a ridge or hilltop, that's worth hunting too. If they haven't been educated too much, they will often fly to the nearest tree when flushed.

Once you find a group of birds, take note of the terrain and vegetation you found them in and look for similar areas. I've spent a lot of years hunting for blue grouse and they are pretty predictable. When you find a good spot, don't hammer it too hard - wait a few days before you hunt it again, they'll usually regroup and return but may be more skittish for a while. I usually won't hunt the same spot more than twice in a season, that ensures there will be birds there year after year.
 
More Info Pleae

I appreciate the responses. Does a hunting help with grouse hunting? What shot size and choke do you reccomend?
 
I have used a modified and cylinder choke in my 2 hunting shotguns for grouse and light feild load of 7 1/2 or 8 shot works fine for grouse. The modified in a longer barrel can be a bit too destructive at closer ranges so I opt for the cylinder gun for grouse.
 
Also, you normally only shoot when they are in the air. Shooting them on the ground is generally considered unsportsmanlike and would pretty much only be done in a survival situation. A good bird dog is a real asset grouse hunting.

Hunt the areas where they feed. Improved cylinder or modified choke shotguns are usually used. Shots are close.
 
I hunt grouse over my German shorthair. Find ridges and creek bottoms if you can.They tend to fly up the ridge. Look in the trees too ( they look like bowling pins) Early season I use a .20g IMP CYL with 7 1/2 shot. Late season when the leaves are down and the grouse are jumpy and shots are longer, I use a 12g 7 1/2 shot IMP.

Yummy birds :D
 
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