# Grouse!?!



## Jacktrevally (Feb 14, 2011)

The first time I saw a Grouse in the wild in my country. They are not a native bird! I couldn't believe my eyes!

http://postimage.org/image/2y09lbjfo/

Took a few pics to show my friends.

I had 9,12&14mm lead balls. Reach the 14mm on my 0.05" Latex on my PS-2!

Wonder what happen next?


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## HopefulHunter (Oct 15, 2011)

Get a shot in?

I don't mean to burst any bubbles, but from this angle at least, the tail feathers makes me think it's a pheasant, I could be wrong though, just my instinct.

Cheers, Eddie.


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## Jacktrevally (Feb 14, 2011)

You're right. Most probably a pheasant.

This is not native to my country! Not familiar at all with these game birds. A pheasant locally is hard to believable.

They were in a pair and I got so close to them. Didn't take the shot, I wish they have a lot of small ones in the future.

If this was a partridge or a quail, I would have shot it.

Anyway, got a guinea fowl minutes earlier!









The guinea fowl was the size of a turkey!!!

0.05", 1x 3\4 x 7 1\4 Latex with a 14mm lead ball!


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## HopefulHunter (Oct 15, 2011)

Wow! A fortunate discovery! I hope for your sake they are pheasants and that they breed and breed, they are delicious birds, very delicate flavour, and also dumb as rocks so easy to stalk from experience.

We have one in our paddock at home but I've not brung myself to take a shot at it yet, hoping more will turn up one day.


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## Jacktrevally (Feb 14, 2011)

I got very close to the pair.

I stayed still and took the pic.

I ate a couple of times before, very good meat.


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## Jacktrevally (Feb 14, 2011)

When I saw them at a first glance, I thought they were two jungle fowls, loaded 14mm lead straight away!

Lol.


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## HopefulHunter (Oct 15, 2011)

Haha! Always good to take a closer look at what you're shooting at. Thought I'd spotten an albino rabbit scuffling in the undergrowth once and realised it was next door's kitten that had been dropped by it's mother.

White cats with blue eyes are often born deaf, which means that if they drop their kittens whilst they are walking with them it takes them much longer to find their babies because they don't hear them meowing. I scooped it up and took it next door where I found the mother scuffling around all over the place! Happy reunion. I'm rambling again. sorry! lol.

Good luck hunting their babies. We get a few that escape from the organised shoots on the local estate, I'm waiting until i've seen 3 at once before I take one for dinner


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## Jacktrevally (Feb 14, 2011)

Haven't been hunting for years.... Since the past few weeks, I was ready equipment wise with the slingshot. So I was looking for stretches of sugarcane fields, knowing from past experience that when the sugarcane are harvested, the exposed vast fields unveils what were habitats for small game.

The small stretch of woods is just next to a sugarcane field and I know that many game birds come for a refuge when the sugarcane are being cut.

You often see partridge running and since recent years the guinea fowls have been on the run. They were not at all present in the days I was hunting.

We have sugarcane field almost everywhere. Early morning is good to spot game birds.

We have turtle doves, partridges, quails, hares (never got one with the slingshot) in sugarcane fields, recently I saw many Guinea fowls. The skin is black and the meat is very very tough but well appreciated and sold on the local market. They have been farmed on a small scale.

The Jungle fowls are just a breed of chicken that we have domesticated in the backyard for food longtime ago but you get a few stray ones. Even in the backyard they are a pain to catch when ready to be eaten. Very tough meet but they are used in traditional local curry.


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

That sure looks like a Ringneck Pheasant to me. They are native to China, but are just about all over the world now. I'd guess the two you saw are escapees from someone's private collection.

I've know people all my life who keep Guinea Fowl, but never heard of anyone eating one. Mostly they were kept where I grew up (East Texas) to keep the grass down and eliminate ticks. They also make pretty good watchbirds. Are they good to eat or just palatable?


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## Jacktrevally (Feb 14, 2011)

Thanks for the ID. Still jogging my mind about those birds. I'll ask local residents next time if there are any farms about.

The Guinea fowl is an expensive table meat locally. They form part of the traditional local Easter roast among wealthy family. The farmed ones are the size of a chicken, the meat is 'red', distinctive taste which is rich and flavored.

I remember in the U.K, I saw once on T.V the bird being prepared by a chef. It is a well known table game bird in France, saw them being cooked on T.V by french chefs.

Locally they are farmed in small numbers in backyards or small traditional farms and a few years ago commercially farmed on a small scale. I have eaten a few times birds raised in a family backyard but nowadays they are as expensive as ducks.

They are very noisy birds, I knew a guy who raised them in his orchard! This was to alert him of any intruders getting to his fruits.


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## Jacktrevally (Feb 14, 2011)

The one I shot today is at my friend's place, He's cooking it during the week and leaving me some. He told me he'll be cooking it in red bay peppercorns, aniseed, cloves and cinnamon slowly cooked in red wine. A treat for him!

That is the size of a turkey!

I need to get more 12 and 14mm leads tomorrow.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Yep ... I agree ... sure looks like a ring necked pheasant to me. Good to let it go if it had a mate ... they establish populations pretty easily unless there is too much hunting pressure.

Cheers ... Charles


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## Ry-shot (Jul 22, 2011)

egg...


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## WoodsRunner (Feb 26, 2012)

i reckon that's a pheasant


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## WILD BILL (Jan 26, 2012)

Jacktrevally said:


> The one I shot today is at my friend's place, He's cooking it during the week and leaving me some. He told me he'll be cooking it in red bay peppercorns, aniseed, cloves and cinnamon slowly cooked in red wine. A treat for him!
> 
> That is the size of a turkey!
> 
> I need to get more 12 and 14mm leads tomorrow.


Sounds like it is going to be a yummy meal!

Yup! Ringneck. Great feathers for tying fly patterns.


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