What to use for grouse

[WAB]

Agree with the above comments on chukar. I use 7’s (not 7 1/2’s but actually English 6’s). 1 oz loads at high velocity in a 12 ga works well for me.

 

[jeanes]

Thanks for the info.

 

[leslie hetrick]

i use a older browning citori upland special in 20 ga with 26" barrels and one oz # 7.5 with a imp-mod chokes.

 

[Tra3]

.22 LR or a .22 pistol. A 20 bore works, but can be messy.
I am always in awe at how good grouse camo works. When they stop moving, unless they are in the open, they just disappear.

The other answer to this question is: salt and pepper. They are delicious when fresh, hardly any seasoning needed.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

USA bird hunting sounds really special. The covers of the 1950's Field and Stream's always fearured a boy with his dad or grandpa out shooting ducks or other birds with the old dog in attendance. Sometimes there was a cabin in the background with smoke coming from the chimney and a whitetail looking on from the woods. It was that imagery that prompted the acqusition of old Esmeralda, our 1941 Chevvy pickup.

 

[Velo Dog]

Chukar ?
Yes.
In case you know anyone who gives a red haired rat’s tail, chukar happen to be ol’ Velo Dog’s favorite game bird.

They are “true flyers” = they rise and then level off, very similar to pheasant.
This in direct conflict to the whipping this way and that, such as, wood cock, ruffed grouse and quail often do in thick cover.
Since Chukar seem to have originated in the Middle East, I strongly suspect they are the “Biblical Quail” described in the book of Exodus.

Anywhooo, I have shot these in Nevada and California with 12, 16 and 28 gauge guns.
In this case, all side by sides.
My favorite for chukar (and pheasant) has always been 16 bore / #6 shot in the open choke barrel and #4 in the tight choke barrel.

At any rate, IMO chukar are soft / not difficult to crumple, except at longer ranges, where #4 lead from a full choke is quite handy.
Also, chukar are wonderful eating fowl, wonderful indeed they are.
If I am ever blessed to own a farm, I should like to raise Chukar as one would raise common chickens, and enjoy both the meat and the eggs as well.

Compared to spruce grouse, chukar flesh is light of color and much more in flavor than many other birds.
I have enjoyed them skewered on a stick, roasted over a sage fire, stewed in a crock pot with shallots and various seasonings, and simmered until tender, deboned and the stock made into gravy, the whole affair served with biscuits on top as “chukar and dumplings”.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Chukar ?
Yes.
In case you know anyone who gives a red haired rat’s tail, chukar happen to be ol’ Velo Dog’s favorite game bird.

They are “true flyers” = they rise and then level off, very similar to pheasant.
This in direct conflict to the whipping this way and that, such as, wood cock, ruffed grouse and quail often do in thick cover.
Since Chukar seem to have originated in the Middle East, I strongly suspect they are the “Biblical Quail” described in the book of Exodus.

Anywhooo, I have shot these in Nevada and California with 12, 16 and 28 gauge guns.
In this case, all side by sides.
My favorite for chukar (and pheasant) has always been 16 bore / #6 shot in the open choke barrel and #4 in the tight choke barrel.

At any rate, IMO chukar are soft / not difficult to crumple, except at longer ranges, where #4 lead from a full choke is quite handy.
Also, chukar are wonderful eating fowl, wonderful indeed they are.
If I am ever blessed to own a farm, I should like to raise Chukar as one would raise common chickens, and enjoy both the meat and the eggs as well.

Compared to spruce grouse, chukar flesh is light of color and much more in flavor than many other birds.
I have enjoyed them skewered on a stick, roasted over a sage fire, stewed in a crock pot with shallots and various seasonings, and simmered until tender, deboned and the stock made into gravy, the whole affair served with biscuits on top as “chukar and dumplings”.

Sounds wonderful Velo Dog, yes try to raise them. I kept a covey af African quail in an aviary, the most prolific layers and breeders, and pickled quail eggs are divine.

 

[Vashper]

Asian chukar is called keklik or kekelik. It is found in Asia and around the Black Sea, and in the Balkans it borders on the European Chukar. They do not differ in appearance, but they say that the voice is different. I hunted him, but unsuccessfully, along with hunting a migratory woodcock. Very decorative bird, on takeoff. But it takes off far. Apparently, like the gray partridge, you need to hunt until October. I once had guys from Tajikistan working for me, and one of them, Ahmed, was an avid hunter. He said that the keklik always flies down the hill, and goes up at a run. Looks like it. It seemed to me that the gun should be a 12-gauge, and even a magnum, although it is not very easy to carry

 

[WAB]

That sounds like chukar all right! Run up, fly down. Some of the areas I hunted them in Wyoming had Hungarian or grey partridge as well. Makes for a very interesting day.

 

[Boyd Brooks]

I use a cast iron frying pan, with a little butter and oil for my grouse!
Cut into strips with a little Henny Penny dredge then into the pan, yum yum!

 

[Nevada Mike]

That sounds like chukar all right! Run up, fly down. Some of the areas I hunted them in Wyoming had Hungarian or grey partridge as well. Makes for a very interesting day.

I have hunted chukars in Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho and Washington state. I often find Hungarian partridge, valley quail, and blue grouse in many of the same areas while chukar hunting. Can make for a heavy bag and a lot of fun.

Yes, they run like desert quail, fly down and around the hills and ridges, offering tricky shooting. I often find them on public land with very little hunting pressure. These birds are a great resource for the Western bird hunter.

 

[Vashper]

Velodog, I still think that the birds in the Exodus are more like quails, for one reason: during the migration, they are easy to get with a torch and a net. In Turkey, poachers just beat them with sticks, and they are very cheap in the market. Any partridge is more difficult to get, just less of it, although during the hunt for quail, along the way-why not. The net is about a foot or two in diameter, without a bag. Previously, a bell was used in Georgia, allegedly it lured birds. Now, of course, electronic decoys, or just open the doors in the car and record the voice at full power on audio equipment.

 

[Velo Dog]

Velodog, I still think that the birds in the Exodus are more like quails, for one reason: during the migration, they are easy to get with a torch and a net. In Turkey, poachers just beat them with sticks, and they are very cheap in the market. Any partridge is more difficult to get, just less of it, although during the hunt for quail, along the way-why not. The net is about a foot or two in diameter, without a bag. Previously, a bell was used in Georgia, allegedly it lured birds. Now, of course, electronic decoys, or just open the doors in the car and record the voice at full power on audio equipment.

Very interesting.
I just learned something.
Thank you for that.

 

[Ravensview]

I have gotten a few roughed grouse with my longbow shooting blunts and flu flu arrows, makes for some fun hunting, I did make the mistake once while elk hunting in Colorado of shooting a blue grouse with one of my broad heads, well it locked its wings and sailed down the side of the mountain, that was a long hike down but I did eventually find it, I think I burned more calories getting that meal than the grouse gave me back, but it sure tasted good over the fire.

 

[WAB]

I have hunted chukars in Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho and Washington state. I often find Hungarian partridge, valley quail, and blue grouse in many of the same areas while chukar hunting. Can make for a heavy bag and a lot of fun.

Yes, they run like desert quail, fly down and around the hills and ridges, offering tricky shooting. I often find them on public land with very little hunting pressure. These birds are a great resource for the Western bird hunter.

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We had a spot in Wyoming we called chukar mountain. We hunted it once per year, the joke being that it took a year to forget how dangerous it was before going back. Little buggers rim rocked my buddy. He jammed his gun into a crack in the cliff and froze on it. I had to climb up hand over hand and guide him down. It was a beautiful Belgium SXS 16 ga and it looked like he’d dragged it behind the truck.

The mountain was literally crawling with chukar or we’d have just abandoned it.

 

[Firebird]

Biblical quails were most likely pharaohs or coturnix quail-which do lay an egg daily and are very common in captivity. Falconers and dog trainers love them.
chukars also very common in captivity-short egg laying period in the spring. Prone to coccidiosis and cannibalism but otherwise easy and very pleasant to raise. Energetic and quiet and fairly tame, sometimes eat out of your hand. One of my favorites to hunt as well. 16 or 20 gauge and sixes would be my choice.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

Late to this thread... I carry a Savage 24V-A. The 20 gauge works on and has accounted for grouse, ptarmigan, hares, and cacklers. I am still hoping to connect on a caribou with the .30-30.