20 ga shot size for grouse and rabbits?

[Alberta Bigbore]

With my new 20ga.... ive been having some fun looking for rabbits while looking for sheds.

The dog has put some rabbits on the run and we have got a few. I am curious as to what is an appropriate shot size for rabbit as ive been using 2 3/4....with size 6 and i have missed way to many. Most likely my own fault....most definate. Lol But i took a poke at a rabbit just standing at about 20 yards... and it ran about 10 yards in a tight thicket and fell over. Lol thank goodness for Bella.

What are recommended shot size for rabbits..... and.... for grouse in a 20 ga? May as well stock up. I use #4 in .410 for ruffies or a #5. And in 12 ga I use #6.

[C Taylor]

#4 should work better on rabbits,but I could see this really buggering up the work you've done on trainning Bella for shed hunting. She'll enjoy rabbit hunting so much she'll be running over sheds to get a rabbit

[ShawnM]

I'd use #6 myself. 20ga will still give a lot of shot to the rabbits or grouse with plenty of power.

[Pincherguy]

Maybe ya just need to learn to shoot AB. Just kidding, I would go with the #4 shot. Hits a little harder.
PG

[Whiskey Wish]

I like #5 for both. If I were to choose a box for strictly rabbits I might go with #4's and #6's for grouse. After years of experimenting I settled on #5's as a good compromise.

Reminds me of a story from my youth. As a kid I was blessed with the best darn dog on planet earth. He was a lab x that had all kinds of intelligence not just instinct.

He would hunt anything I asked him to but we spent most of our time hunting grouse and rabbits. My Pa had a friend that owned a fantastic lab trained to hunt ducks. Let's just say he was an "expert" in the field.

My Pa had told the expert about me hunting my dog on both rabbits and grouse and the expert had kindly lent me his knowledge about how I would ruin my dog for upland if I hunted rabbits with him.

One fall day I was hunting the trail that lead into my Pa's hunting lodge. It was a very nice fall day and we had been pretty successful and I was standing on the side of the trail as the expert and a couple of his buddies came driving along.

So here I was standing there with two rabbits hanging from my hand, and the dog was in the willows hunting up a grouse I had just taken a shot at, when Mr Expert proceeds to give me a lecture about ruining my dog hunting rabbits in front of these other two men.

I was young and had been taught to be polite to my elders so I just stood there and listened without saying a word. Shortly after the expert was done talking my dog came out of the bush with my grouse in his mouth. I reached down and took the bird, told him he was a good boy and started walking up the trail to the cabin.

To this day I can still hear the laughter in the car as the experts two buddies proceeded to laugh out loud and tell him he sure knew a lot about dogs. Those two guys rode Mr Expert for the entire 4 days they were at the lodge. I never did say a word to anyone about it but I am pretty sure one of the two buddies told my Pa cause he gave me a smile and a wink whenever those two rode Mr Experts hoss.

Mr Expert didn't like me much after that. He would go out of his way to say or do something to belittle me. I just put him on ignore. Then one day I heard that he injured his good duck dog deliberately because he lost his temper with her on a retrieve. I think I was maybe 16 years old but I told my Pa he had a choice to make....me...or Mr Expert at the lodge. There were no more invitations to the expert but I don't think I had to say anything to my Pa anyways.

Mr Expert was a small, small man.
Regards,
Dave.

[Pincherguy]

Originally Posted by Whiskey Wish

I like #5 for both. If I were to choose a box for strictly rabbits I might go with #4's and #6's for grouse. After years of experimenting I settled on #5's as a good compromise.

Reminds me of a story from my youth. As a kid I was blessed with the best darn dog on planet earth. He was a lab x that had all kinds of intelligence not just instinct.

He would hunt anything I asked him to but we spent most of our time hunting grouse and rabbits. My Pa had a friend that owned a fantastic lab trained to hunt ducks. Let's just say he was an "expert" in the field.

My Pa had told the expert about me hunting my dog on both rabbits and grouse and the expert had kindly lent me his knowledge about how I would ruin my dog for upland if I hunted rabbits with him.

One fall day I was hunting the trail that lead into my Pa's hunting lodge. It was a very nice fall day and we had been pretty successful and I was standing on the side of the trail as the expert and a couple of his buddies came driving along.

So here I was standing there with two rabbits hanging from my hand, and the dog was in the willows hunting up a grouse I had just taken a shot at, when Mr Expert proceeds to give me a lecture about ruining my dog hunting rabbits in front of these other two men.

I was young and had been taught to be polite to my elders so I just stood there and listened without saying a word. Shortly after the expert was done talking my dog came out of the bush with my grouse in his mouth. I reached down and took the bird, told him he was a good boy and started walking up the trail to the cabin.

To this day I can still hear the laughter in the car as the experts two buddies proceeded to laugh out loud and tell him he sure knew a lot about dogs. Those two guys rode Mr Expert for the entire 4 days they were at the lodge. I never did say a word to anyone about it but I am pretty sure one of the two buddies told my Pa cause he gave me a smile and a wink whenever those two rode Mr Experts hoss.

Mr Expert didn't like me much after that. He would go out of his way to say or do something to belittle me. I just put him on ignore. Then one day I heard that he injured his good duck dog deliberately because he lost his temper with her on a retrieve. I think I was maybe 16 years old but I told my Pa he had a choice to make....me...or Mr Expert at the lodge. There were no more invitations to the expert but I don't think I had to say anything to my Pa anyways.

Mr Expert was a small, small man.
Regards,
Dave.

Great story buddy, I love when karma comes to those in need of it.
PG

[bigshell]

ABB you should be good to go with #6 in your 20ga.But if you feel underpowered give some #4's or 5's a try.
I use 7 1/2's in the 12ga for both grouse and rabbits.

[densa44]

Rabbits take a bit more oomph and grouse hardly any. I have shot grouse and huns with skeet ammo from the club (#8 or #9) but rabbits are best with #2.

Do you hunt rabbits and find a bird by chance, if so, you may be better with #4, I use them for everything.

[catnthehat]

Louie points and blocks both rabbits and upland birds with no difference.
Our "bush bunnies" up here hold pretty tight, we shoot themm with the same stuff as ruffies in our 28's nickle plated 7 1/2's, but often hnt grouse with skeet loads and 9's as well.
it's just that most of the time my vest has shells loaded 7/8 oz. of 7 1/2's and 30 grains of H110 .
Cat

[duffy4]

I can't recall ever shooting a rabbit (hare) with any of the 20 ga. guns I have hunted with. I have shot them with my double 410 and 7 1/2 and 4 shot.

Usually I carry a little .22 to hunt rabbits. And I do make a habit of doing so when looking for sheds.

A couple years ago I was carrying a little single shot .22 shed hunting and walked out onto a cutline face to face with a cougar. It ran off but I was surprised at how comforting that little pea shooter felt in my hands.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Thanks for the tips guys. Think ill buy some 4s and try seeing how it patterns. Im not in the know of what chokes to use for what animal and what shot sizes. But my mossberg 20ga came with 3 chokes and I was using the modified.

[MadMarty911]

Yo ABB, I have a box and a half (roughly) of 20g #5 2 3/4 and 3 inch copper plated if you want for free. I'll be up in edmonton in the first half of february.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Alberta Bigbore

Thanks for the tips guys. Think ill buy some 4s and try seeing how it patterns. Im not in the know of what chokes to use for what animal and what shot sizes. But my mossberg 20ga came with 3 chokes and I was using the modified.

Modified or IC, both work fine ABB!
I use either, depending on the barrel I choose.
Cat

[Pudelpointer]

I have killed lots of Jackrabbits (up to 12lbs!) with #6 lead, so I don't think you need #4 to kill a snowshoe hare (I have killed all my snowshoe hares with #7.5 when using a shotgun).

Stick with the #6 and shoot/hunt more.

JMO

[Alberta Bigbore]

Originally Posted by MadMarty911

Yo ABB, I have a box and a half (roughly) of 20g #5 2 3/4 and 3 inch copper plated if you want for free. I'll be up in edmonton in the first half of february.

Sounds great if either of us remember. Thanks very much

[Alberta Bigbore]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Modified or IC, both work fine ABB!
I use either, depending on the barrel I choose.
Cat

26 inch barrel on this one. Would the IC be better for rabbits on the run in the sticks?

And Am I the only one noticing alot of rabbits this year?

[greylynx]

This is an honest post.

My buds out of Inuvik like a 30-30 for Arctic Hare.

So why not #4 or #2 in Alberta.

[Pudelpointer]

Originally Posted by greylynx

This is an honest post.

My buds out of Inuvik like a 30-30 for Arctic Hare.

So why not #4 or #2 in Alberta.

A head shot with any rifle will work. #2 or #4 will also work, it just isn't required IMO.

[Ormachek]

I like #8 target loads for grouse. I don't hunt rabbits but I imagine #6 should do the job just fine!

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Alberta Bigbore

26 inch barrel on this one. Would the IC be better for rabbits on the run in the sticks?

And Am I the only one noticing alot of rabbits this year?

Yup, IC will be fine!
We are starting to get some more up here as well, but I'm not sure just how far the cycle for rabbits extends.
Some years we see many in one area going down the highway, and about 20 miles down, we see none.
Cat

[ShawnM]

Close to twenty years ago I had some trouble with some wolves and when I brought it up at with the local fish cops they explained that rabbits go on seven year cycles. Which also jibes with everything I've seen.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by ShawnM

Close to twenty years ago I had some trouble with some wolves and when I brought it up at with the local fish cops they explained that rabbits go on seven year cycles. Which also jibes with everything I've seen.

But just how big an area a particular cycle covers is what I would like to know!
Cat

[ShawnM]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

But just how big an area a particular cycle covers is what I would like to know!
Cat

Good point actually, I hadn't considered that one area may have different timing for population cycles than an another. I had thought of it in terms of the entire prairie.

[duffy4]

Originally Posted by greylynx

This is an honest post.

My buds out of Inuvik like a 30-30 for Arctic Hare.

So why not #4 or #2 in Alberta.

If I were hunting hare
in the land of the great white bear

I think 30/30 might be my minimum choice.

[Pudelpointer]

Originally Posted by duffy4

If I were hunting hare
in the land of the great white bear

I think 30/30 might be my minimum choice.

LOL. Yes Duffy, I think you may be right. I would be leaning towards the 8 mm Rem Mag as a moderate compromise for small game.

[covey ridge]

I would go with 6 or 7 1/2 for the ruffs open choke. Go with 6 for bunneis