Grouse and steel shot and other thoughts.

[Moving2thecountry]

While explorering superiour national forest, I saw 6 grouse in the middle of the 4 lane gravel road (Hwy 2).  I stopped and watched them.  It srurprised me how long they stayed in the roadway before they flew to the forrest.

Also, while hunting deer North of Duluth, I flushed two other grouse while going to a pre-existing natural blind I spotted. 

I might have to try grouse hunting next year--or this year, if can figure out what the difference between a sharp tailed and a ruffled grouse is.

What size steel shot would you recommend?

Also, when hunting, how do you differentiate between a ruffled grouse and a sharp-tailed grouse? 

[beeker]

if your by duluth it's a rough grouse for sure, you won't run into a sharp tail up there. a sharp tail is more of a prairie bird, they taste like dirt in my opinion. and kinda look like a hen pheasant when they fly, and if you shoot one with a pheasant load they explode like a pillow.  good luck I love grouse hunting

[Cody Gruchow]

well i use 4 steel shot for pheasants so i would use maybe 6 on grouse, but thats a total guess i dont get out grouse hunting much. i would imagine you want a bigger pattern to hit those darn speedy little birds

[thunderpout]

Guys!  Its RUFFED grouse, not ruffled or rough grouse...  (sorry, a bit of a pet peeve of mine...)  So named for the dark feathers that surround their necks... that, the different shape of each's tail and markings on the tails are different on each of the birds.  The Ruff has a banded round tail, the Sharptail has a pinneated, slightly longer tail, more like a doves, or a hen pheasant....Sharpies also have a reddish "comb" above their eyes, kind of like a spruce grouse does.  Behavior wise, they act and do things differently from each other, and usually dont hang out in quite the same areas, The Sharpie is more of a prarie/lowland scrub brush bird & marsh bird and the Ruff is more of a wooded forest bird.  Sometimes they both are found in some swampy areas where their habitats cross over, but you dont see them hanging around together as they are both kind of territorial.  Cody's right as far as steel shot, #6's are fine this time of year, something smaller like 7 1/2 earlier in the season if ya can find it in steel.  Im sure you know this, but unless your hunting grouse on a WMA, Refuge or an area that requires steel shot, lead is still permitted, and is easier found in the smaller shot sizes.  There are some areas near Duluth that have Sharptails though, kind of west and NW of Sandstone in that area....

[beeker]

thanks for the correction. I will be sure to call them ruffed grouse from now on. I had no idea that the sharpie made it that far north as I have never seen one. I've only seen them in SD while pheasant hunting

I didn't think to mention the use of lead as opposed to steal.  use lead while you can. and I would agree 6-7.5.

[Bobby Bass]

Not going to find any sharp tails up the north shore, just ruffed grouse. I hunt using a side by side double and we shoot 7.5's in the mod side and reach out with # 6's in the full side.    This

time of the year with leaves all nothing but a memory 6's is a good load to bust birds that get up.

Often you will find birds getting back together because they find the same location to their liking.    We recently got some light snow    and great time to be in the woods and looking for tracks.

 A lot of times you will find birds still standing in them. Don't wait till next season,    get out

 now, hardly any hunters in the woods and trails are quiet again.  Might be the best time to hunt

if you are dog less.

[stevejedlenski]

well i figured since they cant spell it how can they id it??  jk
here is some help if you dont know


ruffed grouse


sharptail grouse

biggest giveaway is their tail when you jump them... and location you jump them..

[Bobby Bass]

Guys!  Its RUFFED grouse, not ruffled or rough grouse...  (sorry, a bit of a pet peeve of mine...)  So named for the dark feathers that surround their necks... that, the different shape of each's tail and markings on the tails are different on each of the birds.  The Ruff has a banded round tail, the Sharptail has a pinneated, slightly longer tail, more like a doves, or a hen pheasant....Sharpies also have a reddish "comb" above their eyes, kind of like a spruce grouse does.  Behavior wise, they act and do things differently from each other, and usually dont hang out in quite the same areas, The Sharpie is more of a prarie/lowland scrub brush bird & marsh bird and the Ruff is more of a wooded forest bird.  Sometimes they both are found in some swampy areas where their habitats cross over, but you dont see them hanging around together as they are both kind of territorial.  Cody's right as far as steel shot, #6's are fine this time of year, something smaller like 7 1/2 earlier in the season if ya can find it in steel.  Im sure you know this, but unless your hunting grouse on a WMA, Refuge or an area that requires steel shot, lead is still permitted, and is easier found in the smaller shot sizes.  There are some areas near Duluth that have Sharptails though, kind of west and NW of Sandstone in that area....

At least they were called partridge, my pet peeve..

[thunderpout]

Thats what my dad & his bird hunting buddies all called them....that and Pats.... but then what would they have called hungarians?  Huns I suppose.... Guys... IMPORTANT!  The hunting seasons are different... sharptail season ended, I believe, the end of November,(I always remember it ends after Thanksgiving) so be sure theyre Ruffies yer shooting at!   I know there are sharptails all the way up north into Canada, but theyre all more like northwestern  Mn. They do these huge "burns" up there to keep the grass/brush from turning too wooded for the sharpies.

[thunderpout]

Hey Bobby... Have ya ever heard Ruffs called Thunderchickens?  Its kind of a native american translation of sorts, I took it as a moniker years back... now it seems the poutfest version has stuck.  I like the grouse based version much better than the magestic burbot version.... oh well, we all get called different things in different circles I guess...

[Bobby Bass]

Hey Bobby... Have ya ever heard Ruffs called Thunderchickens?  Its kind of a native american translation of sorts, I took it as a moniker years back... now it seems the poutfest version has stuck.  I like the grouse based version much better than the magestic burbot version.... oh well, we all get called different things in different circles I guess...

   More so by the old timers who were around when there were still Prairie Chickens to hunt. I think they had to have a way to tell the two apart!

[HD]

Well, lets see here...round these parts...we calls um trail chickens....


Hunter