I am going to be going grouse hunting with one of m friends soon and he aid they are very hard o hit. can you give me some tips on hitting those pesky buggers. i am not the best wing shot so i need all the help i can get. i am going to soot some skeet before hand to get some practice.
thankx

Skeet is a good idea. Skeet was originally developed to imitate the shots you typically get when hunting ruffed grouse. If you have a choice of guns, use one that is light, especially the barrel, as that will be faster to get on the bird before it disappears in the timber. If you have a choice of chokes go with an open choke such as IC, skeet or even cylinder.

well skeets mainly shots coming from the side...grouse normally fly straight from you out ward....and goto the most open spot they can find....id say trap would be better to practice...skeets more of a dove shootin to me neway....i am a pretty good wing shooter and trap and skeet and sporting clays...i duno why? i wasnt taught when i was lil or nehting...jsut went to the mountains with a buddie and he had a thrower we shot some clays....neways....id say...go with a pretty open choke just to make up for a lil miss placed shot...and to keep a wide pattern quick in the woods for close shots....jsut shot fast and accurate....i busted my first and only one i ever shot at this year with one shot..and the same with 2 of my first ring necks...both in the woods from pressure...well...good luck...just swing fast and put it to em...dont let him disapear!!

mauser06

I hunt in the UP of Mich the way I shoot grouse is 1:gotta be quick he who hesitates is lost!
2nd if you don't shoot you won't ever hit them... I kill alot of birds on my 3rd shot.
Justa thought

Here is a tip that I feel has helped me; I'll pass it along. Buy a box of clay pigeons and a can of flat black or brown spray paint. Take the pigeons and paint the orange or yellow centers brown or black & let them dry. Then find a spot where you can shoot them with some heavy brush in the back ground. Throw the birds so that they fly with the brush in the background, not sillouhetted against the sky. I believe that this "trains" your eye to pick up movement rather than color....most clay pigeons are yellow or orange...I've yet to see a grouse that color in the wooods. For those of you who are experienced wing shots, give this a try and see if it isn't a little humbling at first. Good luck and good hunting.