Hunting Grouse with a Cannon

[labman21]

I'm 17 and have one shotgun I can call my own, a 12 ga Benelli Nova Pump, I like to grouse hunt. What would you guys think the best load out of this sucker would be. I plan on eating these birds so I don't like them to look like raw burger after the shot. Mainly i'll be shooting at blues and ruffies.

Thanks for the consideration. Ryan

[justuspr]

I use target loads on Grouse, and don't have any trouble knocking them down.

[phermes1]

I used #7 or #8 target loads with no problems when I went grouse hunting.

I have an O/U, so I put a 20 gauge sleeve in my bottom barrel for the first shot.

I'm not sure if it would'v helped much as I don't think I ever got one with my first shot.

[BigShooter]

Regular loads in 7/12 or 8 shot will work just fine. When cleaning ruffs more often than not you'll find few pellets in the bird.

[fishvik]

I hunt blues and ruffs with a 12 ga. pump down here south of you in probably simular habitats. I use an IC choke tube and a 1 oz load of 7 1/2's and do not pulverize the birds.
I was up in your neck of the woods this weekend at a hockey coaches training and boy has it dried up in the last month. There was a big wildland fire burning just north and west of Columbus.

[Ryman Gun Dog]

Labman21,
If your lab points 1 Oz of #8's will do you fine, if your lab is a flusher go with the 7 1/2's, use C or I/C chokes so your shot spreads and does not damage your birds very badly. Good luck with your Grouse hunting in Montana, might want to look up Dan Thomason at Sure Thing Kennels, he raises Gordon dogs and lives on a real fine Grouse mountain. If you are learning about Grouse hunting, Dan can teach you a lot. You might just like his Gordon dogs also.
RGD/Dave

[Mountaineer]

1 1/8 of 6s in a 2 3/4 dram load thru improved cylinder.
Less will work but that is a fine load if one wants to use a 12.
Or a standard 2 3/4 trap load of 7 1/2s.
I like 1-7s in my 12 BUL but 6s are swell in thick cover.
Distance and choke determines what tears up a bird more than the load used.

[fourtrax]

Labman,
Is your 12 ga equipped with choke tubes?
An open choke is good for grouse especially so as not to have them shot up badly.

[Don]

Best grouse gun I ever had was a Browning Double Auto with a 26" skeet barrel and using 1 oz loads of #7 1/2. Next best was 870 Special Field with a short, don't rememner the length, barrel bored out to skeet and using 7/8 oz #7 1/2. It was a 20ga. Both of those guns just threw up and shoot. Neither were worth a darn for open country birds, they wouldn't swing well with the short barrels.