Will do! Should be fun. If work lets me off anyway. I want to take Monday off but it's a bit crazy... down some staff, trying to hire a couple guys and got one guy out with medical issues... if he doesn't come back this week I might have to cover the weekend. If all goes well, it will be the one weekend of the year I can sync up with my brother for a hunt. Figure we whack some birdies during the day but also considering going after the bear I saw last weekend. I've been thinking about him. Younger looking bear, nice coat and full of berries... sooo tempting. Anything could happen.
with my old shotgun I used to shoot 71/2 mod choke for grouse...I would use #6 for early ducks and #4 for later in the season when the ducks had thicker feathers...sometimes a few #6 would end up getting used for grouse but I would usually have a 71/2 in the tube with a #6 second or third one out (longer shot in flight)
pretty simple 6 or 7.5
"BORN TO HUNT"
Foxton's Cuervo Gold "KEELA" Oct. 2004-June 2017. Always in my blind and my heart.
I ended up buying a variety (#5, #6 and #7.5) in varying weights and velocity. I'll see what I like best. It will probably be the #5 this time (1 1/8oz, 1200fps) around but I think my ideal load would be a #6 1oz 1200fps... they just didn't have any this time around.
Being easy on the ears (don't always get my plugs in) and not too many pellets in the breast (using #4 1oz 1200fps didn't get pellets in the breast half the time and when I did it was 1 or 2 max... only complaint was missing completely sometimes) is what I'm after. I have enough pockets, so might as well experiment
Full choke 7.5 to the head. #6 if farther out and I get right pocket.
Last edited by SSG-man; 10-11-2018 at 11:33 PM.
The #5 seemed to work pretty good. I popped 3 of them. One on the ground, one in a tree and winged another.
I missed a couple though which was frustrating. One on the ground... was waiting for him to walk out from behind a tree... saw the head poke out and went for it. Should have waited longer. Another I have no excuse for. He was just chilling on 4 the o'clock sun oblivious to me. I took a shot from around 25 yards with the #5, miss. He didn't even move. Ran back to the jeep and grabbed a 6 and 7.5. Jacked in the 6 and he was onto me. Took another shot and he flew into a tree close by. Jacked in a 7.5 and took another shot, then he flew way off. No idea what the heck happened. Took my time and thought I had him lined up perfectly. I picture a grouse shaped gap in the shot pattern on all sizes or he had some kind of body armor lol
How does one miss 3x with a scatter gun and 7.5? Elmer Fudd here!!
Lmao right now my grandpa used to say grouse were wearing flack jackets all the time if he missed
Wow caddisguy i really enjoy all your posts but i think you are seriously overthinking the situation! Hunting ditch chicken isn't a science. Just grab whatever shells are handy or rolling around in the glove box and pull the trigger.