THE CLOCK IS TICKING, THE GROUSE CALENDAR IS COUNTING DOWN

[Jpmiller]

Got my first grouse with a bow yesterday. Gotta say it was nice not looking for pellets in it.

[HookedOnQuack]

We picked up 3 Ruffs and 1 Blue saturday in Idaho while out checking cams, made for a great lunch!

[Dave Workman]

My daughter and I camped out in the back of the truck last night, and then attempted to hunt this morning, but huckleberry pickers were EVERYWHERE, so we never even got to hunt. Later in the morning I found an old overgrown road that headed up on the mountain, so we started walking it, and made it about 1/4 mile before a vehicle full of huckleberry pickers came driving on up the road, so we turned around and went back to the truck. Hopefully I'll have time to take her out again at the end of the month.

I feel your pain. For me, it was the PH&)(&^(*&^*^%#!#%  juvenile motorbike riders and kids turned loose by their stupid parents on 4-wheelers. I had three good shots ruined by twerps roaring up different trails. The little stinkers have the game so spooked where I was...
Another thing I noticed while actually driving up USFS roads was the number of those 4-wheel two-seaters with no licenses, no headlights; nothing to make them street legal, despite all the posted signs all over the place about that. Got mixed feelings about those things..one day I may actually need one to get around, but I sure as hell ain't going to use one like I was at Daytona....
Can't really blame the berry pickers because the berries are definitely ripe and ready.
But the motorbikers.. Maybe now with Labor Day in the rear view, these goobers will be less of a problem.
Ran into a couple of bowhunters who were livid about this.

[Skyvalhunter]

Did pretty good in the Sawtooths for the blues. Dog worked hard at finding the birds. Saturday it was thick with smoke, affected the ability to locate birds. Made you feel like you smoked 3 packs of cigarettes by the end of the day. Birds were a little spooky in my area due to the number of hawks. Saw a few bears and there were plenty of people hauling around motorbikes but I was far enough away from any roads or trails to notice them.

[Dave Workman]

MY CONGRATULATIONS to all the folks who put 'em in the bag.
 


I discovered this morning that one possible reason I missed what should have been an easy shot with a scoped .22 rifle over the weekend was because the stock had come loose on my 10/22. Beats hell out of me how that happened, but I tightened it immediately and trued up the scope.  Soon as I get home it's off to  the range with a box of shells to re-zero. That ought to take all of about 5 minutes because that 10/22 is arguably one of the most accurate rimfire's I've ever used.

Just a question, and nobody needs to answer this, but how many out there have missed shoulda-been-easy shots on grouse over the years?  It's happened to me more times than I care to remember..(Yes, Virginia, even an old dead-eye fart like me who writes about this stuff can miss occasionally!) but it goes with the game I guess.
 
Never be too embarrassed about missing a shot. It happens to all of us on occasion.

My problem was I wanted to noggin-shoot a blue with my 10/22 for a photo. (I've head-shot grouse with rimfires before, including a Ruger All-American .22 that made for a helluva story illustration a few years ago in GUN WORLD, but you know how us writers are...we need fresh images  )

Where I hunted over the weekend I saw some really fat blues, including one no-good sonofabird that I flushed three, or was it four, times??? But I know where that dirty no good thunder chicken hangs out and before the snow flies, there is gonna be a showdown, a reckoning!   

Anyway, my holiday weekend misadventures behind me, and a pretty quick range session coming up, I will be heading back to my bird grounds Friday evening. Maybe even get in a decent evening hunt. 

Lessee, now....Re-check the Checklist:

Shotgun? √
Shells? √
License? √
.22 pistol? √
Camera? √
Camp gear? √
.22 Rifle with scope? √
"Death to Grouse" and "Grouse Must Die" posters? √

[Switchback]

Nice weekend scouting westside deer/elk/bear. Shot my first grouse with a firearm (everything else to date has been with a bow while big-game hunting), man was it nice! Even with a little single-shot .410, just point and click and go get your grouse! Doubled up on ruffed grouse, almost had a triple but the third bird wised up after the first two shots.
Wrapped 'em in bacon and had a nice dinner on Sunday!

[Gunster]

Nice!  I'm going to head out tomorrow.  See if I can come up with a few or at least one.   

[Alpine Mojo]

Just a question, and nobody needs to answer this, but how many out there have missed shoulda-been-easy shots on grouse over the years?

Dave,

Anyone who claims to have never missed an easy shot is either lying or not telling the truth.

[Ridgeratt]

Nice limit of 4 Ruff's

[hunter399]

Nice limit of 4 Ruff's

Maybe friend or somebody else shot the fourth one.
Good little grouse herd.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Out bear hunting today I jumped a large covey of blues in a berry patch that were feasting on.👍

I lost track on counting them after 10.🤣

[Dave Workman]

Nice limit of 4 Ruff's

Maybe friend or somebody else shot the fourth one.
Good little grouse herd.

let's hope so...check the regs about the four-bird daily bag. 

[h20hunter]

Hmmm

[hunter399]

No need to check regs ,i know what they are.
I just assume to give switcback a chance to explain before we throw the reg book at him.

[h20hunter]

I did not know so I looked. Figured others may not have checked yet so saving them the trouble.