Favorite pheasant shell?

[Pete1 3]

What your favorite pheasant load?

[10X 3,301]

It's been decades since I've hunted pheasants, but I miss the experience.  There was a time when I could hunt pheasants and ducks almost right outside my door, on the family farm.  Of course, without a dog, I wasn't bringing home a lot of pheasants...

#6 shot was the consistent recommendation, high brass shells, but generally not magnum loads.   I was shooting reloads in my Wingmaster 20 gauge, but I no longer recall the load data.

[DaddyNick 408]

High brass 6s.  

In 20ga it's a 1oz load. In a 12ga it's usually 1 1/4oz.  

[Smokin .50 1,907]

@Pete1 For pheasants I like to use 1 3/4 oz. #6 shot on top of 72 grains of powder, an over-powder card 1/8" thick & a cushioned shot wad.

Of course it's my 10 ga. SxS muzzleloader, so no shells needed!  

For 12 ga. & 20 ga. shells, @DaddyNick's advice is golden!

Rosey

 

[W2MC 1,699]

Many of the hunting preserves in NJ - such as the one CNJFO is hosting a Pheasant hunt on Saturday, February 6th at Giberson's Farm and WIldlife Preserve in Pemberton NJ - want nothing bigger than #6 pellets.

Go to     https://www.cnjfo.com/event-4052517     for more information

I've hunted there several times - always a blast!

 

 

[Parker 213]

23 hours ago, Pete1 said:

What your favorite pheasant load?

There are lots of answers to this question.

 

Are you hunting pheasants tramping the underbrush alone, hunting over a flushing dog, hunting over a pointing dog? Your method will dictate what you need. Flushing pheasants underfoot are supposed to be easy to hit and will drop with anything. Pheasants that flush far out and have time to get up steam are tough to bring down and when poorly hit they can travel a long distance, both in flight or worse by running on the ground. 

 

12, 16 or 20 ga? 

 

When I was young (13) I thought you needed the heaviest loads to kill pheasants. Bigger was supposed to be better. In the 60's I stoked my grandfather's 16 ga. double with the same shells he used for pheasant and ducks; high brass #4's, #5's, #6's. Damn that light gun kicked like hell with 1 1/8 oz. & 1 1/4 oz. loads. I think I weighed 90 lbs. at the time. I didn't know any better, but thought I was doing it right. 

 

As I've grown older and wiser, and carried light guns and smaller gauge's, hunted over a good pointing dog, I learned you don't need such big loads to take down pheasants if you hunt them on your terms.  

 

My favorites that I put in my shell loops:

12 ga. handloaded 1 oz. of #6's or #5's @ 1235 fps

16 ga. handloaded 7/8 or 1 oz. #6's or #5's @ 1250 fps

20 ga. handloaded 7/8 oz of #6's @ 1350 fps or 1 oz. @ 1200fps of #6's or #5's

 

When I can find copper-plated shot I prefer it, but magnum lead is fine. If you don't handled, factory premium shells use harder lead, so patterns are dense and uniform. But you won't know that until you pattern your gun with the loads you intend to use and determine what chokes are best. 

 

Every shotshell maker makes a premium "high velocity" pheasant load, but "field loads" are fine with pheasant with the appropriate shot. 

 

The ultimate, most-used pheasant load in a 12 ga. for decades has been the loading of 3 3/4 dr. - 1 1/4 oz. - #6 shot @ 1330 fps

 

Pheasants can motor. Upon flight they average speeds of 45mph. Once underway they've been known to hit 60 mph. 

 

 

[JC_68Westy 1,024]

I learned the hard way that 12ga can sometimes be too much

2 hours ago, Parker said:

There are lots of answers to this question.

 

Are you hunting pheasants tramping the underbrush alone, hunting over a flushing dog, hunting over a pointing dog? Your method will dictate what you need. Flushing pheasants underfoot are supposed to be easy to hit and will drop with anything. Pheasants that flush far out and have time to get up steam are tough to bring down and when poorly hit they can travel a long distance, both in flight or worse by running on the ground. 

 

12, 16 or 20 ga? 

 

When I was young (13) I thought you needed the heaviest loads to kill pheasants. Bigger was supposed to be better. In the 60's I stoked my grandfather's 16 ga. double with the same shells he used for pheasant and ducks; high brass #4's, #5's, #6's. Damn that light gun kicked like hell with 1 1/8 oz. & 1 1/4 oz. loads. I think I weighed 90 lbs. at the time. I didn't know any better, but thought I was doing it right. 

 

As I've grown older and wiser, and carried light guns and smaller gauge's, hunted over a good pointing dog, I learned you don't need such big loads to take down pheasants if you hunt them on your terms.  

 

My favorites that I put in my shell loops:

12 ga. handloaded 1 oz. of #6's or #5's @ 1235 fps

16 ga. handloaded 7/8 or 1 oz. #6's or #5's @ 1250 fps

20 ga. handloaded 7/8 oz of #6's @ 1350 fps or 1 oz. @ 1200fps of #6's or #5's

 

When I can find copper-plated shot I prefer it, but magnum lead is fine. If you don't handled, factory premium shells use harder lead, so patterns are dense and uniform. But you won't know that until you pattern your gun with the loads you intend to use and determine what chokes are best. 

 

Every shotshell maker makes a premium "high velocity" pheasant load, but "field loads" are fine with pheasant with the appropriate shot. 

 

The ultimate, most-used pheasant load in a 12 ga. for decades has been the loading of 3 3/4 dr. - 1 1/4 oz. - #6 shot @ 1330 fps

 

Pheasants can motor. Upon flight they average speeds of 45mph. Once underway they've been known to hit 60 mph. 

 

 

I agree 100%. The answer is, depends. When I am hunting with a dog a .410 is plenty, 20ga is the largest I will use. I have pulverized birds with a 12ga hunting over dogs. Without a dog i will use a 12ga with 2 3/4" shells normally #6 or #5 when very windy.

[Parker 213]

21 hours ago, JC_68Westy said:

I learned the hard way that 12ga can sometimes be too much

SO true. Center-punch a pheasant too close with those mighty loads and you don't have much in the way of table fare. 

Another load folks swear by are heavy premium trap loads in 12 ga. w/ #7 1/2 shot. Other makers market these as "pigeon loads." 

[pasu0115 200]

I like a 16ga. For pheasants. High brass #5 shot, either Remington Express Long Range or Fiocchi Golden Pheasant. Modified choke, or in a double barrel modified in one, full in the other.

[Parker 213]

4 hours ago, pasu0115 said:

I like a 16ga. For pheasants. High brass #5 shot, either Remington Express Long Range or Fiocchi Golden Pheasant. Modified choke, or in a double barrel modified in one, full in the other.

Love the 16 ga., provided it sticks to the tag line; "carries like a 20 and hits like a 12."

It's a shame it's fallen out of favor. 

[JackDaWack 2,895]

Last year I used fiocchi speed steel #6 which worked well. I wouldnt take close shots. 

[tony357 386]

I am just getting back into bird hunting, I was using 20GA over my dogs 1 oz target loads 6 or 7.5.  I purchased an O/U 28GA which i am now using.  Herters 3/4 oz 7.5 shot 1200 fps. 

If i do tower shoot i run 12GA 1-1/8 6 shot.