HerUpland Forest Grouse Camp
HerUpland is an organization that provides affordable opportunities in training and hunting for women and girls to gain or elevate skills and confidence on their path into the upland. For the second year, Sporting Lead-Free was invited to present at their Forest Grouse Camp. During this camp, women and girls learn all about mountain grouse species, their habitat, and where to hunt them, along with one-on-one shooting instruction, bird cleaning, gun cleaning, dog first-aid, upland arts and crafts, and so much more!
Sporting Lead-Free’s Outreach Coordinator, Hannah, teamed up with Advisory Council member and Boss Shotshells owner, Lee Kjos for a lead-free shot presentation, as well as a choke selection and patterning workshop (learn how to do this by visiting our how to switch - shotgun page).
Lee and Hannah prepping for the clinic
Lee explains “the math”
Prior to the camp, Hannah took to the shooting range to shoot different shot types into ballistic gels to show the difference in penetration and shot density. These blocks were set up and shot at 30 yards with an improved cylinder choke.
You can see from these photos that steel had the fewest pellets and shallowest penetration. The Boss copper-plated bismuth had great penetration and superior shot density compared to both steel and lead. Boss Tom (their copper-plated tungsten pellets) had so much force and density that the wad was caught in the gel! We recommend saving those Tom shells for turkey season, ha!
Lee then walked the participants through what the different chokes mean and how to select the appropriate one for the hunt. Always put it on paper. Rifle hunters spend time at the range knowing what their shot looks like, and this should be no different for shotgun hunters. Many of the participants were blown away by the results and expressed excitement to show all of their hunting friends how to do the same.
After several clinics and tasty meals (including some SLF cookies!), the women were ready to hit the hills in hopes of finding some grouse, all while using lead-free Boss Shotshells! Check out the photo gallery below.
