Shooting at Grouse - You Gotta Pull the Trigger

Photo By : Dan Thomason


When Karen and I married, I bought her a 20 ga. youth model pump gun that fit her pretty well. She learned shooting safety and how the gun functioned and began shooting winter trap league with me. She did well and was soon hitting in the low 20's. Grouse season arrived and we headed for the woods. Peat would point and Karen would get set for a shot, a Grouse would flush and then.... nothing....No shot.This happened over and over. She was waiting for that wide open shot that seldom happens. I convinced her that you cannot hit a bird if you don't pull the trigger. She got the idea and the results are in the picture. This is not like prairie hunting with the covey of Huns silhouetted against a blue sky. In these woods we get an occasional glimpse of a Grouse twisting through the Douglas Fir and and Thorn Apple thickets. When you get that glimpse of a bird, you better hit the trigger, 'cause it ain't gonna get any better....DWT