Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Upland Birds => Topic started by: CP on September 29, 2008, 01:06:59 PM

Title: Grouse on the ground
Post by: CP on September 29, 2008, 01:06:59 PM: Sporting or not?
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: saylean on September 29, 2008, 01:18:09 PM: I dont have a problem with poping them while they are on the ground...but thats me.

I should say, "when they are not in flight".
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Bofire on September 29, 2008, 03:14:43 PM: :)depends rifle or shotgun? It aint sporting if ya dont shoot the head off with a rifle in the air.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: X-Force on September 29, 2008, 04:27:12 PM: A lot of areas i hunt they only see people once or twice a year and they wont move unless you step on them. So i have no problem taking them while there on the ground. There good eating and not to much sport IMO. I do have a question tho can you use a air gun to take grouse?
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: hunterbuilder on September 29, 2008, 04:31:19 PM: I have no problem shooting them off the ground or of the tree branch.

I shot my first grouse with a Sheridan pump pellet gun.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: billythekidrock on September 29, 2008, 04:44:04 PM: Maybe if I grew up with a dog and shotgun then I would think different, but the the ol' .22 was what I had. Shoot em where you see em.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: zackmioli on September 29, 2008, 07:32:13 PM: Quote from: billythekidrock on September 29, 2008, 04:44:04 PM
Maybe if I grew up with a dog and shotgun then I would think different, but the the ol' .22 was what I had. Shoot em where you see em.
my thoughts exactly.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Alchase on September 30, 2008, 11:52:51 AM: I use my 300win mag, aim just to the side of the head and no damage the concusion knocks them sensless.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on September 30, 2008, 12:24:19 PM: Act like a rabbit .. die like a rabbit :)
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Jekemi on September 30, 2008, 12:31:56 PM: So explain something, why is it OK to shoot Turkeys on the ground but not grouse? Grouse are a lot smaller than turkeys and they take flight more quickly. Seems to me that from a sporting standpoint it's pretty much the same situation.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: WildlifeAssassin on September 30, 2008, 01:02:01 PM: Shoot them where they stand.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Stalker on October 01, 2008, 07:06:31 AM: Keep a couple of field arrows in the quiver for just such an occasion….. ;)
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: EastWaViking on October 01, 2008, 03:24:14 PM: Grouse on the ground are fine, all other birds I wait until they are in the air. Kind of odd when you think about it. What makes a grouse different?
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Alchase on October 01, 2008, 06:50:08 PM: Quote from: EastWaViking on October 01, 2008, 03:24:14 PM
Grouse on the ground are fine, all other birds I wait until they are in the air. Kind of odd when you think about it. What makes a grouse different?

LOL, well ducks are on water (not a good backdrop). Pheasant, quail and chukar I usually do not see until they flush. Or maybe it is because my mouth starts to water when I see a grouse, lol :dunno:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: bobcat on October 01, 2008, 07:06:38 PM: What makes grouse different is that if you let them fly, there's a good chance you won't get a shot because of the brush/trees. I shoot grouse on the ground if I get a chance, but would rather let pheasants fly.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: robb92 on October 01, 2008, 07:33:42 PM: Ground for me! Don't have much a chance to hunt them here in VA though.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: actionshooter on October 01, 2008, 07:40:21 PM: Shoot them on the ground and start with the one in the back and work to the front , if the one in the front falls first the rest take off :chuckle:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: DeKuma on October 01, 2008, 07:44:43 PM: Just wait until they huddle together just before they flush and shoot all three at once. :chuckle:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: actionshooter on October 01, 2008, 07:54:10 PM: Quote from: actionshooter on October 01, 2008, 07:40:21 PM
Shoot them on the ground and start with the one in the back and work to the front , if the one in the front falls first the rest take off :chuckle:
I few years ago my bro in law and I did this. He shot 3, handed me the ruger .22 pistol and I shot 3. :IBCOOL:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: PolarBear on October 01, 2008, 08:26:38 PM: I try to spook them up into the air before I shoot with my shotgun. I usually only shoot them on the ground if I am using my bow. I have shot a ton out of trees with my rifle. One time (at band camp) I shot one out of a tree that was just a few yards off of this spur and up about 10 feet. What I didnt realize I was shooting near the top of the tree. The bottom (where the grouse fell) was 70 feet straight down. I had to hike back to my rig and get a rope to practically repel down and retrieve the grouse. It was a bitch getting back up but I wasn't going to waste a bird. We wound up cooking it, and a couple of others for lunch.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: shootanfish on October 04, 2008, 03:10:07 PM: I shoot grouse however I can but it about 51% ground 49% air(got to be quick)
Dumb ones sit smart ones fly ;)
If grouse are were grouse are then grouse die were grouse die
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: cohoho on October 06, 2008, 09:44:11 AM: Stupid chickens, ground or air it is all fun and good eats...
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: blacktail luv on November 16, 2008, 10:21:30 PM: I don't know how all you guys in the other part of the state hunt them but around here we just drive around and sloush them of the roads. Great fun for the kids, I know your not suppose to shoot from the road but hey... or rig...
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: MountainWalk on November 22, 2008, 10:35:51 PM: I prefer to use rocks or a good sized stick. How much sport is it to shotgun a grouse on the ground? Clients love it when you kill a grouse with a rock. Besides, I dont kill too many. My g-pa always told me to take it easy on grouse, as they were put on earth to keep a man from starving.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Gutpile on November 24, 2008, 05:22:01 PM: Lets see, I'm 41 and I've shot MAYBE 5 on the wing. It's just too thick where I hunt them to count on wingshots. It's a hell of a lot funner but what a better way to start the season. Tooling around watching for grouse on the old spur roads. YUMMMMM! :drool:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Antlershed on November 24, 2008, 05:44:46 PM: Quote from: blacktail luv on November 16, 2008, 10:21:30 PM
I don't know how all you guys in the other part of the state hunt them but around here we just drive around and sloush them of the roads. Great fun for the kids, I know your not suppose to shoot from the road but hey... or rig...
I didn't know you could see grouse anywhere but on the road... :chuckle:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Gutpile on November 24, 2008, 05:53:24 PM: Quote
I didn't know you could see grouse anywhere but on the road...

You can't. :hunt2: :lol4: One of hunting's dirty little secrets I guess.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: rasbo on November 24, 2008, 07:44:37 PM: you mean they can fly?..........22mag head shots :tung:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Kent Hunter on November 25, 2008, 06:00:39 PM: We have an old .410 single shot that we use for grouse whenever we see one while we are scouting. My son will sometimes take his scoped .22 and head shoot them with that. Most of the time (99.9%) they are on the ground or sitting in a tree when we spot them. After that they are in the old cast iron skillet getting cooked up on the coleman stove on the tailgate of the truck. Yum, Yum. Hard to beat fresh grouse for lunch or late afternoon snack! :drool:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: GoldTip on November 26, 2008, 01:45:00 PM: I grew up shootin their heads off with 22's during early season before I started bowhunting. Always had a 22 along when cruising roads picking mushrooms with Dad, just for grouse or rabbits. First time I went hunting with a guy that showed with with a 12gauge, I asked him what the hell the shotgun was for? He said grouse, what the hell is that 22 for? I said grouse. Have killed them with rocks and sticks as well, arrows work well also, but can get expensive on a pass through.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: demontang on November 26, 2008, 09:03:00 PM: I normally only hunt them when I'm bow hunting. I try to shot them on the ground because its hard to hit them flying with a bow and if you miss you just launched a 420gr arrow to god know's where. :bdid: I do jump shot them with a shot gun some time though. :twocents:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: buckbrush on December 06, 2008, 11:11:01 PM: I will eat them on the ground, I will eat them in the air, I will eat them anywhere.. :drool:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: WAPITIHUNTER on December 06, 2008, 11:32:16 PM: My dad tried to shoot one in the head once with his .45-70.

Yeah that didn't work so well. :dunno: The grouse ended up being three feet long after the shot.

On the ground, in the air, pellet gun, .22 or shotgun................ shoot em where you see em.

I used to shoot at them with my bow but got tired of my arrows flying off into oblivion with out gettin the bird. Although I did try to shoot one again this year and my arrow flew into chunks when it went through a patch of vine maple. Lesson relearned.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Antlershed on December 06, 2008, 11:36:06 PM: Quote from: WAPITIHUNTER on December 06, 2008, 11:32:16 PM
I used to shoot at them with my bow but got tired of my arrows flying off into oblivion with out gettin the bird. Although I did try to shoot one again this year and my arrow flew into chunks when it went through a patch of vine maple. Lesson relearned.
Today while out hunting my buddy asked if I was going to fling an arrow at a Grouse if we saw one. I told him only if there was a nice soft backdrop for my arrow to fly into... :chuckle:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: kingsalmonkllr77 on December 11, 2008, 06:30:23 PM: They are always fun to shoot at a distance. My best ever was 158 yards and I took the top half of the head only with my 22-250 and when we headed up to get the bird we got 2 more before we closed the distance. I would shoot them out of the sky with a shotgun if they weren't just incidental during a deer hunt or other, don't usually target them.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: 1bowhunter1 on December 11, 2008, 06:49:23 PM: I stuck 1 with a arrow, it flew away with my arrow right through the middle of him...right over my buddies head. Lost the dam bird and I was more ticked about my arrow.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Hermit on December 14, 2008, 05:07:58 PM: It's all over but the frying.......... Yes.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Intruder on December 15, 2008, 09:15:16 AM: If its a grouse.... kill em when ya see em. They are many times you would never get a shot on the wing where I tend to run into grouse. God wouldn't have made roads if he didn't want ya to shoot grouse off of em :chuckle:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Huntbear on December 15, 2008, 05:56:40 PM: We always keep a .410 shotgun in the rigs for grouse(Now). Not as much collateral damage if you are an inch off like with your rifle. I have shot a few heads off with the .308 but missed a few too.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Rick on December 17, 2008, 02:37:16 PM: Quote from: EastWaViking on October 01, 2008, 03:24:14 PM
What makes a grouse different?

Nothing.

The whole sporting thing is over-rated IMO. Think about it,its not "sporting" to shoot anything other than a Grouse or Turkey while they're on the ground.

You want them to by flying right?

What about big game? Is it "sporting" to shoot a standing Deer or Elk?

If you follow the same rules about birds,you'd want to make sure the Deer or Elk was running before you shot...correct?

I'm about clean kills and ending up on my dinner plate. If that means pounding a Goose or Mallard on the ground,so be it.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: Gobble Gobble on December 17, 2008, 03:09:25 PM: If I got the scatter gun I'll let them fly before I shoot. Turkey are different as I will shoot one from the ground but not one in a tree. There is just something in me that feels wrong for shooting any other game bird on the ground. However, if I'm out bow hunting then yes, I will shoot a bird on the ground as I shoot a compound and I'm not that good of a shot to hit a bird in flight. Plus you ever see how far an arrow will fly from a compound!?! I'm not going to walk a couple hundred yards to retrieve it.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: ICEMAN on December 17, 2008, 08:41:12 PM: Shoot them anywhere. I have stopped shooting them with the rifle. Bad idea. Waste not.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: C-Money on December 21, 2008, 05:10:07 PM: A good clean kill is most important. I have won a lot of money and fancy belt buckles shooting trap, but I will still toast a grouse on the ground! :twocents:
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: heavy hauler on December 22, 2008, 08:38:03 PM: shoot them anywhere.no rifles for me either.lesson learned.
Title: Re: Grouse on the ground
Post by: steeleywhopper on December 22, 2008, 11:09:38 PM: There is nothing more fun than taking a good dog into the grouse woods and getting some fast flyin shooting. On the other hand I love to eat them buggers and if the dog is'nt with me they die where they stand.