Shooting chickens

[dragonslayer]

How many hunters out there are shooting chickens (grouse) when they are hunting big game. I for one do not shoot chickens because I am always leary of shooting chickens or anything because I might scare all the big game away for miles, they most certainly know that something is up. Hard enough to get elk, deer, moose, or anything when blasting is going on.

[chris26262]

When hunting is slow I pass the time shooting chickens. If I'm on my quad for sure ill blast away... Not like I'm worried too much about noise at that point.

[bigdaddy]

i usually shoot about 10 a year.i never take em in the morning, only on my way back to camp or while out afternoon scouting.

[upcomer]

Ditto as above

[Livewire322]

I don't really care about the noise normally. I sometimes will resist the urge to kill a quick meal, but that's rare!
My moose this year was shot 20 minutes after shooting a grouse on the way into a slash, as we exited the slash the bull stepped onto the road!

It's like some people say hunting in the afternoon is bogus cause the animals aren't active... Yet I've shot 75% of my animals at 12 noon ish:mrgreen:

[beni]

I think my grandfather and I have more fun shooting chickens than anything else!!

Always a blast, we will shoot them while on our way to/from our different areas.

[Steeleco]

How many of us have shot an animal in a group to have the rest of the group just stand their dumbfounded? I know I have, if the animal is going to be that spooked, your not going to see it anyhow.

Chickens always get taken when possible on the way in and the way out of the area I'm hunting.

[buck nash]

Sometimes a bird in the hand is worth a deer in the bush

[elkdom]

why would deer, moose, elk simply RUNNNNNNNN from the sound of a gunshot ??
ever observed deer, moose or elk during a thunder storm ??
I HAVE many times,,,,,,! they ignore IT!

but a moose will run from a shot-gun discharging several hundred feet away ???:neutral:

some peoples concepts?? :? :?,, double DUH !

[Island Idiots]

Grouse is my favorite game animal to eat. I will shoot grouse every chance I get. Lemon grouse, Mmmmmmm,

[Big G Hunter]

I pesonally shoot chickens every chance I get except when I'm really close to my honey hole. Did once shoot 3 birds when I was getting out of the truck to walk into my favorite moose hunting meadow. Walked in about 500 yds from the road and budddy and I got a double header 30 min later.

[finngun]

Grouse is my favorite game animal to eat......mee too......lowe grouse wingshooting...they go very fast

[Jelvis]

It's impossible to hit a grouse when flying. I sold my grouse guns to a cop, a .22 and a .410. Kind of regret it now.
Now that the registry is done like dinner.
I don't want to use my .30 caliber for grouse. I have shot a big blue out of a tree with it.
Jel .. You could shoot a grouse and scare a B&C buck away around the bushes. You would never know lol.

[mjmbc]

if your worried about spooking game shoot em with subsonic 22s they work great

[bearhunter338-06]

I shoot grouse anytime I get a chance. I love going for a quad rid in the evenings just for grouse and do a little scouting.

[blackwater moose]

if i know there is big game close to where i am i resist the urge to shoot "chichen", if not , yum yum

[TheProvider]

Thats why I love my bow ;)

[bigslim]

Slingshot works well not great success rate, but fun and quite. Shot a grouse with my 300 mag. a few years back hunting with my son as I was walking down the road to recover my kill, my son points into the slash and asked why I don't shoot that buck standing there with some does. First shot at the buck clean miss, if your counting gun holds 3 shells 1 at grouse 1 miss only 1 left, deer making a good effort to put some ground between us. Bang-flop!! just like I planned

[Str8shooterbc]

It's impossible to hit a grouse when flying. I sold my grouse guns to a cop, a .22 and a .410. Kind of regret it now.
Now that the registry is done like dinner.
I don't want to use my .30 caliber for grouse. I have shot a big blue out of a tree with it.
Jel .. You could shoot a grouse and scare a B&C buck away around the bushes. You would never know lol.

"It's impossible to hit a grouse when flying."

?????? :-D

[timberhunter]

I use my 40 cal flinter for shooting chickens. 25 grains of 3f and a 98 grain round ball is pretty quiet. Plus its a blast shooting flintlocks anytime.

[smokey]

i let my sons shoot the chicken with the 22 and 410,if it scares a deer away,oh well at least they get a chance to shoot an animal and be proud of it

[835]

It is all in what floats YOUR boat. I am in the bush for not just one reason. Hell i even go fishing sometimes on my big trips out! I just love to be there and a bird in the hand is better then 2 in the bush.

The only time i dont shoot them is day break, thats because at day break im sitting down watching the sun come up over whatever the hell im looking at, with my .270

[Downwind]

How many hunters out there are shooting chickens (grouse) when they are hunting big game. I for one do not shoot chickens because I am always leary of shooting chickens or anything because I might scare all the big game away for miles, they most certainly know that something is up. Hard enough to get elk, deer, moose, or anything when blasting is going on.

Well this year I popped a grouse, didn't notice that there was another one. Walked back to the truck for a second shell. Shot the second grouse. Proceeded to clean them on to look up to see an immy walk out on the road a hundred yards ahead of me. Grabbed the rifle and dropped him too! I think the shooting brought him out of the cut block and saved me having to hike in there to drag him out after! These animals are used to the sounds of humans (chain saws, vehicles, etc.) Now I'm not saying that it couldn't scare them off and I when I'm hiking I leave the grouse alone but if I'm driving down roads I don't worry about it too much.

[Ddog]

never pass chickens when i have the opportunity, a small 22 shot will never scare the game away, never had it happen and doubt i ever will. i will always shoot a chicken if it presents a shot.
love chicken

[Bow Walker]

I will always shoot one - if it presents a shot opportunity.

But then again, I'm bow-hunting 99% of the time and it's easy to pop one with a blunt or a judo point.

[Rhyla]

I'll shoot a grouse while out hunting other game regardless if it's morning or later in the day - they're tasty. I'd rather take home a grouse than take home nothing "just in case" I might have startled something nearby.

[goatdancer]

Shooting grouse does NOT scare deer and moose. A few years ago I shot a white tail doe and about 3 minutes later a 4 point buck was right there checking for his lady. Too many old wives tales floating around.

[BillyBull]

Like the others have already mentioned, I to will pop a grouse when out hunting for larger game. Have had various times when I was out big blue hunting and had to switch over to a slug when I looked over my shoulder to see that nice mulie. Or running the saw and plinking in camp and have a nice family of moose stroll in to see what all the ruckus is.... How many times have you shot a buck or bull only to have an animal or two stick around. Now the one thing I will say is that there are a couple of spots in BC where a shot is like a dinner bell to the grizzly or wolves hanging around, so its not that you have to worry everyone has left, but more who is coming for dinner. [8>)

[Marlin375]

Years ago I passed on grouse before the deer and moose hunting was "done for the day".

Today I truly don't think it makes a bit of difference, in fact I have bumped both Moose and Deer out of bed chasing the runners that get away after the shootout.

Sometimes you need to "make something happen" when things get quite. Just don't get too far away from your big gun, on foot with my 358win I have a few lead-ball loads with 7.5g of W231 (it is like a sling shot) and about the same noise as a 22 short.

[Moose Guide]

If I am hunting elk I wont even shoot deer unless they are big!

[hunter1993ap]

If I am hunting elk I wont even shoot deer unless they are big!

me too, last year i passed a really good deer and now i sorta regret it........ but grouse get shot if i have a grouse gun and am on the road. i dont shoot grouse when im hiking.

[hunter1947]

I carry my .22 repeater with me all the time now ,I did not start shooting grouse till mid Oct last year big mistake at this time of the year there where less of them around and they get smarter as the weeks go by after seeing there sisters and brothers getting a hole put in them as Nov rolled around and the weather got colder and snow on the ground I did not see anymore grouse around very scarce.

I the early opening season I saw up to 6 in a cubby and I could walk right up to them without them flying away this year will be different I will be shooting them when the season opens up will get some very nice chickens into my freezer for the year to come...

[Singleshotneeded]

I shoot grouse in the afternoon and evening as well, when I'm deer hunting.

[coach]

How many of us have shot an animal in a group to have the rest of the group just stand their dumbfounded? I know I have, if the animal is going to be that spooked, your not going to see it anyhow.

Chickens always get taken when possible on the way in and the way out of the area I'm hunting.

I've seen it many times. I've posted this video before, but it kind of fits with the point you are making. Click on picture to play video.

http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy154/coach108/th_R3mulie1.jpg (http://s787.photobucket.com/albums/yy154/coach108/?action=view&current=R3mulie1.mp4)