Ruffed Grouse Hunting: A Lifetime of Lessons and Legacy
Ruffed Grouse Hunting: A Lifetime of Lessons and Legacy
By Keith Denoncourt
🎥 Watch the Video Here
Ruffed Grouse Hunting was one of my first steps in becoming the Hunter Conservationist that I am today. The days I spent with my Father, Brother, and Nephew, outside walking the cutlines in fall, will be memories that I will never forget. It set the foundation of how, and why, I hunt today.
Ruffed Grouse Hunting is an excellent time to open up your trails for deer season, enjoy the outdoors, and scout new territory.
When I was about ten years old, I was given my very first personal firearm — a Cooey Ace .22 single shot. It came with a set of responsibilities that were strictly enforced. My dad always told me that if I could take care of the small things, he could trust me to handle the bigger ones later in life.
Learning how to safely use my .22 for purpose — and for harvesting food — became my first live-target firearm training tool. Hundreds of gophers were removed from the farm as pest control, and those early lessons built the foundation for the accuracy I’d need when I eventually started hunting for food.
My brother, who was much older than me, was even stricter than my dad. While my dad might allow a second shot if I missed, my brother never would. When we’d walk the cutlines looking for elk or moose, my role was to carry the .22 safely and responsibly. He would give me one round at a time — only when a live target was in front of us. I never had unauthorized rounds until I was older. Those early experiences taught me how to carry, handle, and transport a firearm 100% unloaded.
When my brother handed me a round, he expected a single, humane shot — always to the head. Accuracy mattered to protect the meat. If I missed, we’d move on, and I’d hear, “Aim better next time.” If I ever got careless and ruined meat with a bad shot, I was quickly reminded that I had taken a life and wasted food. Those lessons set a lifelong standard for firearm use — one built on purpose, respect, and responsibility. I was only allowed to use my firearm for providing food or clothing, or for defending the yard. At no time was disrespect to any animal or situation tolerated.
Now, many years later, I still hold tightly to those same traditions and morals of respectfully harvesting wild game that were instilled in me as a child. Ruffed grouse hunting was where it all began. Over the years, I’ve spent countless hours with my family in the woods, passing along those same lessons — connecting them to their food source while teaching environmental awareness and respect for the harvest. Those moments together remain some of my fondest memories.
Cooking Ruffed Grouse around an open fire with my children is one of my favorite memories.
How to Begin Your Journey into Upland Game Hunting
Complete your Firearm Safety Course and obtain the necessary licenses. Always carry your documentation on your person.
Complete your First-Time Hunter Course.
Check local hunting regulations. Know the specific zones, open dates, daily and possession limits, and legal hunting times. Permission is always required to hunt on private land.
Practice regularly at a gun range to confirm the range and pattern of your firearm. I personally prefer .410, 20-gauge, or 12-gauge shotguns for upland game birds — but always stay within your practiced range.
Scout effectively. Walking cutlines, driving old logging roads, or using an ATV to find new areas are common tactics. Keep your firearm 100% unloaded and encased during transport, and secured when not in use.
Take a Wilderness Survival and First Aid Course. Stay within your limits, and contact a professional outfitter if needed.
Field Cleaning and Processing
I always rough-clean my birds immediately in the field. Please check out the attached video for cleaning and deboning methods. I leave both wings attached to the breast meat for legal identification and to help keep the meat clean. Once home, I follow up with a cold-water rinse and full debone before cooking or freezing.
Upland game birds make excellent table fare — and there are countless recipes to try. Feel free to reach out to me at kadenoncourt@gmail.com if you have any questions. Enjoy your harvest!
Thank you for engaging with the outdoors and providing highly nutritious, chemical-free upland game birds for your family’s table. As always, be safe, hunt responsibly, and support a non-profit conservation organization.
— Keith
My double barrel .410 Coach style shotgun is my favorite Upland Game Bird Firearm. I use #4 shot, 3 inch shells, full choke, and aim for the head.
This is how I bring my freshly harvested Ruffed Grouse inside my residence to be more thoroughly cleaned. It is the breast meat attached with the wings, with the back, legs, heart, liver and gizzard included.
Using a Filleting knife, I debone the Ruffed Grouse meat to be cooked in wide variety of different recipes.
This is the meat, with the heart, liver and gizzard, from a Ruffed Grouse after it has been deboned. It is now ready to be cleaned with cold water.
This is Ruffed Grouse meat after it has been deboned and cleaned with cold water.
This is Ruffed Grouse Chicken Tacos. It is just one of the several recipes that can be utilized when consuming Ruffed Grouse as a highly nutritious natural food source.
