Wind River Range or Big Horns Blue Grouse

[NR_Hunter]

people tell me blue grouse are dumb and just jump into a tree and let you shoot them, but they sure as hell didn’t do that for me! Maybe my out of control dog had something to do with it

 

[Birdbander]

That's been my experience too @NR_Hunter

 

[El Jason]

people tell me blue grouse are dumb and just jump into a tree and let you shoot them, but they sure as hell didn’t do that for me! Maybe my out of control dog had something to do with it

Without a dog around, they truly are dumb as a post. With a dog, I’d put them on par with a late season rooster pheasant in terms of skittishness.

 

[Wyoming270]

I call them Blue Grouse also. I have been hunting Blue Grouse in the high country of Eastern Washington for the last 30 years. My go-to 12-gauge round is a Remington 3 1/4 - 1 1/4 - 6 shot. I aim for the head at close range. When those big birds get up and start locking their wings down the mountain, this round has what is needed to drop them at a reasonable distance. Just as deadly is my Ruger 10-22. If they are out of shotgun range (or really close), my 10-22 is called the (Grouse Slayer) for a reason. I switch to 7 1/2 rounds when I drop into Ruff Grouse Country.

Half ounce of #9 shot in a .410 shotgun is over kill ....

 

[Blue Steel]

In certain areas blues get wiped out by good ol boys driving on closed USFS roads while crushing Keystone light. Or by lsheepherders on National Forest opening season up a little early for their camp meat.

In other areas blues I bump are fairly spooky -- flush 50+ yards out, maybe more jittery due to larger number of predators. Same with ruffed in the same and adjacent areas. Or sometimes I'm the dumb one, walking past a large tamarack or big pine that has some blues higher up in it, and they wait until I pass by to fly out the opposite direction. Good for them I guess, makes things more challengling.

 

[Elmacho]

A 20 ga and FAST 3/4 oz of 7.5 shot dumps them too. Less damage to the meat.

I hope I get to go this year

 

[Mustangs Rule]

This is going to sound dumb, but I've gone to the Winds for years to hunt grouse. I've shot loads of ruffed grouse but never a blue grouse. Sadly its the only Wyoming upland bird I hadn't found anyone have any advice for in the Winds or Big Horns? At this point I'm even willing to trade way points, which sounds desperate.

Ruffed grouse are smaller and have a different predator escape method. I hunt ruffed grouse as you might expect. 20 gauge SXS double. Flush, then wing shots.

Blue grouse are larger and skulkers. I still hunt them as I still hunt white tails in thick cover. My glasses are 6x30. Once set for my eyes, never need refocusing the depth of field is so infinite.

Legal where I live, I use a vintage Remington 511 Score master ,22 with original aperture sights.

Head shots are too tricky, I just shoot at the high base of the neck.

I move very slowly and am always looking.