Grouse

[fishinjosh98]

what is the best choke tube for grouse

[mnhunter17]

I use an improved.

[Matt Breuer]

So many factors play into that question... what type of gun are you using, single or double barrel, what time of year, what kind of cover are you going to be hunting, on your own or over dogs?

If you're looking for an overall good choice, I'd go with Improved Cylinder. For early season or close up shooting, Skeet chokes work great. In my double barrels I run IC/Mod. most of the year. Definitely nothing tighter than a Modified choke though...

[BobT]

I would think a lot depends on the shooter's ability as well as the gun's pattern for the shot you're using.

[fishinjosh98]

i have a benelli nova pump

[Fins-n-feathers]

Improved cylinder would be best for grouse.

[charliepete]

I'd shoot cylinder or i/c. The wider the better. Grouse aren't all that tough so a big pattern is helpful given their quickness.

[life=outdoors92]

my father took his gun to a gunsmith he knew like 15 years ago, made a choke that was between modified and improved cylinder. the thing is perfect for partridge any time of the year.

[Matt Breuer]

my father took his gun to a gunsmith he knew like 15 years ago, made a choke that was between modified and improved cylinder. the thing is perfect for partridge any time of the year.

Partridge, or grouse?

[life=outdoors92]

where i hunt, all the locals (they basically call me a local too haha) call them partridge. very few times do i call them a ruffed grouse.

however, on days like today or all this week for that matter, i wish i was walkin down old loggin roads, scannin the leaflesss aspen and short, bright green balsam for a few partridge. and hopefully for them to take off, make that thunder sound, then i make a thunder sound with my gun, then walk up and pick up one of Gods creatures, and think, dang, life is good

[Matt Breuer]

Where do you hunt? In NW MN everyone called them partridge too, and they called partridge partridge as well.... I will get my dad to stop calling ruffies partridge if it's the last thing I do!

[TylerS]

Actually, the preferred pronunciation is: pa'tridge.

[life=outdoors92]

i hunt somewhat NE itasca county. most of the time. its like 35, 40 minutes north of grand rapids

[Basseyes]

If you have tubes and hunt early go with cylinder then as it gets later in the year move to IC. You need very few pellets hitting a grouse to kill it. The wider the pattern the better more times than not in the grouse woods. Most times you're not really shooting at ruffed grouse in heavy cover you're trying to spray a path of shot that gets in the general vicinity of the birds flight path. It's more like hitting a golf ball driven by Tiger through the trees with a flow of water from a garden hose vs hitting a sitting softball at 100 yards with a rifle. You're just playing catch up most of the time.

If you don't have tubes IC. Early in the year shoot low brass 8 and 9's then switch over to heavier loads with 6 or 7's.

So much of shooting ruffed grouse like most game birds is getting out in front of them and follow through.

[lovebigbluegills]

Where do you hunt? In NW MN everyone called them partridge too, and they called partridge partridge as well.... I will get my dad to stop calling ruffies partridge if it's the last thing I do!

I finally got my 60 year old neighbor to start calling them grouse instead of partridge. There is hope for you Matt.

[Matt Breuer]

Well, I'm from TRF/Roseau so you know what I'm talking about lovebigbluegills...

As for low-brass early in the season, I disagree, you need all of the punch you can get a lot of times early season. A lot of foilage to shoot through...

[Tim_Anderson]

I use Improved early, and Modified later and probably most of the time. It forces me to be more "on", and helps an awful lot with those long bombs that come late in the season. Got a number of birds this year at 50 plus yards in December on those days when they were flushing wild on the fringe of my range.

[life=outdoors92]

If you don't have tubes IC. Early in the year shoot low brass 8 and 9's then switch over to heavier loads with 6 or 7's.

i would also disagree with this. early in the year i want heavier stuff to shoot because the leaves are still up. especially the thicker, healthier ones. i have shot winchester 20 gauge 6 shot magnums at a grouse on the ground at 25, 30 yards and only crippled it. and that was through some early season foilage. i have also wounded them through the air at shorter distances with that same shot in the air, same time of year

[Basseyes]

This is what happens to us when we shoot tighter chokes and heavier loads. We hunt a lot of wood cock along with grouse and that's a big reason we go with a low brass load with 9 shot when wood cock are present in good numbers. Dogs tend to work them close and is hard not to blow them into chunks when their close.

Understand the reason for going with heavier loads and tighter chokes just have never really needed to.

Not trying to start something here just observing. If you are going with a 6 shot and still wounding birds it might not be from needing more power it might be from not having enough shot hitting the bird. A load of number 9's has more pellets than a load of number 6's unless you're talking 3" loads.

That's what's fun about hunting everyone does things a little different and is interesting to hear how other guys are doing things.

[life=outdoors92]

they were 3" shells. but i only use heavy loads till about duck opener (duck hunt up there too) cause thats when u can usually start flushin up the woodcock and seeing them. i only use 2 3/4" and about 7 shot from that weekend on till late season

[CRAZYEYES]

I used to just use cheaper low brass game loads for grouse and usually 7 1/2 because I've maid a mess of a bird or two with thme but I recently switched to highbrass #6 just because I have winged a couple and want the longer pop and some brush busting power. I figure if I blow one away once in a while Its probobly worth it vs. losing birds. Another nice thing about the bigger shot is 7 or 8 is a pain to pick out of the meat.