Sharptail grouse late season tactic #2
Everyone who has hunted sharptail grouse (sharpies) both early and late season will tell you there is a huge difference in the approach.
Early season sharpies will hold almost like bobwhite quail. Late season sharpies will post sentinels and flush well out of range. Pointing dog work is near impossible if they have been hunted and pressured much.
One primary tactic taught to me years ago …….. is to sneak up on them by walking up the windward side of the hill and as you near the top, to move quickly over the crest of the hill and be ready for some shooting!
Choke and shot size changes as well. I can shoot sharpies with quail loads early season, no kidding. Get on ‘em quick and it is no problem since they are flushing from underfoot. Of course shortly thereafter you need to move to a more substantial load like high brass 6’s.
Late season sharpies definitely call for high brass 4’s / 5’s and / or 5’s / 6’s with a full choke. Notice how I wrote them in pairs. That’s because I use a double barrel. I usually have my lighter load in the bottom barrel which fires first then the heavier load in the top barrel (since I am pointing it line of sight) so I can reach out there. My favorite shotgun, a Beretta 20ga. silver pigeon has a 26″ barrel. Late season birds might be better hunted with a 28″ barrel.
What’s your favorite late season tactic, gun, choke, etc. and for what bird?
Happy Hunting!
Dave
2 comments
Just a reminder, take a munute and pattern your gun when changing shot sizes, loads, etc. My shooting has been helped by this many times. You’ll have more clean kills and maybe the results of patterning will show you why you miss sometimes. You’ll build confidence in your gun and load. You will know that if you do your part the gun and load will do there part.
Bob
I thought I would comment a little on late season Pheasants. These buggers after being chased and shot at for a couple of months get real smart and would rather run than fly. Since I like to hunt by myself, quite often I look for areas where the cover is pretty thick(like cat tails) or there is a natural block of some kind(like a creek) to put the odds more in my favor. Some Roosters,certainly not all, will still hold long enough for your dog to point in these conditions. Since the cover is usually thick and tall, I use the locate/pager button on my e-collar quite often to keep track of my dogs. If they are on point, I have even used the locater to lead me to them as sometimes you can’t even see the dogs until you are a few feet from them in those cat tails. I could use the run or point mode I guess but usually choose not to.
I also change chokes on my favorite late season shotgun as the shots tend to be a little bit farther than early the season. My favorite gun is a Beretta Silver Piegon II O/U in 20 Gauge with 28″ barrels. I will use a modified in the bottom barrel with #6 shot Magnum and either an Improved Modified or Full choke in the top barrel with # 6 or #5’s. If the wind is blowing hard, I may even change to a Improved Modified choke in the bottom and Full in the top barrel and possibly change shot size to a #4.
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