The Birds

[Bear Heart]

I am looking at getting into upland bird hunting with my bow and dog.  If you got stories or pics of hunts for grouse, pheasant, chukar, etc. please share. (Trad Bow kills only)

[damascusdave]

I posted this shortly after it happened...would have made a great video...while still hunting deer I almost stepped on a ruffed grouse...I took a shot with a broad head at maybe 15 feet...not sure if I missed completely or nicked it...it did a kind of helicopter/slow motion take off and slowly turned and flew into my hands...not sure if that was a traditional or a primitive kill...lots of shooting grouse with a .22 had me aiming at the head which is a very small target...after a couple more misses I realised a body aim makes more sense

DDave

[Bear Heart]

I have passed on many birds while hunting big game. Later I always wished I had grouse for dinner.

[wooddamon1]

This was a couple years ago in CO during a mulie scouting trip with a couple of gun hunting buddies. Shot was 35 yards side hill on a deer/elk trail. Grouse sign was everywhere later when we went back to hunt. Yes, I used my bow with a leftover rifle tag...

[Sam McMichael]

I can't hit 'em with a shotgun! With a bow, I would just be losing arrows.

[Bear Heart]

I love forest chicken.

[chinook907]

Not sure if this is what you're looking for as I shoot them on the ground, and generally don't take a dog.

A whitetail ptarmigan early in the winter.  Sorry, the head was a mess and the tail feathers pulled out when I picked it up.
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A few spruce grouse with my dogs Hope and Scooby.
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Some early season whitetail ptarmigan when their plumage is in transition.  A few weeks after this they would be completely white.
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The spruce grouse can be pretty easy to come by, although I only shoot them early and generally young ones as later they taste just like turpentine.

The ptarmigan generally aren't quite as obliging.  They're a pretty small target, especially the whitetails, and getting the last 10-30 yards to shooting range they can get spooky.

[Bear Heart]

Our grouse seems to be a little more squirrely than the grouse I have seen in Alaska and Idaho.