Night Before...

[Doc Sharptail]

...The Grouse Opener!



The usual mess trying to decide on which irons to bring.



Decision made!

Top to bottom:

Seneca Dragonfly in .177 cal. It wears a semi-serious 2nd focal plane Discovery 3-12 X 40mm A/O scope. It lobs a 7.9 gr Predator pellet at 850 fps.

Another Seneca Dragonfly with an earlier Discovery hunting scope of 3-12 X 38mm A/O. This one is in .22 cal. and throws a 16 gr Predator pellet at 650 FPS.

(Miroku) Winchester 52 Sporting in .22 LR. It wears a Vortex Diamondback 4-12 X 40mm A/O in Burris turn in rings here.

At bottom, Frankenweenie 13-77 in .177 cal. It wears the always reliable Tasco RD-22. It's choked L/W bbl throws a 7.9 gr predator at 500 fps.

Did I mention I'm excited to hunt? I'll be lucky to get any sleep tonight!

-D.S.

[lyman]

used to be a member of the Ruffed Grouse Assn for a short bit, more of a job related than hunt, (I ave not hunted in over 30 yrs)

down here, everyone that hunts them goes once or twice, realizes there are not a lot of grouse here, and then book a trip out west


and use shotguns, esp sub calibers, (28 ga is popular, )

[Allen]

Nice pic's/guns Doc and a unique sport.

I was watching an old episode of Gunsmoke the other night and someone had shot and cooked some prairie chickens. Matt Dillon was eating one and someone asked him what it tasted like. He said "a little like chicken and a lot like prairie".

[Doc Sharptail]

Didn't do too badly for a rusty on the trigger old geezer. 2 grouse outta 3 shots.
First was a decent size Ruffed and the 2nd was a Spruce Hen.
Good supper tomorrow night!
I used to shotgun them with a .410, and my scores were a lot higher. Unfortunately, decent 3" .410 shells got to be really hard to find at an affordable price.
I switched to .22 LR mostly on a cost basis. Most of my grouse scores this early in the season are with the .22 LR. Once the cover drops a bit by mid Oct., the air-rifles become an even cheaper option.
Probably have pix up tomorrow- too wiped to upload them right now.
And, no, I didn't sleep that well- kept turning things over in my head. I'll be okay for the rest of the season though- the big excitement is passed.

-D.S.

[Doc Sharptail]

There's the ruffed grouse. I didn't take a pic of the spruce hen. Some find them a little green in taste, but I don't mind them at all.



Also stopped at Hazel Creek. Looks like Trumpeter Swans here, I think?
They didn't give me time for a lens change, and this is a quite severe crop of a snap taken with the 50mm f 1.4.
If I had known I'd be stumbling into wildlife like that, I would have mounted the 200 on the camera well in advance.

I kept losing large Pike in here despite the low water. My problem was a lack of wire leaders. I should go back soon and try again. That creek is spring fed, and the water is very cold. The pike in there tend to have a decent taste to them.

-D.S.

[5thDragoons]

Three grouses will make a great meal!

Last chicken I whacked was while hunting antelope with my brother up in the sandhills. Tasted pretty "grousey" - almost like liver. Happily, I like liver.
In fact, for lunch, Flop Ears and I shared a tube of liverwurst. Good and good for ya! SW

[lyman]

used to fish a pond north of here that was loaded with pike, to the extent the owner asked us to fish as much as possible, and kill every one we caught,

using light tackle we did lose a few but stepped up to about 14 test or so and that stopped,
gilled them instead of lipping them when caught, and either stuck with a knife, or tossed on the bank for the nighttime critters,

been a long time, hoping that old cobber is still around and his pond in better shape fish wise