Grouse! Let’s See Them

Lots of beautiful shotguns and dogs in this thread. Some might think it sacrilege, but I hunt them with a scoped .22 LR when riding the Montana vertical country in my ATV. Too steep and thick to go after them on foot, also too far and few between to make it worthwhile. Around 4:30 to 6PM they come down to the logging roads to gravel...Blue Grouse, Ruffed Grouse and Franklins...mostly Ruffed. If I tried to get into shotgun range most would be gone before I got within 50 yards. When they seem calm, head and neck shots, when they're heading into the ferns and alders on the roadside any shot will do. Even shot thru the middle, the damage with solids is no more than shotgun. When I get home I run my pinky thru the hole while running water and the meat is still fine.
I probably spend 2 hours riding for each bird, but the country is beautiful and the riding is fun.
Here's a pic of a crazy one that perched on my shotgun barrel while Turkey hunting last year. I couldn't bring myself to kill it.Grouse 023.JPG
 
Pretty sure that’s a Ruffed grouse bro. This is a Spruce.
I’m no grouse expert but I think it was a female spruce - some seem to have that bronzeish color on their chest, vs the black/white on the male? Some stock photos from Audobon:
 

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Stud spruce grouse, commonly called a Franklin grouse here in MT. Taken with one of my Colt woodsman pistols.
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Here’s a few ruffs I stumbled into while looking for elk over thanksgiving weekend. Probably turning my attention to pheasants and ducks for the remainder of the season, but I’ve got a few spots that shouldn’t be too deep with snow that I want to try still.C7053F48-C7DC-4FC5-A7C6-F2D47F8C3682.jpeg688D2E76-2E11-413F-9174-2B09A2368608.jpeg
 

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