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jm1827

Pheasant Hunting

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Got a chance to go pheasant hunting next weekend and have never gone before.  I have my trusty 870 Wingmaster with a 26" improved choke barrel, I was wondering what loads to use.  I have plenty of 7-1/2 trap & skeet load, 1-1/8 oz of shot on hand?

Any recommendations on what size and type of ammo I should be using?

 

Thanks

 

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If hunting behind a pointing dog the 7 1/2s should be okay. If just walking and flushing or pass(tower) shooting then I'd go for high brass 6s. I'd even bring high brass 5s. 

Hitting pheasant isn't hard. Hitting them hard enough that they drop and don't run is another thing.  

Good luck. 

Nick

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I'd say go with high brass 6.  I've used it successfully on 2 CNJFO hunts.

32 minutes ago, jm1827 said:

I don't think so, I think it is the - Pheasant Fest?

Nope - CNJFO Pheasant Hunt is at  Giberson's Preserve in Pemberton.  Next Saturday the 17th.

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23 hours ago, Danno said:

Check with the place you are hunting. If it's public land you can do what you want. If it's a preserve they may limit the size of the shot they allow. 

Great advice as most Preserves limit you to #6 shot.  The reason is multiple hunting parties hunting simultaneously, which is how Preserves make money.  Nobody wants to take a shower of #4's in an adjacent field :) 

CNJFO's Hunt at Giberson's is just 8 days from now (I can't wait!)!

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I’ve hunted semi wild pheasant for a long time and if they get up and fly you can easily knock them down with 6-71/2 shot. 

There pen raised and not as strong flyers 

maybe an occasional cock bird may take off strong 

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On ‎3‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 9:01 AM, Danno said:

Check with the place you are hunting. If it's public land you can do what you want. If it's a preserve they may limit the size of the shot they allow. 

Great advice, it is a private preserve and #6 shot is the max allowed.  I have a few different #7-1/2 loads I will bring.

Another question- does anyone wear any type of hearing protection? 

 

Thanks again everyone!

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Great advice, it is a private preserve and #6 shot is the max allowed.  I have a few different #7-1/2 loads I will bring.
Another question- does anyone wear any type of hearing protection? 
 
Thanks again everyone!

I haven’t been pheasant hunting before, I’m going for the first time to the CNJFO hunt this coming Saturday. I will be bringing active headsets.

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1 minute ago, Darrenf said:


I haven’t been pheasant hunting before, I’m going for the first time to the CNJFO hunt this coming Saturday. I will be bringing active headsets.

Thanks- that's what I was thinking as well.

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1 hour ago, jm1827 said:

Another question- does anyone wear any type of hearing protection? 

 

I wear my Howard Leight Impact Sports.  You can hear everyone talking and the pheasant squawking, and still have enough protection from the shots.

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When I first started pheasant hunting I'd wear my electronic muffs.  My old Peltors were big & clunky and they hindered me from getting the fastest mount possible while still maintaining superior alignment down the barrel to the bird.  Trap & skeet allows you to make that slight head placement decision as you mount, whereas hunting oft times does not.  Too quick.  Unplanned at some points.  So I stopped wearing muffs altogether and found I miss less pheasants.  

If all goes as planned, I'll fire less than 10 shots of #6 out of my 10 ga. SxS percussion double barrel muzzleloader.  1 3/4 oz of #6 coming out of a cylinder-bore (unchoked barrel) front-stuffer usually does the trick!  :) 

And we got some YUGE raffle prizes too, like $200 off a cerakote job, so BRING CASH for raffles!

 

 

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Every shot presentation will be different, so go with shot big enough and heavy enough to penetrate to vitals from all angles. A pheasant crossing, coming at you, or angling away are easy shots, offering exposed vitals (head, body cavity, wings.) A pheasant going dead-away is the toughest to take down and recover. Over a pointing dog shots can be close, and you don't need much. A good dog is key to finding wounded game. #6 is the standard, #5's are better. Use the largest size shot allowed and you'll be fine. 

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This thread reminds me of a cute, but somewhat painful story....

 

Years ago when I bought the ranch in Texas, I had contacted the Texas Agricultural Extension service about putting pheasants on the property. My dad had grown up on the banks of the Mississippi River near Alton, Il, and loved to pheasant hunt as a young man. I though it would be a cool idea to put some birds out there for him to hunt, if they would take to the area. 

TAE said they would be fine, and recommended I buy 250 breeding pairs, and let them loose. It wasn’t cheap, but I was kind of proud of myself, being able to bring back cool memories from my dads younger days of hunting pheasants. 

We received the birds, and released them as instructed, and never saw another one again. 

The coyotes, and bobcats were awful fat that year. Skunks too, as they will eat the eggs. 

That turned out to be not such a good idea, and an expensive lesson. 

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