# Ground swatting grouse



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

It's legal to take forest grouse off the ground or out of a tree in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. How do you feel about taking forest grouse that aren't airborne?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

You need to throw Colorado into this also. Here is it legal to use rifles, sling shots, pellet rifles, bows and arrows, and shotguns. 

Since I don't have a dog to find and retrieve a grouse that was airborne when he was shot I have no problems nailing them when ever I can. Be on the ground, or in trees.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

I didnt answer because my answer doesnt apply. Ive had grouse refuse to fly and just run on me. So my response is it is ethical so long as the bird is in motion. Not a huge fan of ground swatting a stationary bird. But if it runs, game on


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Critter said:


> You need to throw Colorado into this also. Here is it legal to use rifles, sling shots, pellet rifles, bows and arrows, and shotguns.
> 
> Since I don't have a dog to find and retrieve a grouse that was airborne when he was shot I have no problems nailing them when ever I can. Be on the ground, or in trees.


Ok, Colorado is in. I voted same as you.

Back where I come from the birds had to be airborne.

I bet the poll voting will be split, 50-50.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Bax* said:


> I didnt answer because my answer doesnt apply. Ive had grouse refuse to fly and just run on me. So my response is it is ethical so long as the bird is in motion. Not a huge fan of ground swatting a stationary bird. But if it runs, game on


Alright. I added that as a voting option.

I also made it where you can change your vote.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Dangit. I added a voting option and wiped out the votes up to that time. That's the second time I've done that!

Sorry, folks, about 7 members will have to vote again.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

I usually end up seeing them when I've got a bow in my hand. If they're in season I love to try to hit them in the eye with a judo point. If I miss it's usually a clean miss. If I hit the bird it's usually a dead one. 

I cant ever find em when I've got my dog and a shotgun... O|*


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## manzquad (Feb 10, 2010)

'Ok' being legal or not and 'ethical/unethical' at two seperate deals. One will get usually get you a ticket if caught, the other will get you laughed at by your buddies. So is it ok???? Sure it is. Is it ethical........ Thats the real question, and certainly a personal preference. 
If I was planning on eating grouse while hiking and I only have seen one sitting in a tree all day, an hour before sun down, you bet I would take it.
If i was out for the day to soley hunt them, I would shake the tree until i flew


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## guner (Sep 25, 2007)

You know.... it's amazing how much a shot shell will "Shake" one out of the tree :lol:


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## Bret (Sep 7, 2007)

I choose to only shoot them in the air. I hunt them with pointing dogs. The point, flush, and shot is why I hunt them. Though I do not understand what thrill or challenge someone could possibly get from ground swatting....it is legal ...to each his own.


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

I'll pound them on the ground or in the trees if that's where I find them...

What can I say? I like to eat grouse.


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## gpskid (Jul 24, 2012)

Wow what a mess Thomas has started
How can everyone else dish it out and still be on UWN ?
Leave it at that

Everybody has a right to do it as they see it, I personally like to call them thunder chickens as they bolt from under ur dog or feet, yes I have shot them on the limb once, this one dumb f...... tormented my dogs to no end, I finally popped him with my Taurus Judge with a load of 3 in 4.10.

As I see it kill'em when u see 'em if thats ur style and laugh about it, if thats the best u can do.

Utah doesn't allow u to shoot Turkey from the roost

The Kid


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

I like to carry a slingshot in my pack while hunting big game just in case I have a chance to bring home some tasty camp meat. There's nothing better in this world than fresh grouse roasted over a fire, its juicy meat dripping and sizzling... :\Ou:

Other than that I prefer to hunt the birds with my dogs and shoot them on the wing. To each their own. I don't care how _you_ do it.

Remember, fellow archers, grouse season doesn't begin until September.


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

This is a funny little thread when you look at it. It really goes to show how people hunt.

Im not saying one person is right or wrong, but interesting to see who does what. Maybe it even shows who you would want to hunt with?

I for one, still want to give the animal a sporting chance. Im hunting, not target shooting


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

I like to give them just as sporting a chance as the chicken down at the grocery store. I like to get up close and blast them in the head at close range with a full choke 12 gage. Then I don't have to pick pellets out of the breast meat.


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## TAK (Sep 9, 2007)

50bmg at 900 yards! Cleaned and cooked all in one!!!! :mrgreen:


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

TAK said:


> 50bmg at 900 yards! Cleaned and cooked all in one!!!! :mrgreen:


Even with quality optics, I dont know if I could see a grouse at that distance. It would blend in so well


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

So you "limbers" also shoot ducks on the water?


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

gdog said:


> So you "limbers" also shoot ducks on the water?


Uh.....only with my BB gun on a golf course.

Is that legal?


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## gpskid (Jul 24, 2012)

I'll let my grandson try and shoot them off a limb



















8)


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Good grief, be careful, you'll put your eye out!

great pics


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)

I voted limb, or ground swatting, with archery or pistol. It is pretty well exclusively archery equipment these days, but I used to pick heads off with an old Ruger three screw. Like Tex-o-Bob said, aim for the eye, at least when in range. With a shotgun, its on the wing, I like .410s.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I just checked the Utah regs and if you plan on using a pistol it needs to be loaded with 1/2 oz or more of shot with the size of the shot being 2-8.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Critter said:


> I just checked the Utah regs and if you plan on using a pistol it needs to be loaded with 1/2 oz or more of shot with the size of the shot being 2-8.


No .22 shorts!

Is a BB gun OK?

Hey, my neighbor and I reloaded a bunch of .357s and .44 mags with 7 1/2 shot and those CCI plastic cup thingies for our revolvers. So you take a shot and plastic cups on the rounds on either side of the barrel blow off and all the shot falls on your hand. And after one shot, it takes a week to clean your barrel.

Uh...I thought it was a cool story....maybe it's the way I tell it.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

.22 shorts


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I usually carry one bird arrow in my quiver:


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

wyogoob said:


> .22 shorts


22 Shorts


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

yer killin me Bax*


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## bwhntr (Sep 12, 2007)

I absolutely love eating forest grouse. For me there isn't much sport in killing them whether they are on the ground or in the air. Grouse are stupid. Hunting them with my dogs is ok, but being a birddogger it's not the hunt we live for. I have to agree with Tex and Lonetree, nothing really funner than killing them through the eye with traditional archery equipment. Probably the one thing I actually use my long bow for.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here for those that don't consider it fair to shoot them while they are on the ground is, what about turkeys? They can fly so wouldn't it be more sporting to shoot them on the wing also?


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

wyogoob said:


> I usually carry one bird arrow in my quiver:


That's what I use. Works pretty well.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

UtahHuntingDirect said:


> wyogoob said:
> 
> 
> > I usually carry one bird arrow in my quiver:
> ...


Yeah, they don't fly away after being hit with that.

It goes without saying you can't use a graphite arrow. Has to be aluminum.


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## Johnson1040 (Jul 31, 2012)

I hunt grouse with a Brittany and to me, shooting a bird flushed on point is a huge thrill. That being said, to each his own. I know people say that "if it runs like a rabbit, shoot it like a rabbit" and that is OK.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Grouse in Utah are not what they are in other states. They are dumb, and often way too trusting of humans. With that said, they often don't fly, and if they do, its only a few feet to get into the tree above them. Very few grouse, at least in my experience, will flush and fly a long distance. I am happy to shoot at them OTW when the opportunity presents itself, but it rarely happens. It doesn't bother me to shoot them on the ground, or in a tree because of this. 

I might also add that the most birds I have ever shot in a day of hunting grouse is 2. Like Tex, when I go out after grouse, I rarely find them. So when I do, I take them however I can get them. If they were easy to come by, I might focus more on the sport of it, but since I don't see too many birds, I don't worry too much about that. 

As for the comment about water swatting ducks, its a different story with waterfowl. Ducks flush easily, so that comparison is apples-to-oranges. Same would apply to quail, chukars, and pheasants. Or even sage hens for that matter. Turkey's are different from even these birds also. Turkeys are so large that a wing shot would likely just cripple them, and they wouldnt be recovered.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

If the dogs point them....I shoot them. I've got a young dog this year, so his training is more important to me then birds in the vest. Bird exposure is my goal....birds in vest just means things are going right.

I hope this fall is better then last and there's enough to be had on the wing or in a tree if you so choose....good luck.


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## Lonetree (Dec 4, 2010)

So far it is looking up from last fall. Looks like lots of large broods in many areas.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Last pine chicken I took, I whacked it in the head with a stick and knocked it silly. then I stepped on its head and ended it. I figure that any game bird you can kill with a stick in hand, isn't much of a sporting game no matter how you look at it. We poked it and chased it a few times trying to get it to fly and it just wouldn't fly. So we hit it hard enough to knock it down. Very tasty roasted on the end of a stick over an open camp fire.


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## TEX-O-BOB (Sep 12, 2007)

They dont call em "Fools Hens" for nuthin...


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

gdog said:


> So you "limbers" also shoot ducks on the water?


Just other people's decoys.


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## muleylove (Aug 6, 2012)

I generally take my 4 year old AND my 20 month old grouse hunting with me. I'll shoot them however I can when they are with me. Plus if the birds arn't flying away with my kids making all their noise them I'm improving the gene pool.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

muleylove said:


> I generally take my 4 year old AND my 20 month old grouse hunting with me. I'll shoot them however I can when they are with me. Plus if the birds arn't flying away with my kids making all their noise them I'm improving the gene pool.


The kid's gene pool, or the bird's gene pool?


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## muleylove (Aug 6, 2012)

wyogoob said:


> muleylove said:
> 
> 
> > I generally take my 4 year old AND my 20 month old grouse hunting with me. I'll shoot them however I can when they are with me. Plus if the birds arn't flying away with my kids making all their noise them I'm improving the gene pool.
> ...


I think that's only improving the grouse gene pool since I'm not taking out stupid humans, but I'd like to think I'm helping out society by producing socially responsible people who can also hunt for their food and who will also help fight for our gun rights


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## TAK (Sep 9, 2007)

Bax* said:


> TAK said:
> 
> 
> > 50bmg at 900 yards! Cleaned and cooked all in one!!!! :mrgreen:
> ...


Notice the green face....

But one time at "Elk Camp" I seen a kid kill 4 of them with a ROCK! One of them even feel on the tent! For the record it was more than one rock!


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## shaun larsen (Aug 5, 2011)

gdog said:


> So you "limbers" also shoot ducks on the water?


Hell yes!! They are much easier to hit


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## A-Weezy (Jun 27, 2011)

All this grouse hunting business has been gettin heated.. Makes for a very interesting read. I know I have ground sloshed a few in my lifetime. It's not something That I practice. I just hope that all the people who always shoot them on the ground actually eat them. Grouse are not a trophy bird. Don't hunt them if your not going to eat them.


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## ram2h2o (Sep 11, 2007)

Nothing wrong with taking a skillet shot on a grouse!


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## stimmie78 (Dec 8, 2007)

I shoot them on the ground.... And I eat them all too. Grouse fajitas are delicious! I do my best to aim a tad high so as not to ruin their delicious meat.... Grouse hunt is too far away.. it's going to be a long week waiting for it to come....


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## xxxxxxBirdDogger (Mar 7, 2008)

As for the eating...

A few years ago I cooked a batch of grouse and chicken, then made my wife do a blind taste test. She sampled both and said, "I definitely like _this_ one better!"

I replied, "You definitely like _grouse_ better!"

Forest grouse are delicious.


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

stimmie78 said:


> Grouse fajitas are delicious!


 :O||: :EAT:


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## Oblivion5888 (Sep 12, 2011)

Personally, I've only been grouse hunting twice in my life. On both occasions, the only shot that was presented to me was a ground shot. I killed them all. You know why? Because I Looooove Grouse, they are some of the best wild game out there. I see nothing wrong with ground shooting them as long as I eat em.


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## Semaj3 (Aug 22, 2011)

I can't say I have never shot one on the ground or in a tree but I always try to wing shoot them. Like most others have said they are delicious and one of my favorite things to eat in the forest. I can't wait for the hunt to open.


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## Hbarber (Nov 28, 2011)

If you are wanting to go home and eat it, whats the difference? If we were trying to be completly sporting why not use spears on our elk hunts with points made out of rock? I like to fly fish and that could be cosidered more sporting by some rather than using powerbait and super strong lines. I don't put the powerbaiters down for it. I think the important part is if it is legal or not. I don't shoot turkeys off the roost, it isn't legal. I might do it if it was allowed. I also don't make deer run before I shoot at them but I could if I wanted to be more spoting. Enjoy your hunt and keep it legal.


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

GaryFish said:


> Last pine chicken I took, I whacked it in the head with a stick and knocked it silly. then I stepped on its head and ended it. I figure that any game bird you can kill with a stick in hand, isn't much of a sporting game no matter how you look at it. We poked it and chased it a few times trying to get it to fly and it just wouldn't fly. So we hit it hard enough to knock it down. Very tasty roasted on the end of a stick over an open camp fire.


 Frank Burns did that with a squirrel


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## SR-1 (Jan 9, 2011)

The real question you should ask is, does a grouse taste the same if he was shot in the air or off the ground or out of a tree? I have no problem shooting them off the ground or out of a tree, but I prefer them to be in the air before I shoot.


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## Bscuderi (Jan 2, 2012)

Hell I'm going to eat it so why get bbs in its meat?? Why increase the odds of injuring a bird that gets away? I put it a couple inches above its head and squeeze the trigger! No bbs and I don't think twice about it once it's in the crockpot! I think it's more ethical that way. Hell hunting the
Without a dog and if I'm able to see the things before they fly for as well as they blend in I say it's fair game. Who knows how many I walk right by... As far as I'm concerned they may be stupid but when I'm in there home they has the advantage.


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

What ever is legal- I just can't shoot a bird in the tree nor on the ground. Just not part of "hunting" as I see it.
It's a whole lot more than meat on the table. Some of my best times have been DOG 5- Me 0.


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## 90redryder (Oct 10, 2011)

If I can kill it with little or no shot in the breast then you better believe im gonna take that opportunity. Sometimes those buggers just wont fly, and besided the whole point of hunting them is so you can eat them. Nailing one on the ground is the best way to ensure you dont ruin any meat.


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## justheli82 (Oct 12, 2012)

I'm with manzquad. if I am out hunting grouse to hunt grouse they must be airborne to fire at them, however it is quite challanging to hit them with a bow, but if you do get one, elk/deer hunt bonus! on rifel hunts I like to pack my 410 contender pistol in my day pack that makes for a fun shot.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I really didn't think the voting would go this way. I seriously thought it would be split 50-50.


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

I will shoot them however I get the opportunity. I LOVE the meat and to me the challenge is in finding them. Once I hike 3 miles back and finally see one, I'm not giving that little bugger any chance of getting away. Like I said I hunt more for the meat than the thrill of hitting a flying bird.


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

missed one today that the dog pointed and it was perched on a log- I waited until it flew and missed- the bird won-
just the way it is. Shooting in the log for meat- that's what the store at the mouth of the canyon is for.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Packfish said:


> missed one today that the dog pointed and it was perched on a log- I waited until it flew and missed- the bird won-
> just the way it is. Shooting in the log for meat- that's what the store at the mouth of the canyon is for.


What store are you visiting that have grouse meat for sale?

-DallanC


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

Grouse Food King


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## COWAN (Oct 7, 2012)

I hunt grouse with a .410 over under sometimes with and without my dog, sometimes in the air, very very few times on the ground. I do prefer to let them fly, it's challenging with a .410.


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## Mallardhead12 (Oct 17, 2011)

I hunt them for food. I dont care where they are. just my 2 cents -/MH12


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## woollybugger (Oct 13, 2007)

He didn't mind shooting this one out of a tree.


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