16ga.com ~ View topic - Tomorrow will be my first time hunting w/ a 16 gauge

I just got my new Browning Citori White Lightning on Tuesday. Tomorrow I'm going to head out and see if the old girl and I can get some grouse.

Not only will this by my first hunt with the new gun, but it's also my first hunt with a 16 gauge.

I know, I know...it's not a big deal for you guys, but I'm pretty excited!

The weather looks good and there's not much snow. Plus, I have a spot where the grouse basically "gave me the bird" while I was rifle hunting for deer over Thanksgiving.

Partridge for dinner tomorrow!

Take pics! Very Happy

Best of luck H&H - Give 'em hell

See my Happy Friday post for inspiration

Member Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 114 Location: Tucson, AZ

Good luck! Enjoy that gun; it should be a great grouse gun. I used to shoot more trees than grouse and always wished I had had a 16 rather that my old faithful 20.... Very Happy

Member Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 3438 Location: Illinois

Save them hulls Wink

Good luck, H&H!!

Of course with a fine browning 16 in your hands, your luck has already taken a good turn!

Enjoy the day and send pics if you get any!

Well, it was a beautiful weekend for hunting!

I found out that I can still miss grouse...even with a 16 gauge! I guess that's just part of the game.

But, I did manage to get 3 grouse on Saturday and 3 more on Sunday.

I missed the first couple birds I put up. I had a pine tree jump in front of my first shot. The second bird was a beautiful shot, but I just flat out missed...twice. But, then I hit a frozen creek edge where I found some grouse last winter while beaver trapping. It's a spot I'd never hunt for grouse, but I thought I'd check it out since I saw so many birds in there last winter. Well, they were there again and I got 3 in about 200 yards of creek bottom.

I went back out yesterday and hit the creek. I parked the truck and a grouse flushed as soon as I stepped out. I walked down the creek and missed a couple to start. But, then I got into a little clump of brush and Sadie locked up. There were 2 grouse in there and I knocked them both down...BANG, BANG. It's always a good feeling when you can get 2 birds with a double barrel. I picked up another along a swamp edge later in the day.

I was shooting 1-1/8 ounce #6 (Winchester). I really don't think I needed that heavy of a load, but it was all I could find. I think 1 ounce of #6 would have worked really well. But, I was really amazed how well they knocked down grouse at 20-25 yards. They were hit hard and dropped stone, cold dead!

I have a feeling my Ruger 12 gauge O/U is going to collect a lot of dust, now that I've got a 16 gauge.

Good show, H&H. 16s are fun to carry and shoot. Very Happy

H&H,

You are off to one great start! You are obviously a man of good taste. A nice Browning 16. a bird dog, three birds two days in a row, and including a double!!!! Nice. I'm jealous.

I too have a Browning 16, but mine's a Feather Lightning. I also have a wonderful bird dog. But there the similarity ends. I live in northeast Ohio. Few birds, can't remember the last time I ended up with three in one day, much less never a double (on grouse). Thank God for preserves, chuckars, and pheasants.

Considering the above, I'm hardly qualified to offer any advise. But if you can find them I would think 7 1/2's or 8's would do you much better than 6's for grouse, and 1 ounce should be plenty. OK, I'm done. I just couldn't help myself.

My Brit is 6 now and I've yet to get her into good grouse numbers. I've had her up the UP in Michigan twice, and in the Allegheny Mountains in northeast PA without a whole lot of success. You are very fortunate to live in Wisconsin. I am actually thinking of taking my dog there next year.

Wishing you continued good luck.

Grousen