Grouse! Let’s See Them

[Orion’s Breath]

I'll never get over the colors on a spruce grouse! NW MT a few weeks ago:

 

[TheGreek]

A beautiful adult red phase ruffed out of Washburn County WI.


And a grey phase out of Bayfield County, WI.


And the crops from a number of ruffed grouse we shot during the week.

 

[Smokeydabear]

There is a “Let’s See Them” in most of the game specific forums, how about grouse? My favorite fall collected meal is either elk tenderloins or mountain grouse.

This is to honor the grouse…

View attachment 240620View attachment 240622View attachment 240623

I definitely need to get out more for grouse next year I love the meat

 

[Smokeydabear]

Sons first grouse a few weeks ago. (We call grouse and prairie chickens both grouse. This is technically a chicken) View attachment 240640

My step-dad always called them road chickens lol. Also I love seeing youth getting into hunting.

 

[CPAjeff]

Courtesy of South Dakota:

 

[shrapnel]

Gold nugget blues…

 

[Boondocks]

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.

 

[Elktrack]

I'll never get over the colors on a spruce grouse! NW MT a few weeks ago:

Pretty sure that’s a Ruffed grouse bro. This is a Spruce.

 

[Orion’s Breath]

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:

 

[Elktrack]

I stand corrected. Good call sir

 

[Birdbander]

Mac made the most of his last time out before Michigan closes for gun deer season.

 

[Buckskinbob]

Took this one during archery

 

[Luis]

Stud spruce grouse, commonly called a Franklin grouse here in MT. Taken with one of my Colt woodsman pistols.

 

[MNHunter67]

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.

 

[CampJo]

One on our property from last year.

 

[LuketheDog]

Well, they call it a chicken, but it's in the same ballpark. I happened to be in one of the few places you're allowed to shoot them, glad I packed the shotgun along...

 

[Knight.54]

This one was safe, couldn’t even throw a rock at him as he was on Grand Teton Natl Park

 

[publichunter1]

I still have yet to kill one with a gun as I haven't hunted them with a gun but love picking them off in the mountains chasing elk with a bow. I have caught a couple by hand. I did kill my first sage grouse with a bow this year as well.

 

[shrapnel]

 

[Luis]

My wife and our old companion with our days limit. One of our favorite hunting areas along the continental divide trail. The red leafed bushes are huckleberry bushes.