The traditional route for monetizing an online project is advertising, but this is an option I would like to avoid if at all possible. Online ads are at best an intrusive eyesore and worst will crash a browser. Who hasn’t gone to a website, intent on reading an article, only to have an obnoxious video ad auto play, or have your computer choke on a multitude of flash ads? Such problems are even more frustrating for the many people worldwide who don’t have access to a broadband internet service. Additionally, advertisements can draw a publication’s impartiality into question. Can I write a truly impartial review of, say, a rifle made by Remington if Remington is one of my advertisers? Not that Remington is any hurry to advertise with me, but the point stands.

The idea I’m currently toying with is producing a monthly e-magazine that would available for download for a modest fee ($2.50 or less). Alternatively, articles could be sold individually for a very small fee ($1.00 or less), or a pay wall could be installed on the website.

The question I’m asking anyone who happens to read this is, will you pay a very small amount for excellent advertisement free content produced by myself or other (possibly better) writers?  

Any feedback or suggestions will be welcomed and appreciated. Please let me know your thoughts via email (jason@lofigunandgame.com), facebook, or the comments section. (495)

My lovely wife went and got herself a major promotion with her employer. The catch is that taking the new position requires us to relocate from Downeast Maine to Sacramento, California. Given the extreme, exhausting, and expensive  nature of this impending move, I’m not going to have the time or resources to produce articles of reasonable quality for the next few months. Instead of posting a bunch of half-assed filler articles, I’m opting to take an extended break until we’re comfortably settled into our new home. Look for new content by mid-summer, 2014.

While I’m inevitably a little apprehensive to leave New England (a region I’ve called home since birth) I’m excited to give life a go on the other side of the country. Naturally, I’m looking forward to seeing what hunting and fishing opportunities await me in the golden state.

Thanks for reading and check back here in July or August. Also, if anyone knows of a potential job opportunity in the Sacramento area for an outdoor enthusiast who is also a reasonably proficient writer, please shoot me an email. (1064)

The projectiles

The 12-gauge  slug loads I cooked up for this trip consisted of:

A Ballistic Products Inc. 550 grain, .715” diameter roundball over a charge of Alliant Herco, inside a 3-inch Fiocci hull and closed with a roll crimp. A cork spacer wad was added to improve fit. Estimated velocity: *Approximately 1500 f/s.

Above: A .715″ roundball slug shown atop it’s wad column (left) and loaded into a Fiocci hull.

A Ballistic Products 450 grain, .660” diameter shuttlecock slug with a BPI VP20 wad as a carrier. The hull was a 2-3/4-inch Cheddite multi-hull charged with IMR PB and sealed with a roll crimp. Estimated muzzle velocity: *Approximately 1400 f/s.

Above: The BPI Shuttlecock slug (right) shown next to a Cheddite Multi-Hull (center) and in a VP20 wad (left).

A 1-1/8 ounce .735” diameter Gualandi Dangerous Game Slug inside of a 2-3/4-inch Cheddite Multi Hull over a charge of IMR PB and sealed with a roll crimp. Estimated Muzzle velocity: *Approximately 1500 f/s.

Above: The Gualandi Dangerous Game Slug. Image Courtesy Ballistic Products Inc.

*I don’t typically chronograph shotgun slugs due to the possibility that wads and gas seals, flying wild after leaving my gun’s muzzle, will irreparably damage my chronograph.

Test procedure

All  5-shot groups were fired from a bench rest at targets 50 yards distant. The gun used in my test was a scoped Benelli Nova Tactical with an 18.5-inch Carlson’s aftermarket barrel. A Carlson’s rifled choke tube was installed in the barrel. A preliminary trial with all three slug loads indicated that best accuracy would be achieved through the rifled tube, so I did not record results obtained through the gun’s OEM Improved Cylinder barrel. That said, all of the tested slugs were of a weight-forward design and therefore thesuitable for use with completely smooth bore shotguns.

.715″ roundball load

I didn’t have very high expectations for the roundball load. After all, the roundball was the original shotgun slug and is ballistically on par with the smooth bore muskets of the 18^th century. The roundball out of a shotgun has a reputation for poor accuracy.

I was pleasantly surprised when my roundball load printed a triangular 5-shot group that was 9-inches on its longest side. That’s certainly not award winning accuracy, but the load does show potential. With a little tweaking, I’m fairly confident a roundball load could be developed that will consistently stay within the vital zone of a deer at 50 yards.

The real potential of the roundball out of a shotgun, however, is as a 25-yard or closer, water jug busting, fun load. With an appropriate mold, roundballs can be cast quickly and easily for a few pennies each. An afternoon of casting and handloading would equal several fun plinking sessions.

450 grain Shuttlecock Slug load

My shuttlecock slug load turned out to be something of a disappointment. Three of the slugs landed within four inches of each other, but the fourth impacted 7-inches low and the fifth missed the target completely. A number of factors could have been the cause of such poor performance from shooter error (always a possibility with me) to the load simply being incompatible with my gun, barrel, and choke tube combination. Shotguns are notoriously picky about what slug loads they shoot well.

Gualandi Dangerous Game Slug

To sum up the performance of the Dangerous Game Slug in one word, “wow.” The five slugs tore a single ragged hole that was about 3-inches in length. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this level of accuracy with any other slug load, factory or handloaded.

Informal penetration and projectile integrity test

Before ending my range trip, I wanted to get at least some idea of how the three slug loads would perform in a test medium, so I fired one round of each load into a block of ballistic wax from the close distance of about 15 yards (I wanted to be sure I didn’t miss the block entirely). As mentioned in previous articles, ballistic wax isn’t intended to be an analogue for animal tissue, but it does provide a snapshot on what a projectile will do when it encounters a soft but very dense material.

My experience has been that ballistic wax stops projectiles far more efficiently than 10-percent gelatin, especially when the wax is used below its ideal temperature of 72-degrees Fahrenheit, which it was on the day of my range trip. I was therefore surprised when all three slugs fully penetrated the 10-inch length of the block. The only projectile I was able to recover was the shuttlecock slug, which I found in the snow ten feet behind the block.

Rather than expanding, the shuttlecock slug simply collapsed in on itself with the  slug’s nose section and hollow-base coming together in an accordion-like fashion. Examination of the cavities created by the slugs I was not able to recover led me to believe that those projectiles also passed through the block without appreciably expanding.

Above: A BPI shuttlecock slug after passing through a block of ballistic wax.

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Being an avid handloader of shotgun slugs, I was naturally intrigued when I learned earlier this year that Ballistics Products Inc. of Hamel, MN had added a new slug to its lineup of components for handloaders. As soon as I was able, I ordered a box of their new Thug Slugs and began the process of giving the product a preliminary range test.

Thug Slug overview

The Thug Slug is the most recent addition to BPI’s line of slug components for handloading. It consists of a cylindrical, hollow-based, hollowpoint, lead projectile and an affixed plastic gas seal section. The Thug slug is offered in .410 (1/4-oz.), 20 gauge (7/8-oz.), and 12 gauge (1-oz. and 1-1/8-oz.).  My range trial was with the 12 gauge 1-1/8-oz. version. According to the company’s website, the slug is fit for use in both smooth and rifled bores.

Above: Front and side views of the Thug Slug

It is worth noting that while the overall mass of the slug and gas seal is 1-1/8-oz., the slug itself is 437.3 grains, which is approximately one ounce.

Loading

Loading the slug was as quick and easy as any handloading project gets, especially since I was working with factory new, pre-primed Rio 2-3/4” hulls. After adding an appropriate charge of Alliant Green Dot to the primed hull (load data is available for a variety of hulls, primers and powders) I simply inserted the slug, compressed the payload slightly with my loading press, and then applied the crimp. The data from which I was working, which is available from BPI for a few dollars, called for the hulls to be closed with a standard fold crimp. I was curious to see if substituting crimp type would affect accuracy, so I closed about half of my handloads by applying a roll crimp.

According to my data sheet, the slugs would leave the muzzle at a velocity of just under 1300 f/s* and would produce chamber pressures of less than 10,000 PSI. I expected that this would make for a light recoiling and pleasant shooting round.

*Actual velocity was likely lower than the listed figure due to my gun’s short, 18.5-inch, barrel.

At the range with the 1-1/8-oz. Thug Slug

With the slug loads crimped, boxed, and labeled appropriately, I took to the range on a bitter, breezy January day when temperatures were in the low teens.

Test limitations

It is likely that the wind wreaked a little havoc with accuracy. Unfortunately, when you live on the coast of Maine, wind is pretty much inevitable during most times of the year. If you wait for the perfect shooting day, you’ll probably never go.

Also, a more thorough and somewhat scientific test of the slug would have involved shooting a greater number of groups and testing a greater number of load combinations. My budget, which is a shade greater than $0, did not allow this. I would be eager to hear the experiences of others who have given Thug Slugs a try and would welcome the chance to expand my “data” for the projectile.

Procedure

All shots were taken from a bench rest at targets 50 yards distant using a 12-gauge Benelli Nova Tactical topped with a BSA 2.5x scope. Shots were fired through both the Nova’s factory smooth bore, 18.5-inch barrel with a fixed improved cylinder choke, and through a Carlson’s aftermarket 18.5-inch barrel with a rifled choke tube installed.

Group 1: 1-1/8-ounce Thug Slug, fold crimp, through the Improved Cylinder barrel

The first group I fired was a bit of a disappointment. The slugs strung diagonally into an almost oval pattern that was a foot long from end to end. This was not a promising start to the range session. That said, recoil was mild as I had expected.

Group 2: 1-1/8-ounce Thug Slug, roll crimp, through the Improved Cylinder barrel

The roll crimped load fared better through the smooth bore. At least four slugs printed into a group that fit inside a 6.5” circle. I’m not sure if the fifth shot missed the paper completely, or if two slugs went through the same hole (the one underlined in the above photo). I have no way of knowing for sure.

Group 3: 1-1/8-ounce Thug Slug, fold crimp, through the rifled choke tube

The rifled choke tube yielded noticeably better accuracy with the fold crimped loads. Most of the slugs (once again, I’m not sure if it’s 3 or 4) clustered into an approximately three-inch group while another slug impacted a few inches higher.  The group fit comfortably inside a 6.5-inch circle.

Group 4: 1-1/8-ounce Thug Slug, roll crimp, through the rifled choke tube

I didn’t quite have enough fold crimped loads left to fire a five-shot group, so I went ahead and ended the day with a four shot group. The combination of the fold crimped loads and the rifled tube yielded the best results of the trip. Three of the slugs cut a ragged hole and the fourth impacted about two inches high and to the left. The entire group fit inside a 4-inch circle.

Projectile integrity

Having only a few slugs left after the above accuracy trials, I decided to conduct an informal projectile integrity test on the Thug Slug by firing one into a block of ballistic wax from a distance of 50 yards. The wax is not intended to simulate animal tissue in any way and cannot really be compared to calibrated gelatin blocks. According to the manufacturer, when the material is at its optimal temperature of 72-degrees Fahrenheit, one inch of penetration in the wax is about equal to 1.34-inches of calibrated 10-percent gelatin. Given that the air temperature on the day of my tests was 15 degrees rather than 72, it’s likely that the medium was a more efficient bullet stopper than usual. I wasn’t looking for scientific results, but rather a rough idea of what would happen to the slug when it impacted a relatively soft medium.

After impacting the block, the slug penetrated to a depth of 4-inches. There was no noticeable expansion of the slug’s frontal section, but the hollow base pinched closed. I’m not sure if these results translate in a meaningful way to potential on-game performance, but it seems apparent that the slug was not packing a tremendous amount of energy upon impact.

Above: The Thug Slug after being recovered from a block of ballistic wax.

Conclusions

Preliminary testing seems to indicate the following:

• Roll crimped loads yielded better accuracy than fold crimped loads
• The rifled choke tube noticeably improved accuracy over the Improved Cylinder barrel
• While the load was fun and pleasant to shoot, it remains to be seen if the terminal performance of such a light and slow moving slug is adequate for big game.

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A few months ago, I acquired an aftermarket barrel for my Benelli Nova Tactical that was manufactured by Carlson’s of Atwood, Kansas. The barrel is 18.5-inches in length and it arrived with a Carlson’s rifled choke tube installed. Although the Nova’s OEM smooth bore barrel with a fixed improved cylinder choke is surprisingly accurate with many types of slugs, I wanted a barrel for the gun that was threaded to accept choke tubes in order to make the gun a little more versatile, and hopefully a little more accurate with slugs than it already is.

My first attempt to test the Carlson’s barrel was a bust. It turned out that the front sight on the aftermarket barrel was too low to be compatible with the ghost ring rear sight on my gun. In order to try the barrel, I was going to need to install an optic.

Scoping the Nova

After a few months of scrimping and saving, I purchased an Aimtech saddle mount for the Nova, along with a BSA Deerhunter 2.5 power scope. In general, I’m not a huge fan of saddle scope mounts on shotguns as I tend to find them aesthetically unappealing. The Aimtech mount, however, blends nicely into my gun and does not get in the way during operation. The fact that the mount installs quickly without gunsmithing is an added bonus.

The scope, while not the most expensive on the market, sports a generous 6-inches of eye relief, which is perfect since I don’t want the eyepiece anywhere near my face when I touch off a heavy recoiling slug load for fear of ending a range session with a bloody ring around my right eye. So far the BSA Deerhunter has absorbed the recoil of approximately 50 slug rounds without showing any signs of damage.

With the scope installed, I set out to finally see how the new barrel would shoot with a variety of ammo during two separate range sessions.

I limited the type of slug ammo I tried to nose-heavy designs such as Foster slugs and Brenekkes. Prior experience with rifled choke tubes has led me to conclude that modern sabot slugs will not stabilize out of a rifled tube and will keyhole into the target, if they find the target at all. While there may be some extant sabot slugs that shoot accurately out of a rifled tube, at $20 or more per box, finding the magic ammo would be a prohibitively expensive exercise.

At the range

My first range session was problematic. A winter storm that was on its way to the region was causing persistent winds that were sometimes gusting heavily. Not only does wind tend to blow targets off their stands, but shotgun slugs are very susceptible to wind drift due to their low velocity and large surface area. In spite of the gusting winds and temperatures in the low 20’s, I proceeded to shoot a series of 3-shot, 50-yard groups with the limited selection of ammo I had on hand. At the time of this article’s posting, the availability and selection of ammo at most retailers is still limited following the panic buying of 2013. This limited ammo availability reduced the variety of ammo I could try and also limited how many groups I could shoot with each type of ammo on hand.

Range session 1 results

All shots were fired from a bench rest at targets 50 yards away.

Remington Slugger: 2-3/4 inch, 1 ounce

Above: The 50 yard Remington Slugger group through the Carlson’s barrel.

I expended most of my supply of Remington Sluggers just getting my scope dialed in. With a few rounds remaining, I fired a 50 yard group and wound up stringing all three shots along a horizontal line 4.5-inches long. Such a group is nothing to write home about, but is more than adequate for medium and large game hunting.

Winchester Rack Master: 2-3/4 inch, 1-1/8 ounce

Above: The 50 yard Winchester Rack Master group.

Due to their higher velocity (1625 f/s advertised) the rack Masters impacted the target higher than the Remington Sluggers, with two rounds impacting within 1-1/2 inch of each other and the third hitting about 3-inches above the paper.

Brenekke K.O.: 2-3/4-inch, 1-ounce

Above: The 50 yard Brenekke K.O. group.

I just love Brenekke slugs as they seem to consistently shoot well out of any shotgun. Out of the Carlson’s barrel and rifled choke tube, the Brenekke K.O.s printed a neat triangle that was about 2-1/8 inches from end to end.

Range session 2 results

The only type of slug ammo I was able to acquire for my second range were 2-3/4 inch Winchester 1-ounce rifled slugs (once again due to locally limited ammo selection and availability).

Having neglected to bring the Nova’s OEM barrel during my first range trip, I made the purpose of the second trip to compare results yielded by the aftermarket barrel to those yielded by the original barrel. All rounds were fired from a bench rest. Photos of the two, 5-shot, 50-yard groups I fired are pasted below.

Above: The 50 yard group through the Carlson’s barrel (left) compared to the 50 yard group through the original barrel. All slugs were Winchester 1-ounce 2.75″ rifled slugs.

Interestingly, the Winchester rifled slugs shot more accurately out of the original OEM barrel than they did out of the Carlson’s barrel with the rifled choke tube in place. This was primarily due to a round that went wild out of the Carlson’s barrel and landed more than 5 inches away from where the other slugs impacted. The wild round may have been a result of shooter error.

Overall impressions so far

Since I have fired a relatively low number of rounds through the Carlson’s barrel, it would be unfair to judge the product’s potential with any degree of finality. At this point, the aftermarket barrel seems to yield accuracy that is basically on par with Nova’s original barrel. That said, it is possible that the Carlson’s barrel will come into its own after a longer break-in period, or upon finding a type of slug load with which it is particularly compatible. I will hopefully be able to post updates about the barrel’s performance as I have more opportunities to work with it. (1633)

In past conversations with non-hunting friends, when I’ve mentioned eating wild game, the reaction has often been a sour look and a sneer. “How can you eat that stuff,” they would ask. “It’s so tough, dry and gamy.”

Such a reaction to the mere thought of eating wild game is fairly common and leads me to believe that a significant number of hunters are not properly preparing and cooking their kill. A meal of wild game done right is ambrosial. Done wrong, wild game can be anything from unpleasant to downright stomach-churning. By taking a appropriate measures starting the second you score a hit on a game animal, you can be fairly certain your wild game meal will be a success.

1. Get the guts out ASAP

This is important due to the fact that the digestive organs of an animal will begin to spoil quickly and can thus taint the meat. Additionally, if the digestive organs were damaged when the animal was hit, intestinal and stomach fluids will taint the meat. The best way to prevent tainted meat is to field dress the animal as soon as possible, minimally removing the digestive organs.

The following videos provide a good overview of how to field dress various game animals. WARNING: these are very graphic and not for the squeamish.

Field dressing deer

Field dressing small game birds

Rabbit

2. Keep your kill cool

Keeping meat cool to prevent spoiling can be tricky, especially during hunting seasons that occur early in fall. It’s inevitable that a bird or rabbit left in a car trunk or pickup bed on a sunny 70 degree day in early October isn’t going to taste pleasant. Similarly, a deer allowed to hang for a week when daytime temps are in the 50s or hotter won’t do anything good for the palatability of the venison.

When hunting small game, I keep a cooler with ice packs in my vehicle. I plan my hunting routes so that I can return to my vehicle at least once per hour in order to place any game I may have in the cooler. While it isn’t practical or possible to get larger game animals into a cooler, it is in the best interest of a hunter to have the animal butchered as soon as reasonably possible.

3. Proper freezing = good eating

Game meat can be frozen for longer term storage. It is crucial to seal game in airtight packaging to prevent freezer burn. A large game animal processed by a good butcher will be returned to the hunter wrapped in freezer paper and ready for storage. When processing game at home, meat should be sealed in one of the vacuum sealable freezer bags now available at most grocery stores. Such bags are also a godsend when freezing freshly caught fish.

4. Marinades are you friend

In order to tone down the sometimes strong, tangy flavor of many wild meats, a fruit juice based marinade will often work wonders. In addition to making the meat taste less gamy, the acids in the fruit juice will begin to break down some of the muscle tissue, resulting in tenderization. I am particularly fond of marinating ruffed grouse breast in apple cider, or even hard apple cider overnight before cooking.

5. Add fat and don’t overcook

A common mistake novice cooks make when preparing wild game is to cook it as though it is a cut of beef, pork, or chicken purchased at the local grocery store. Simply seasoning a piece of wild game meat and then just tossing it on the grill or in the oven will result in a dry, “hockey puck” of a piece of meat that is as tough as shoe leather. This is due to the fact that most wild meats are virtually fat-free. The fat inherent to domestic meat is what keeps it from drying out quickly during cooking.

The best way to keep wild meat from becoming a shriveled mess is to add a little animal fat in the form of butter, bacon, poultry stock, or even lard. For example, I’ve found that wrapping strips of game bird breast in bacon prior to cooking yields a moist, flavorful treat. Similarly, it is advisable to use chicken or beef stock as the base for wild game soups, stews, and pot pies.

Some cuts of big game meat will contain enough fat to be cooked without adding more fat, but they should be watched carefully in order to avoid overcooking.

6. When all else fails, slow cook it until it falls off the bone

 Occasionally, a game animal will yield meat that is mind-numbingly tough. No matter how long you marinade it, chewing the cooked meat will require major feats of athleticism. When this happens, it’s time turn to slow cooking.

Even the toughest meat will eventually soften when cooked long enough in an enclosed container at a low heat. This is accomplished by placing the meat in an electric slow cooker for several hours. Alternatively, meat can be placed in a Dutch oven or covered casserole dish and be slow cooked in an oven set at 300 to 350 degrees. Game birds and rabbit should be slow cooked in enough chicken stock to just cover the meat. Venison can be slow cooked in beef stock. The meat is done when it can be pulled from the bone with a fork and can then be used in soups, stews, chilis, or pot pies.

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In a recent post, I wrote that I had recently acquired a Zastava M85 chambered in 7.62x39mm. The rifle, manufactured by Serbia’s Zastava Arms and imported by Century Arms International, is a compact bolt action priced just right for a gun that will fill the role primarily as a plinker and secondarily as deer rifle for close to medium range work.

Earlier this week I got the rifle to the local range for its first live fire trial and while there are some characteristics of the gun that are less than stellar, I’m inclined to think it will ultimately fill its intended niche adequately. Here’s the lowdown on the Zastava M85.

Shooting

I couldn’t, in good conscience, title this section “accuracy” as my currently rusty level of proficiency, excessive coffee consumption, and the absence of a scope precluded me from conducting a meaningful accuracy trial.

I was unable to find scope mounts locally for the Zastava, meaning that the Weaver  I purchased with the rifle sat uselessly in its box during the range trip (mounts are currently on order from an online retailer). This was a problem since I am admittedly a poor shot when using basic iron sights like the type that come stock on the M85. I generally do well with scopes and aperture sights such as peeps and ghost rings, but I’m effectively useless with basic irons beyond 50 yards.

Still, I was eager to fire my new rifle and took to the range with a box of Tula, 124 grain jacked hollowpoints and a box of American Eagle, 124 grain full metal jackets. Ammo availability is still a problem at the time of this article’s posting, but I hope to try a wider variety of loads in the near future.

At 50 yards from a bench rest I shot two nearly identical 5-round groups of approximately 2 to 3- inches. Such groups are admittedly mediocre, but are about as well as I’ll do with any rifle that has iron sights.

I’d rather not write about my 100-yard “groups” and I absolutely refuse to submit photographic evidence of their existence. I will say that most of the rounds I fired at least hit the 8×10-inch targets I was using. More practice and less coffee seem to be the lessons here.

Above: 50yard groups through the Zastava M85. The group on the left was printed by the Tula 124 grain hollow point ammo; the group on the right was made with American Eagle 124 grain full metal jacket ammo.

Fit and function

While it would be unfair to judge the rifle’s accuracy potential based on the above test, I was able to take note of the rifle’s mechanical and ergonomic characteristics. In general, I found the rifle comfortable to hold and shoulder. The walnut, Monte-Carlo stock fit me well.

The trigger, while not as smooth and light as one found on a competition-grade instrument, was more than crisp enough for use in the woods, on the farm, or at the gravel pit.

An interesting and much appreciated feature sported by the M85 is a detachable magazine floor plate. Pressing a button located at the front of the trigger guard allows the magazine floor plate to unhinge, meaning the user can quickly and easily unload at the end of a long day afield.

Above: The M85’s detachable magazine floor plate.

The Zastava M85’s action is, unfortunately, less than smooth. If the bolt is not worked just right when ejecting a round, it tends to bind, stick, and require considerable jostling to return forward. I’m hoping that with repeated polishing and break-in from use, the problem will diminish over time.

It should also be noted that extraction of spent, steel cases required substantially more force than the extraction of brass cases. This is of little concern to me as I prefer to buy brass case ammo that can later be reloaded.

The bottom line

Although the Zastava M85 is by no means a perfectly slick machine, I am not one to expect competition level quality from a $450 rifle. If the M85 ultimately always goes off when I need it to, doesn’t break and proves consistently capable of hitting gallon jug sized targets at 50+ yards, I’ll be happy.

Update: October 25, 2013

Since originally posting this article, I have made two range trips with the Zastava M85, which is now wearing a 3-9x40mm scope. The first session was cut short after the spent steel case of a Herters 154 grain round failed to extract. The extractor actually pulled free of the case without dislodging it from the chamber. I had to bring the rifle home and push the spent case out with a cleaning rod. While the extraction of steel cased ammo is, in general a little difficult with this rifle, I have not yet had another case stick in the chamber.

During my second range session, I dialed in the scope to a reasonable degree and did a little shooting at targets placed at the 100 yard berm. Of the two kinds of ammo I had on hand, the Tula 124 grain hollowpoints grouped the best, printing a 5-shot group of about 2-inches. This is by no means award winning accuracy, but considering that I was only shooting off a fore end rest rather than off sandbags or a lead sled type rest, I consider the group acceptable, though not exceptional. The Herter’s 154 grain softpoints I also had on hand did not fare well and printed a 5-shot group of 5.5-inches.

Above: 100 yard groups fired from the Zastava M85 loaded with Tula 124 grain hollowpoint ammo and Herter’s 154 grain softpoint ammo.

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Photo by Seabamirum. License info

Ruffed grouse (colloquially called partridge) are the premier upland game bird of northern New England and are both delicious and incredibly difficult to hunt. They often dwell in the kind of thick, previously logged, new-growth forest habitat that is nearly impossible to walk through and offers a wall of brushy cover that can make spotting and hitting birds a tall order.

A hunter with a well- trained canine companion can level the playing field somewhat due to the fact that a good dog can sniff out birds and give the hunter a slight edge. Unfortunately, not everyone is in a position to give a hunting dog the proper home and training it needs and are thus stuck hunting solo. All is not lost, however, and the following tips will improve a hunter’s chances of bagging a few grouse without the aid of a dog.

1. Locate fruit sources

Omnivorous ruffed grouse have a varied diet that includes insects, snails, slugs, mushrooms, and the leaves and buds of trees (usually poplar), but they have a particular affinity for the various fruits that are common to their habitat. For example, Vermont, where I learned to hunt, has an abundance of now-wild apple trees mixed into its thick, new growth forests. It is inevitable that when apples are an option, grouse will forsake greens, bugs, and slugs in favor of the sugary, high calorie fruit. Indeed, most of the grouse I bagged while living Vermont were shot within 30-yards of an apple tree.

Where there are apples, there are probably grouse nearby.

In areas where wild apples are uncommon, as they are in eastern Maine where I currently hunt, an observant hunter willing to do a little exploring will likely still be able to find concentrated sources of fruit bearing plants. For example, hobblebush, which is common to the woods of northern New England, yields bright red berries that are relished by grouse.

Other fruits that may attract grouse include choke cherries, blackberries (if they are still present at the start of hunting season), and the fruit of hawthorn trees or “haws”.

2. Stick to the beaten path

Whenever it is possible, safe, and legal to do so, it makes sense for a grouse hunter to stick to established trails and decommissioned logging roads. The primary reason for holding to roads and trails is that these travel ways provide grouse with a convenient source of dust and pebbles. The birds dust themselves to control parasites, and eat small pebbles to aid in the breakdown of food stored in their gizzards. It follows that grouse often stay within easy striking distance of a path or road. Areas where a food source, such as a stand of apple trees or poplar saplings, is immediately adjacent to gravel path or road typically yield a lot of grouse.

Trails and roads also facilitate easy movement through the thick, brushy, and nearly unwalkable new-growth forests that comprise typical ruffed grouse habitat.

3. On rainy days, take to the pines

Grouse, much like any other terrestrial animal in existence, don’t like to be rained on and will seek shelter during inclement weather. This shelter often takes the form of such coniferous trees as balsams and spruces. Stands of pines that are in close proximity to food sources are particularly good places to look for grouse on wet weather days.

4. Keep one eye on the ground and the other on the trees

An easy error to make while hunting grouse is to keep eyes only on the ground. While ruffed grouse are primarily ground-dwelling birds, they do spend an appreciable amount of time perched in trees. A hunter concentrating on spotting birds on the ground will likely miss birds perched in tress and vice versa.

5. Catch them sitting still

Ruffed grouse are an incredibly difficult bird to wing shoot, especially without the help of a dog to provide advanced warning or a bird’s presence. Not only do grouse take flight in a manner that results in a sudden blur of motion and thunderous wing beats likely to startle an unaware hunter, but the birds are also adept at quickly taking cover by putting trees and thick brush between them and the muzzle of a shotgun. By the time a hunter, surprised by a bird, shoulders his or her gun, disengages the safety, and gets on target, the bird will likely be gone. That’s not to say those hunting sans dog will never hit a flying grouse, it’s just that spotting the birds before they take flight is a surer way to put meat on the grill.

Spotting grouse before they fly is a skill in and of itself as their natural camouflage is just shy of perfect. A good way to spot them is to look for movement rather than trying to recognize their outline on the forest floor. A grouse moves in a very awkward, jerking motion, similar to that of a chicken. This distinctive movement will often give away a bird’s position.

Occasionally, ruffed grouse will also give away their position with sound. The noise that ruffed grouse are perhaps best known for is their characteristic drumming that sounds similar to a distant lawnmower engine starting and stalling. This sound will make a hunter aware of a bird’s presence in a general area, but it is difficult to use it to pinpoint an exact location.

Another sound emitted by grouse is a kind of high-pitched, raspy clucking. The beginning of the following video contains an example of this particular vocalization.

Grouse will occasionally make this clucking sound when distressed a few seconds prior to taking off, thereby giving a hunter advanced warning of its presence in the immediate area.

6. Walk slow, pause often

This last piece of advice is perhaps the single most important and admittedly the one that I struggle with the most. Most of us have become conditioned to walk through our day to day lives as quickly as we possibly can. This mindset is perfect when navigating the local supermarket, but it will lead to certain failure on a hunt.

Rather than walking quickly and continuously, it is important to move at what at first will seem like a snail’s pace, and to pause every few steps to thoroughly scan the woods. Walking in this manner will not only result in the spotting of more game, but will also result in a hunter noticing other interesting details about the woods that would be missed when hiking at forced march speeds. Noticing such details as a vibrantly colored mushroom, a hawk or eagle circling high overhead, or even just a really cool looking tree are as important to the experience of hunting as bagging game. (10594)

I made my first trip of the 2013 hunting season today and had a fair amount of success.

The area I was hunting is a large tract of state-owned land in Downeast Maine that is dotted with numerous lakes and ponds and is traversed by an extensive network of abandoned logging roads. Stands of young poplar trees are common in the area, meaning there is an ample food supply for the local ruffed grouse population. The area offers both amazing scenery (especially during autumn when the leaves turn various shades of red, orange, and yellow) and an abundance of game.

I shot the first grouse of the day only a few minutes into the hunt. The bird dropped from a spruce tree bordering the abandoned road I was walking and I pulled the trigger of my 20 gauge just as it hit the ground. Not a bad start. I shot my second bird about an hour and a half later as it darted from a tangle of underbrush. The bird paused for a split second as it entered a stand of pines and I seized the opportunity to put a little more meat in the freezer.

Hunting grouse this early in October is inherently challenging, especially when one is hunting without the help of a dog. While the leaves have begun to change color, they are still thick on the trees and on the plants that make up the underbrush. Such conditions offer grouse optimal concealment. Many birds take flight when they are well out visual range and I’m guessing that many more birds simply hold tight, unseen in the brush, until I pass by.

So far, it seems that I made the right call by using loads pushing #4 shot rather than the #6 of #7.5 shot I typically use. The larger, heavier #4 pellets seem to be thwarting the light brush that is inevitably always between me and the game better than smaller shot sizes.

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In an earlier article, I wrote about how hunters who, like me, are on a painfully limited budget, can make do with the gear they have on hand and still have a good season afield. In that article, I mentioned that I would be fielding my 20-year-old 20 gauge Remington 870 this season for the first time in a few years.

In addition to thoroughly cleaning the gun, I thought it would be a worthwhile exercise to pattern the gun and, to the best of my ability, choose the optimal choke and load combination for my type of ruffed grouse hunting.

A brief explanation of choke, pattern, and shot size

In order for this article to make sense to the novice hunter, brief discussion of how choke and shot size relate to pattern and terminal performance is in order. More seasoned hunters may want to skip the next section.

Simply put, a shotgun’s choke is a section of the barrel near the muzzle where the bore tapers to a diameter smaller than that of the rest of the barrel. The choke compresses the shot column as is passes through the final few inches of the bore, thus creating a tighter shot spread or pattern. Depending on make and model, a shotgun’s choke will either be fixed and integral to the barrel, or it will be changeable via threaded metal tubes (called choke tubes) that are screwed into the muzzle.

Above: A choke tube

The size of a pattern is proportional to the amount of constriction afforded by a particular choke. Chokes of the greatest constriction yield the tightest patterns. For example:

• A cylinder choke has no constriction under bore diameter and will generally place 40 percent of a shotshell’s pellets inside a 30-inch diameter circle at 40 yards.

• An improved cylinder choke is sized .010-inches under bore diameter and will place 50 percent of a shotshell’s pellets inside a 30-inch diameter circle at 40 yards.

• A modified choke is sized .020-inches under bore diameter and will place 60 percent of a shotshell’s pellets inside a 30-inch diameter circle at 40 yards.

• A full choke is sized .035-inches under bore diameter and will place 70 percent of a shotshell’s pellets inside a 30-inch diameter circle at 40 yards.

In an ideal world, the pellet strikes that comprise a shotgun pattern would be evenly distributed over a target. However, a variety of factors including pellet deformation as a result of compression during firing and inconsistencies in the physical makeup of guns and ammunition means that pattern distribution can vary widely and include gaps and flyaway pellets.

Typically, chokes that allow patterns to open quickly (such as cylinder or improved cylinder) are used when targets or game are expected to be encountered at close range, while chokes of tighter constriction are typically used for longer range work. A double barrel shotgun (either a side by side or over/under) offers an advantage where a hunter is likely to encounter targets at both close and long range in that one barrel can be equipped with an open choke and the other can be equipped with a tighter choke.

Equally important to selecting a choke appropriate to a particular hunting situation is selecting a load that contains a task-appropriate sized shot. The size of a pellet of birdshot is typically denoted by a number. The larger the number, the smaller the diameter and lower the weight of a pellet. For example, a #8 lead birdshot pellet will have a diameter of approximately .09-inches and will have a mass of approximately 1.09 grains depending upon alloy while a #1 pellet will have a diameter of .16-inches and an approximate mass of 5.99 grains. Larger birdshot sizes (those that skirt the line between birdshot and buckshot) are denoted with letters, B, BB, BBB, T, TT, F, and FF. These shot sizes are usually used by hunters after large, tough, waterfowl such as geese, or by hunters pursuing varmints and predators up to the size of a coyote.

The primary advantage of the smaller shot sizes is that the pellet count per total payload mass is high, allowing dense shot coverage of a target area. The disadvantage of smaller shot sizes is that each individual pellet looses energy (and hence its ability to effectively kill game) rapidly. A pattern of #8 pellets that downs a bird at 20 yards may only wound it at 35 yards. By contrast, a payload of large pellets will retain energy at greater distance than smaller shot, but the reduced pellet count means that patterns are sparser and may contain holes large enough for a game animal to slip through unharmed.

The ideal setup for deep woods grouse hunting

As a general rule, hunting situations in which most shots are taken at close range, fast moving, game call for a combination of some kind of open choke (cylinder, skeet, or improved cylinder) and a load of small shot (#9 through #6). Such a choke/shot combination will maximize a hunter’s chance of scoring a hit. Hunting situations in which shots will mostly be taken more distant quarry call for a tighter choke and a larger size shot.

While the above seems like a simple, black and white guideline by which to choose a choke/load combo, real world conditions complicate matters. For example, in the section of Maine woods where I hunt ruffed grouse, I encounter two drastically different shooting scenarios. The first involves a bird suddenly exploding from cover in a densely forested section of woods, startling me in the process. The second scenario involves birds spotted at longer range before they are aware of my presence. In the first scenario, an open choke and load of small shot is ideal while in the second scenario, a better combination is a more constricted choke paired with a load of larger shot.

Making do

While the acquisition of a double barrel shotgun would make me reasonably well-equipped for both scenarios, such a purchase simply isn’t in the cards this year and I have to make-do with what I already have: A Remington 870 in 20-gauge equipped with one skeet choke tube and one modified choke tube.

The skeet tube (which produces patterns slightly tighter than a cylinder choke) is ideal for close-in shots on flying grouse. In all honesty, flying grouse are usually perfectly safe from me regardless of what shotgun/choke/load combo I’m carrying. The reason for this is the manner in which ruffed grouse in the deep woods burst suddenly from cover in a flurry of thunderous wing beats is inevitably something of a shock every time it happens. By the time I have recovered enough from being startled to get a shot off, the bird has usually disappeared into thick, shot absorbing, brush. I do occasionally hit flying birds, but this usually more a function of luck than of skill or equipment.

Most of the grouse I bring home to the grill are those that fail to take to the air before I am able to spot them. While birds that hang around on the ground or perched in trees are far more likely to end up filleted and wrapped in bacon at the end of the day, they are also more likely to longer range shooting, sometimes at distances up to 40 yards (though I have shot them at distances of less than 10 yards).

With the above in mind, my modified choke seemed to be the obvious choice for the extended range shots I am likely to encounter, but what about load selection? Among the many full and partial boxes of 20-gauge birdshot loads in my gun closet was a full box of Remington 3-inch Nitro Magnums, each shell sporting 1-1/4 ounces of #4 shot. Per pellet energy at extended (though not extreme) ranges is more than enough to kill grouse or any other small game I might encounter, but before taking to the woods, I wanted to see exactly how the load patterned from my gun.

Pattern test

Firearm: Remington 870, 20 gauge, 28-inch barrel
Load: Remington Nitro Magnum, 1-1/4 ounce #4 shot

Taking to the range, I proceeded to pattern my gun with the above load at 15 yards, 25 yards, and 35 yards. The target used for each shot was a sheet of 22×28” poster board. The 4-inch circle at the center of each sheet was the point of aim. Results follow.

15 yards

As expected, the pattern at 15 yards was very dense and of limited diameter (9 to 10-inches). A direct hit on a game animal at this distance could result in substantial meat damage. The small pattern size may reduce the likelihood of a hit on a flying bird.

25 yards

The pattern at this distance was approximately 20-inches in diameter. While there are some holes in the pattern toward its edges, none of them look large enough for a grouse to slip through unscathed.

35 yards

At 35 yards it appears the center of the pattern struck a little lower than I intended (shooter error). However, shot distribution, while not exactly dense, seems adequate to put a few pellets in a bird at this range.

The bottom line

It seems that for my type of grouse hunting (which is really just armed foraging) the above load through a modified choke will be more than adequate. While the load/choke combo is a handicap for close range shots on moving game, anything holding still at 35 yards or closer will be meat in the freezer.
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