Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires .22 Set Up for Grouse

Understood, you're a fuGing idiot that basks in the glory of said idiothood.

Congrats?

Scott County, MN has one of the greatest concentrations of ruffed grouse in North America so I would give credence to whatever one from there says. Of course that concentration is at Mid-America Taxidermy so it is a measure of actual success rather than supposition. 😭

I can't speak for much of the rest of the country but taking grouse with a 22 in northern and east central MN (and WI when it was legal) is very possible throughout the season. To be successful one needs a degree of woodcraft that is not much different than still hunting deer or squirrels. Walking logging trails keeping an eye open for movement, odd shapes in the road or in the brush and the sound of steps in the leaves or the "pert" of a bird getting nervous is the long proven means of taking grouse with a rifle. In the winter watching the tree tops for birds as they pick buds, seeds, or berries is usually more productive.

Sucess rates were similar to using dogs and higher than the typical dogless hunter walking through the woods. It was common to take two grouse a day hunting a couple hours in the morning and a couple more in the evening. Early season before the broods broke up pushed past that point as it was not uncommon to take two or more from a single brood. The numbers weren't much different in high years than low as the trails are the prime spots and always attracted birds.

It is still possible to take grouse with a 22 in MN but it is harder. The problem is not "smart birds" but the number of other people using the trails. ATV use has grown exponentially and put a real damper on walking the trails, especially between The Cities to Duluth and an hour or so around the larger communities. The traffic decreases the amount of time grouse spend on trails and the number of grouse taken by users affect the success rates in popular areas. Get on private land in that area or hunt weekdays in less accessible areas and one can have decent hunting for a time depending on the size of the property and the amount of good habitat around it. I used to shoot a handful of grouse with a pistol at my cabin in Pine Co. as opportunity arose but now would rather work the dogs on them.

I might have to return to my roots one of these days, the wife would like to phase out the dogs and travel more. If it gets to that point I'll have to dig out my old single shot 22 and brush up on my stalking skills. I just hope I can still hear by then.

No one I've ever known in SE Alaska hunted grouse with a shotgun. Taking heads off with a rifle was the way to roll.

Looks more like a pigeon Steelhead. Okay a little egocentric thinking that your grouse was our ruffed grouse and as a western dude that one is probably a western capercaillie or wood grouse. Being a birder I just checked and there are 12 different grouse species in North America.