losing Ruffed grouse

[Vancouver1234]

Hey everyone, fairly new to grouse hunting, actually my second season. Hunting out of region 2...anyway I have had some success but my only problem is I have lost a couple. Walking along a trail I spotted one flushed it to a tree and shot it right out of the tree, it was fluttering around like crazy on the ground...a definite hit. But by the time I put my gun down and safety on to hike down the embankment I could not find the grouse anywhere I looked for like 30 minutes and this happened twice...has this ever happened to anyone else? Thanks for your time

[B-rad]

Some grouse when wounded or even on their last breath will push for some kind of depression or hollow,,,,even if it's only a couple feet from where you shot them,,,,,always check root entanglements in thick brush or even a hollowed out end of a fallin tree

[adriaticum]

What B-rad says. They will burrow into the first hole they find. I had to pull one out this year.

[one-shot-wonder]

One of the many benefits of hunting with man's best friend is you they will not only find those hard to see grouse but they will go into the bush and bring them back to you......not sure what advise I can give you other than take a dog hunting!

[goatdancer]

Sometimes they get into real thick crap and are almost impossible to find. They blend in really well. They can run and crawl quite a distance, even when hit. Head shots will stop them from disappearing.

[BiG Boar]

Get a dog.

[fearnodeer]

It happens to a lot of us that don't have dogs, would take more than a lost grouse for me to get a dog.

[BRvalley]

it's just part of the hunt, it'll happen now and then

[Chopper]

Ya put the shotgun bead right on top of there head ... no more running

[Sasqman]

I find when I flush into the bushes and tress they disappear into another dimension................