Shooting game birds on the ground??

[Shoffy]

I've never ground shot a upland bird on the ground, other than a pheasant that was knocked down, got up to run and was getting away and was too far away. I don't own a dog, so all my bird hunting is jump shooting on foot. Grouse, I'll shoot anytime on the road

[lokidog]

No problem for me.  Safety is definitely an issue if dogs are around though.

Back in the eighties I was camped for a month of elk hunting in the OR coast range.  I shot 76 quail for my dinners, only two had bb's in the breast as the rest were head shots with the full choke as they ran through the brush off the roads.  Shoot one in the air in that area and it's going to be a long steep search without a dog.

[Heartsblood]

i honestly could care less, unless your hunting released birds they most likely are gonna fly anyways before you see em standing around somewhere, the outcome is the same, if people wanna be so ethical well dont go kill anything, killing an animal isnt "ethical" in the first place is it? if its out there im shootin at it!

I don't think killing animals is unethical! Killing is part of nature and a fact of life.

   Part of the cycle. The belief that humans are somehow outside of this cycle, in my opinion, would be disconnection from reality. But that's just me... 

[jackmaster]

anyone who says they wont shoot a ruff grouse on the ground, or tree or hidin in a stump, they are nuts, or they dont care if they ever get one, i would rather shoot them out of the air but i shoot them on the ground as well, now when we are talkn ducks or geese, i can honestly say that i will not shoot them when they are sittn on the water if we have a kid with us we will let him or her pick one out and shoot in on the sit but after that not

[MtnMuley]

I shoot grouse and turkeys on the ground.  No other game birds unless they are running wounded faster than me.

[rotty33]

I ground sluice grouse all the time. But pheasants, chukars etc. I let fly. It's pretty rare for them to sit still long enough for a ground shot anyways.

[dawei]

I grew up in the east hunting pheasant, grouse (we called them partridge), and waterfowl. It was considered very unsportsman like to ground shoot a bird. There were two exceptions, the only bird that was permissible to routinely shoot on the ground was a wild turkey. Secondly was to recover a wounded duck or pheasant trying to run or swim away. For those two situations ONLY, it was permissible to shoot a bird on the ground or water. Later in my military career, while stationed in Virginia, and Arizona; I was introduced to dove and quail hunting. Here too it was considered unsportsman like to "ground sluce" a game bird.  Where I grew up in upstate New York and North Eastern Pennsylvania grouse were very wary; they were only shot over bird dogs. Here in the Pacific Northwest grouse are not wary; their intelligence level is just slightly above a Democrat politician.


Back east they hunt grouse, here; we just shoot grouse.

[runamuk]

to each there own if its legal and safe  why should it matter to anyone how someone else hunts birds 

[Pathfinder101]

I'll do it when runnin' the mountain roads for grouse.  I won't sluice anything else on the ground or water though, unless it's wounded and I am finishing it off.
Those are my rules.  I don't judge anyone who plays differently.

[BIGINNER]

ONE TIME AS I WAS WALKING BACK TO MY CAR AT A PHEASANT RELEASE SITE,.. I CAME UP ON A PHEASANT WALKING DOWN THE PATH.  I GOT READY TO SHOOT,.. WAITING FOR IT TO FLY, BUT IT JUST WOULDN'T FLY,.. SO I WALKED UP CLOSER  ABOUT 5 YARDS WITHIN THE BIRD,.. AND IT STILL WOULDN'T FLY,.. I THREW A ROCK AT IT IN AN ATTEMP TO MAKE IT FLY,.. DIDN'T WORK,  SO I ENDED UP WALKING RIGHT UP TO IT AND GIVING IT A GOOD KICK,..      IT FLEW OFF ABOUT 15 YARDS AND GOT BLOWN OUT OG THE AIR.      

[Curly]

Here in the Pacific Northwest grouse are not wary; their intelligence level is just slightly above a Democrat politician.

Back east they hunt grouse, here; we just shoot grouse.

 
Sometimes grouse will get educated and surprise you.  A democrat politician.......they don't seem to learn.

[bobcat]

Grouse can actually be quite a challenge to hunt, especially if you get out and walk while hunting them. Many, many times they have only given me a split second to shoot, and usually it's through brush and tree limbs. I will take the occasional grouse that will sit in a tree or on the ground for just long enough for me to get a shot off, but it doesn't happen often. The "dumb" grouse are usually the ones seen from a vehicle while driving gravel roads. Even they very often will not give a person enough time to get out of a vehicle, load their gun, and get a shot off before flying away. I really don't think grouse are given the credit they are due, as a game bird in this state. People, get out there and actually get out of your vehicle and try hunting them. See how many times you can come home with a four bird limit.

[MtnMuley]

to each there own if its legal and safe  why should it matter to anyone how someone else hunts birds 

Because the author of this topic asked for any thoughts.

[jechicdr]

It's too hard for me to shoot grouse out of the air with my bow...so I stick with the ground shots.

[Heartsblood]

Grouse can actually be quite a challenge to hunt, especially if you get out and walk while hunting them. Many, many times they have only given me a split second to shoot, and usually it's through brush and tree limbs. I will take the occasional grouse that will sit in a tree or on the ground for just long enough for me to get a shot off, but it doesn't happen often. The "dumb" grouse are usually the ones seen from a vehicle while driving gravel roads. Even they very often will not give a person enough time to get out of a vehicle, load their gun, and get a shot off before flying away. I really don't think grouse are given the credit they are due, as a game bird in this state. People, get out there and actually get out of your vehicle and try hunting them. See how many times you can come home with a four bird limit.

   Agreed. I've still never limited. I've still not hunted grouse over dogs either. I'm willing. Just haven't yet. On bothe accounts.