I just picked up a Browning Citori up land special 20 ga. Like new I do not think it has ever been fired no handling marks looks brand new. The price was right 800 dollars. This fall the grouse better watch out.

p dog shooter:

"This fall the grouse had better watch out"

Make sure, though, that they know it's a Browning Citori. (They are easily impressed by brand names but you have to let them know!)

On a serious note - If this shotgun is very much lighter than what you have been using, watch your swing (timing). More than 50 years later I still have vivid memories of receiving a new Ithaca "featherlite" as a teenager to replace an old Win. Mod.97 pump - with which I had been deadly ( I only missed 2 out of 3 times). I was overswinging with the new ,much lighter gun. Thought I'd mention it.

After 39 years of shooting grouse and many differant guns I don't think I'll have any trouble getting use to it(by the time season comes around I'll have over a 1000 rds thru it). I have used one just like it before. You do have to force your swing more on the crossing shots but it is a joy to carry.


For years I kept track of the number of shots per bird, miles walked, flushes per mile ect(2.8 shots per grouse 1.79per woodcock. I have note books full of facts. Now I just enjoy getting out and hunting them.

p dog shooter:

Right after I posted, I saw your post on another thread about owning a lot of doubles - and silently reddened in embarrassment at trying to "teach my grandmother how to suck eggs"!

My intentions were good. BTW, I took much comfort in your grouse hunting stats. (Never hunted woodcock, except sporadically. We had natives on the place and my mother forbade me to shoot them. (I was 15 and still obeying her!) and never really got into it later on. I did shoot at the top of the spiral and before they took off - and wondered why I often missed. It always was ruffed grouse for me. (years ago I remember some friends who raved about a 4 day grouse hunt in Wisconsin and always regretted that I never got there)

87 was most likey my best year I took over 90 birds that year.It was a peak year grouse all over the place, Had time to hunt ect. I limited out (5)bird limit several times that year.


Things change new job less vacation kids I don't get too hunt as hard grouse as I once did but it is still a great time getting the dog out and chaseing them around. This fall is looking up I don't have and major out of state hunting trips planned they can take up 2 weeks of good grouse hunting. But going to Ak or something is fun to.

Differant times in ones life differant things to do.

p dogshooter:

"I limited out (5) several times that year"

Even apart from the fact that you're from Wisconsin (I told you how some friends always raved about a grouse hunting trip there) I know you're a real grouse hunter from the above statement! On the few (very few!) occasions when I did it, I remember to this day what it felt like - and I was a teenager and that was back when dinosaurs walked the earth.

I remember the frist time I limited out with five grouse we use to have a 3 bird limit when I younger. I was schocked that one could actualy kill five in a day. It still awes me to do it.

One has to have lots of birds, be very lucky or have a very good day. It helps to have all three working for you. I have shot my limit on pheasants many a time that I do not keep track of them. A limit on grouse is a lot rarer I have stood at 4 a lot of days and hunted hard untill dark and never got it. Some times there just wasn't the bird to had others a missed shot or just unlucky hitting a tree at the flush.


But it is all fun getting a limit doesn't make the day it is just a added bonus somedays.

You East Coast guys crack me up. The wife, kid and I took 11 ruffies in 2 hrs one sunny afternoon last year. Like shooting fish in a barrel, gotta throw sticks at them to get them to fly! LOL!

Great to train pointers on, though, and they still eat very well. Dutch.

Thats nice you won't do that in Wis. I seen them like that in Canada,AK and out west. Your point is.


Just because game in some areas are as much of a challange doesn't mean that in other areas they are not fun to hunt.

Dog shooter, geez, lighten up! Things are not the same everywhere. Come on out one of these days, and I'll show you a TOUGH bird to hunt, i.e. the marvelous Alectoris chukar.

Seems like I average one ding in the stock, two blisters, three gallons of water, one set of shoe laces and one vet visit for every bird in the skillet!

Still like shooting ruffies, though. Yum! Dutch.

It sounds like fun. I wish I had more vaction time to use but it is all spoken for this year with hunts allready lined up. My nephew moved to Bosie last year so I might beable to do one of this years. But right now to many fun things to do and not enough time.

And yes the ruffs are great eating no matter how one shoots them.

p dog shooter:

I don't care what Dutch says. He can't be talking about our ruffed grouse. (I have seen spruce grouse that you could walk up to and knock off the tree limb. Maybe a spruce grouse?) Ruffed grouse might act like chickens in the Spring (I have been on Spring bear stands in Ontario where ruffed grouse clucked around me like barnyard chickens)but sure as heck not in Autumn! I think Dutch is simply envious of our "King of game birds" and trying to push his local chukar. I just take pity on him. (Excuse me now while I shut down and wait for the Western fire to die down)

p dog shooter:

Do you suppose Dutch might get real mad if I say that I think mule deer are dumb compared to our white tails? Yeah, I guess so. Think I'll go to the bomb shelter.

Gerald, I just can't believe that! Not only are our deer bigger than yours, they are plenty smart. I think you should offer me a chance to come hunt your whitetails to try and convince me! Dutch.

Dutch:

To be truthful, we now have so many white tails in my own state of NY and because we are not allowed to really cut them down in numbers, we have deer over running suburban lawns in day light munching on the foundation plantings. They seem smaller and certainly a hell of a lot less wary than the white tails I hunted years ago. I may owe you an apology. The white tails I was thinking about were from years ago. Can't make a joke about it because it's sad to see what once was perhaps the wariest animal in the woods now acting like the only thing he fears is somebody's lap dog yapping at him. (There just was no better testing of wits than still hunting, with a light snow on the ground, and covering about 100 yards in an hour of walking) Yes, your mule deer always were bigger. On a serious note, he doesn't seem to be as wary about being in open spaces as our white tails used to be. I just say that from casual observation and I wasn't watching them during the Fall. Good luck with deer hunting. I think you folks out there will do a better job managing your deer herds than we do in NY. (Don't get me wrong. We have a lot of good white tail hunting in our Catskill and Adiroundack "mountains". ( I put "mountains" in quotes because I have had too many Westerners openly sneer at me when they ask how high is our highest mountain here in NY. {Mt.Marcy, at a little over 5000 feet)

Gerald, 5000 ft is where the mountain STARTS, LOL!

Seriously, we certainly don't have the answer to deer management. Our mulies never did recover from the disastrous '92 winter. When you lose 80% or more, it's new territory. Plus, the elk are outcompeting the deer, and that doesn't help. Other than it helps getting an elk!

Somehow, though, for the hunter (as opposed to the competitive hunter), having more deer, and more opportunities to put meat in the freezer can't be all bad? FWIW, Dutch.

Dutch:

Will you please get in line and take a number as the latest Westerner to insult my "mountains"?


What the heck happened in the winter of '92 that could wipe out 80% of the mule deer herd? That sounds like a real catastrophe! What did you mean about elk "outcompeting" deer? If you like (since I guess I got away from the thread) send me a PM.

Hay guys I like hunting deer two in Wis I belive I'll be able to shoot 4 with out buying extra tags. Then as many extra tags I want to buy for 12 bucks each.


But then I thought we were talking grouse I think good bird hunting is nicer then deer hunting just for the plain enjoyment of things. But then I have never been know to pass up a good deer hunt. I just wish I had more time to do it all.

I refigued my vacation looks like I will Have another 9 days to use I just guess I'll have to break down and take a hunting trip horrors apond horrors.

p dog shooter:

How the heck do you guys get to shoot 4 deer (legally)in one season? I sure wish we could get some of you folks to come and educate our NY legislature. Even on "party permits" (shooting does) we can't shoot that many deer on one license - and we have deer, in broad daylight, munching on suburban house foundation plantings. In my own area of Long Island of NY I see supposedly full grown deer (I see spike horns) that look as if they weigh about 90 lbs. I'm not exaggerating. You'll just have to take my word for it but I do know how to estimate weight of a deer. As an old New Yorker who remembers what it was to hunt deer (and get skunked half the time)it's nice to read about Wisconsin and Utah about deer hunting.

Sorry, Dutch, I meant, Idaho, in the last post.

M1Tanker (Bill)

Some years ago my bear hunting guide in Ontario introduced me to his 80 something uncle. The guy rode around on an ATV and had a 22 rifle fastened across. I heard about him shooting grouse with a 22. These were real ruffed grouse. I was depressed for days.