Archive through February 02, 2009

[rpalmer]

Kraig McConaughey,
The one time I was able to hunt grouse I walked all over. I "was" the dog and went into places getting a shot off would have been difficult... still no grouse. I decided to have a smoke and rethink my position. I leaned the shotgun against a sapling and as the fire from my lighter touched the cigarette no less that 6 grouse thundered up from right under me. I seemed to have that sorta luck too often. Got a fox story with the same results. Gone.

 

[bcarl]

Kraig,

Nice Beretta. I can see why the grouse fly out when your not in a position to shoot. That's not fair using such a sweet o/u. You need to use a pump gun. Then they'll fly out when your ready for them. Least that's what I keep telling myself since I don't have a double

You could also try 3 inch magnums. I've noticed I only get straight away clear shots at grouse when I'm hunting fall turkeys with 3 inch magnums.

It's been sometime since I hunted grouse. I used to hunt them every New Years day - kinda a tradition to start the year off right. Your story got me thinking about starting the tradition up again.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Bruce, thanks! I'm partial to O/U shotguns. I have several of them that I inherited from my father, the Beretta is my favorite, it's been personalized by me with plenty of scratches on the stock. The others are really way too pretty to take grouse hunting. I do use one of them for Turkey hunting though as it has magnum chambers and screw in chokes. The Beretta has 2-3/4 chambers and fixed chokes. I spoiled my daughter with a Mossberg Silver Reserve 20ga O/U Bantam. She could have carried one of the other O/Us but she was nervous carrying an expensive shotgun in the brush. My father usually carried an old Ithaca model 37-FL, 12ga. grouse and pheasant hunting. Even though I don't really care to hunt with pump guns, that old Ithaca is one of my treasured possessions.

Above, Ithaca Model 37-Feather Light.

Above is my daughter's Mossberg, Silver Reserve 20ga Bantam. It's an entry level O/U shotgun, costs under $500. The Bantam model has a shorter Length Of Pull for smaller/younger shooters.

Back in 2003 my daughter and I followed my father as he and his German shorthair Ko-Ko hunted grouse on the 40. Ko-Ko passed away in early 2007 my father passed away from colon cancer in May of 2007. On that October grouse hunt back in 2003, I had the foresight to grab my camera instead of a shotgun. Here's some photos I snapped on the way back to the cabin after the hunt, no grouse but it was a successful hunt regardless. Yeah, grouse hunting has a special place in my heart.

In case you're wondering, the shotgun my father carried that day is a Heckler & Koch MAXlion 12ga O/U. This is the O/U I use for turkey hunting.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Richard, grouse have a habit of flushing when you least expect them too. After 37 years of grouse hunting I now expect them to flush whenever I'm in a position to not be able to shoot. I've had them flush from under shrubs that were inches from my feet after I walk a step or two past them. That'll get your heart rate up!

I've had grouse flush at the same time that I've jumped deer and have nearly been run over by the deer, actually that happened on the same hunt as the one I just mentioned with the shrub. I've had multiples of them get up 360° around me nearly simultaneously, try picking out one to shoot in a case like that, worse than flock shooting at quail.

I've had them fly straight at me at eye level, that particular one lost.

I did however have to duck as it went past and landed 5 feet behind me, headless but not a single piece of lead shot in the breasts.

Too bad I blew his head off as it had some of the nicest ruffs of any grouse I've shot, except perhaps the one I shot on Saturday. I probably should have had him mounted. I did save the tail feathers from Saturday's bird and I saved the tail and ruffs from that headless bird, you can see a photo of that bird's tail feathers and ruffs and several other's tail feathers in the October 3, 2007 archive of this forum area, see the link at the top of the page.

 

[kide]

Kraig:
Those three pictures are priceless..... thanks for sharing.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Kendell, I agree, they are priceless. I took 76 photos as my daughter and I followed my father that day, most are of my father as he hunted and of him and my daughter on the walk back. A few of them are what I refer to as still life photography, such as this one of a stump that looked kind of like a dragon to me:

 

[kmcconaughey]

Saturday afternoon I had some time to go bow hunting at the farm. I was in a 12ft tall ladder stand set up in an oak tree just out of the north east corner of my food plot. I had noticed a ground blind several hundred yards to the south east on an adjoining property and a tree stand not far from it. At about 3:30, after setting for about an hour and a half, I heard grunting off to the north east, it was grunt after grunt after grunt after grunt. At first I thought it was another hunter goofing around with a grunt call but as I looked over my right shoulder into the open field beyond the treed fence line I was in, I saw a buck on a full out gallop headed my way!

I quickly got an arrow nocked and my release clipped on and got ready for him. By this time just moments later I saw him trotting into the pines about 30 yards north of me but heading the wrong way! With all my calls stashed in the backpack that was hanging on the side of the tree I quickly made my best attempt at a grunt with just my mouth, this slowed him down to a walk so I grunted again, he paused momentarily then continued to walk off. All I could do was watch those big 10 point antlers disappear into the pines.

A few minutes later I saw another deer come in taking the same route. I couldn't tell if this second deer was a buck or doe as I only got a glimpse of it. I unclipped my release and reached behind me into the backpack I had hanging on the tree and dug out a few calls. I did a quick rattling sequence with some grunts and doe bleats thrown in for good measure. Within a few minutes I hear a deer coming from the direction that the two went. Sure enough it was the big buck! He was coming back, grunting the whole way right down the path he had gone on and then turned up the trail I was setting on. The trail that leads to the food plot. He was coming at a fast trot. I was ready for him but right as he got to a point just 6 or 7 yards out in front of my stand he stopped but he was standing slightly quartering away and slightly to my right looking around but not toward me. I carefully drew the bow back but he was slightly to my right and as I turned to get the sight on him my right elbow brushed gently on the stupid backpack that was hanging on the tree!

The buck jumped slightly forward, turning as he did so that he was facing fully away from me. Then he calmly walked away into the pines. I couldn't believe what had just happened.

After that close call I recognized him from some trail camera photos as the 10 point that had been working a scrape on the north of the pines. Back to the stupid backpack for the calls AND a repositioning of the stupid backpack. I did another rattling sequence with some grunts and doe bleats thrown in for good measure. Then sat back and waited. My wait wasn't long as I head a deer coming back from the direction that the big 10 point had gone. This time it was a small 8 point (actually a 7 point as he has one broken time) with dark antlers I remember seeing him in other trail camera photos. He came in straight toward me and stopped about 10 yards out and looked right at me. He calmly turned to his right and walked a few steps into the food plot and ate for a few minutes then backed out and wandered off to the west the direction he came from. I waited a few more minutes then did a few doe bleats with the can call and some grunts. Not too long and I saw movement in the pines this time it was a couple of turkeys, and it wasn't a few minutes later that they flew up into some pines and them moved to a few different trees before settling in to roost. By this time it was after 4:00pm and the sun was getting close to setting. I was hopeful that the 10 point would show up in the food plot. It was not to be. Around 4:40 the small 8 point with the broken tine came back but this time he stayed on the west side of the food plot and walked to the south then went east and jumped over the fence and disappeared. I sat until 5:00 then quietly climbed out of my stand and walked out. Here's some trail camera photos of the two deer.

 

[wcompton]

Tagged a 5x5 mule deer on Saturday. Taken in Jones County, South Dakota.

 

[kmcconaughey]

Wyatt, very nice!

Sure wish I had a "harvested" photo to post.

 

[bbowman]

Kraig;
Remember brother;it's the journey,not the destination!
Sounds like you have everything in place,now it's just a matter of timing!
Good luck!

!