Ruffed Grouse

bigbrother · #1 11-16-2009, 11:36 AM

The beautiful weather has definitely created a fall to remember.

Dom · #2 11-16-2009, 02:44 PM

Nice pic, I miss Pat hunting, Waidmannsheil, Dom.

skeet · #3 11-16-2009, 10:51 PM

We have just a few Ruffed grouse here. But loads of blue grouse in the mountains. They are BIG birds. And not as dumb as everybody might tell ya. Hey, ya got a nice gun there to shoot 'em with too. Those ol Ithaca semi auto's are usually pretty light..and pretty reliable. Carried one for a year or 2 quail hunting. Is it a gas gun or recoil? Pretty much looked the same if I remember right. Mine was gas.. We also have a nice bunch of Chuckers here. They say the first chucker hunt is for fun..the rest are for revenge. The pheasants are pretty thick this year too.

bigbrother · #4 11-17-2009, 10:12 AM

It's a gas operated. Choked I/C so it's the perfect thick cover gun for grouse and I've used it for quail in Texas as well. You're absolutely right that the little 20 is light. It handles very well and points where you look. The only downfall to the gun is the choke. I've often thought about sending the barrel out to have a custom set of chokes made for it but I've never been able to bring myself to it. The gun was my grandfather's so it has a little bit of sentimental quality to it as well.

skeet · #5 11-17-2009, 05:05 PM

If you want to put chokes in it go to Briley in Houston. They do great(not cheap) choke installation. Those guns are really sweet shooters but in 12 ga they break stocks for some reason. I think it is because they have a thin area in the wrist of the stock. Being a 20 you shouldn't have trouble with that though. Oh and for goodness sake..don't ever strip the stock to refinish. All of 'em I ever saw had the beautiful grain and figure like your's has actually kinda stained in the stock. Every one turned out to have wood that was about as plain as you could get. The Briley chokes cost in the neighborhood of 150-175 I think..May be more now..but do they shoot. And they don't swell the bbl so the chokes will fit. They use thin wall chokes. I have 'em in quite a few guns....Even the ol K-80 I have has 'em...along with a few lemon hundreds