The Ruffed Grouse in Hunting Season on Roblox is a small avian quarry added in update version 0.10.1, titled Birdshot Bonanza. Hunting these small birds requires specialized shotgun loadouts and careful stalking techniques to avoid spooking them from the brush before you can line up a clean hit.
Ruffed Grouse Overview and Characteristics
The Ruffed Grouse (spelled in community resources as Rough Grouse or Ruffled Grouse) was introduced by developer Josima Studios alongside an overhauled scoring and animal attribute system. They represent one of the smallest wildlife targets in the open world, weighing in under two pounds.
Key traits recorded during player hunts include:
- Ground and flight behavior: While primarily found walking through ground cover and grassy slopes near cabins and outpost lodges, Ruffed Grouse will take flight if hunters approach too fast or get too close. Once airborne, they can flee rapidly and vanish from view.
- Sound cues: Grouse produce distinctive bird calls and mating sounds when unaware of a hunter nearby.
- Size and visibility: Because of their compact size, spotting a grouse across dense terrain often requires binoculars or careful scans along the lower grass line. Female specimens appear noticeably smaller than males.
Recommended Weapons and Ammo
Update 0.10.1 brought dedicated shotguns to Hunting Season, making bird hunting viable without ruining meat or harvest scores.
| Item | In-Game Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mossberg 500 | 15,000 Cash | Shotgun with a classic look. |
| Benelli M2 | 45,000 Cash | Shotgun with better stats than the Mossberg 500. |
| Red Dot Sight | 20,000 Cash | Optic attachment usable on shotguns for clearer short-range target acquisition. |
| 12-Gauge Birdshot | Varies | The correct ammunition type for Ruffed Grouse; creates a pellet spread for small targets. |
| 12-Gauge Buckshot | Varies | Alternative shotgun ammo designed for medium game rather than birds. |
| 12-Gauge Slugs | Varies | Heavy single-projectile shotgun ammo intended for large predators like bears. |
Stalking and Shooting Strategy
Hunting Ruffed Grouse requires managing your sound and maintaining a strict standoff distance.
- Approach low: Crouch or drop into a prone stance as soon as you detect a grouse mating call or sight movement in the grass. The game's walk speed and running sound will easily scare the birds into flight.
- Maintain engagement distance: The ideal shooting range for a Ruffed Grouse with birdshot is between 37 and 45 yards. Getting closer than 35 to 40 yards almost always spooks the bird, triggering an immediate flight response.
- Aiming without a scope: If using the default iron sights on the Mossberg 500, line up your sights slightly above the bird's center mass when firing near the 40-yard mark to account for pellet dispersion and visual drop.
- Using the Red Dot: Equipping the 20,000 cash Red Dot optic eliminates sight clutter, making it much easier to isolate a low-profile target hidden behind grass blades.
Harvest Rewards and Preserving Trophies
Harvesting a Ruffed Grouse opens the redesigned harvest breakdown screen introduced in recent updates. When you approach a downed grouse, the harvest UI displays:
- Characteristics such as gender, weight, and color.
- Hit breakdown and impact detection (the game shows a blue indicator flash upon landing shots).
- Cash payouts, with rewards reaching approximately 4,000 cash.
- Rarity rolls, such as individual variant odds (e.g., 1 in 9 rarity probabilities) and visual color morphs like Leucistic variants.
Trophies can be preserved directly from the collection screen to be displayed inside your personal hunting lodge. Existing animal preserved scores carry forward through system migrations to maintain their relative percentile tier.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I shoot a Ruffed Grouse with a rifle?
Taking a shot on a grouse with a rifle is not okay, making 12-gauge birdshot the proper choice.
Can Ruffed Grouse swim or land in water?
Ruffed Grouse stay on land, commonly roaming low hills, woodland floors, and the terrain surrounding outposts such as Theodoree's Lodge. Waterfowl behaviors are reserved for species like the Canada Goose.
At what distance will a Ruffed Grouse fly away?
In player tests, grouse consistently startle and fly away when hunters approach inside 40 yards without crouched stealth, and they can spook at around 35 to 37 yards even when moving slowly. Stalking from 40 to 45 yards provides the safest window for a clean shotgun harvest.
