Gun Dog Forum

What brand of shotgun shells do you use and what size shot do you use for Pheasant.

I load my own. 4s or 5s

Federal 4's

Ammo doesnt really matter as much as people think. I didnt carry anything more than a .410 this year with 7.5's and 8's. Killed LOTS of birds and didnt have any cripples. For the life of me I cant understand why folks get so heck bent on what load, gun, etc.

Fiocchi # 4
1 1/4 oz loads

Remington 1187 water fowler with a extra full
Choke.
Db

topher40 wrote:Ammo doesnt really matter as much as people think. I didnt carry anything more than a .410 this year with 7.5's and 8's. Killed LOTS of birds and didnt have any cripples. For the life of me I cant understand why folks get so heck bent on what load, gun, etc.

Ya know, that takes me back. I remember back in the 50's when we were kids the candy store near us got pea shooters. We all had them! Some of the kids were pretty good with them too!

tieflyer wrote:

topher40 wrote:Ammo doesnt really matter as much as people think. I didnt carry anything more than a .410 this year with 7.5's and 8's. Killed LOTS of birds and didnt have any cripples. For the life of me I cant understand why folks get so heck bent on what load, gun, etc.

;
Ya know, that takes me back. I remember back in the 50's when we were kids the candy store near us got pea shooters. We all had them! Some of the kids were pretty good with them too!

Charlie

topher40 wrote:Ammo doesnt really matter as much as people think. I didnt carry anything more than a .410 this year with 7.5's and 8's. Killed LOTS of birds and didnt have any cripples. For the life of me I cant understand why folks get so heck bent on what load, gun, etc.

I agree. I shoot an open choke, skeet, or cylinder with 7.5's and 6's and kill plenty and have not lost a bird in a long time.

To promote a .410 for wild pheasant is irresponsible.

I shoot an ounce and a quarter of Golden Pheasant 12 ga 5's and about a 1/3 are retrieved alive, but dying. I am a fair hand with a shotgun; AA in trap and have won state championships in sporting clays.

Respect the bird, use enough gun.

a pointing dog and a full choke? Pheasant are big birds that take quite a bit of time to get going. Often, I have to restrain myself to not shoot them too close.

As to the 410 being irresponsible, I'm am confident more birds are crippled every season with 12 gauge guns than all the gauges combined. Probably many times more. That's the reality. If we are going to take the moral high ground, shouldn't everyone quit shooting at birds with 12 gauge? Hunters without dogs should also not hunt because they are likely to loose cripples. Hunters that haven't demonstrated the highest skill with a gun should be denied hunting privileges. Where does this stuff stop?

For my pheasant ammo, I use #6 to #4 shot in just about any brand that has a load that suits me. In 12 ga, the last time I used o e of mine several years ago, I used a 1 oz #6 Federal 1200 fps load. My handload for my vintage doubles was 1 oz #5 @ 1150 fps. In 20 ga, I'm still using 2 3/4" Rem Nitro Pheasant 1oz #5 @ 1300 fps as well as Fiocci Golden Pheasant #5 & 6. In 28ga I have been using Fiocci Golden Pheasant 7/8 oz #5 &6. For 410, I shoot Federal and Winchester 3" in #6 to #4.

I don't see where anyone promoted using a .410 for anything. Just someone stating what they use, in an effort to make a point.

I only hunt wild phez about once every couple years on a friends farm, so my experience may not be valid. However, I shoot what ever is cheap on 7.5-4. When all we shot over was labs I shot all #4s.

Jim

topher40 wrote:Ammo doesnt really matter as much as people think. I didnt carry anything more than a .410 this year with 7.5's and 8's. Killed LOTS of birds and didnt have any cripples. For the life of me I cant understand why folks get so heck bent on what load, gun, etc.

Saying that the load and gun (gauge) does not matter is promoting poor hunting tactics. Didn'r say there should be laws on moral hunting, just those do not respect the game enough to use proper equipment are irresponsible.

Gauge, size/quality of shot, weight of load, and skill of the shooter all contribute to moral hunting.

And on a percentate basis it is nonsense to say more birds are crippled with a 12 gauge, all credible studies show otherwise.

Percentage basis doesn't quantify the actual cripples caused by the 12 ga annually. There are probably thousands of 12 ga guns in the pheasant fields for every subgauge gun. The reality is that shooting birds in flight with a shotgun has a high likelyhood of producing cripples. A hunter with a 12ga or any other gauge, will cripple birds every year if he/she hunts prolifically. I'm not aware of laws that prohibit ground shooting. Should everyone shoot them on the ground to increase the probability of instant kills? Or, given the fact that everyone cripples birds, a moral high grounder could build a case based on the high occurence of wounding that nobody should shoot birds. With this logic, bowhunters are in the same bucket.

IMO, all hunters should support legal hunting of others, rather than proliferate "I don't do it, I don't like it, and you shouldn't do it" opinions, or we're sure to loose more hunting rights. This type of divisive thinking is exactly what is killing hunting in states like California, and the eastern states.

for hearty wild upland birds in the Dakota's - 4's of whatever is available at the local hardware

practice, practice, practice, trumps manufacturer spec charts...

Neil wrote:To promote a .410 for wild pheasant is irresponsible.

I shoot an ounce and a quarter of Golden Pheasant 12 ga 5's and about a 1/3 are retrieved alive, but dying. I am a fair hand with a shotgun; AA in trap and have won state championships in sporting clays.

Respect the bird, use enough gun.

Niel-
I would have to disagree with you to a point. I only shoot birds that I know that I can KILL and that can be retrieved, exercising these restraints it is simple to take a bird in a responsible way. I don't take shots that are "Hail Mary's" or in the least bit questionable. It helps when your quick on the draw. I guided a hunt a few months ago and the guys asked me "Why arent you going to shoot?" I stated that later I would. At the end of the morning (after putting out 40 birds) I shot 10 and found all of them. Two of them were wild birds and the pen raised ones that were released easily flew 1/4 mile on a calm day with no issue at the flush. The only way I know I shot two wild birds is because they werent banded. I have not lost a pheasant on almost 7 years as proof in the pudding. I was simply trying to point out that most people put to much emphasis on what shot to use and spend entirely to much coin on shells they don't need.

roaniecowpony wrote:a pointing dog and a full choke? Pheasant are big birds that take quite a bit of time to get going. Often, I have to restrain myself to not shoot them too close.

As to the 410 being irresponsible, I'm am confident more birds are crippled every season with 12 gauge guns than all the gauges combined. Probably many times more. That's the reality. If we are going to take the moral high ground, shouldn't everyone quit shooting at birds with 12 gauge? Hunters without dogs should also not hunt because they are likely to loose cripples. Hunters that haven't demonstrated the highest skill with a gun should be denied hunting privileges. Where does this stuff stop?

For my pheasant ammo, I use #6 to #4 shot in just about any brand that has a load that suits me. In 12 ga, the last time I used o e of mine several years ago, I used a 1 oz #6 Federal 1200 fps load. My handload for my vintage doubles was 1 oz #5 @ 1150 fps. In 20 ga, I'm still using 2 3/4" Rem Nitro Pheasant 1oz #5 @ 1300 fps as well as Fiocci Golden Pheasant #5 & 6. In 28ga I have been using Fiocci Golden Pheasant 7/8 oz #5 &6. For 410, I shoot Federal and Winchester 3" in #6 to #4.

The reason more are crippled with a 12 guage is most hunters use a 12 gauge. I know people who hunt with a 410 and are pretty good with them but I agree with Neil, it is no different than hunting deer with a 22 or elephants with a 243. Of course you don't see elephant hunters do that very often because the ones you don't kill cleanly kill you. If that was true with pheasant hunting you would see everyone carry a 12 and have backup too.

Ezzy

"If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately." - Benjamin Franklin

Early season I can go with less- 1/2 way thru in Idaho pretty tough to be shooting 7 1/2's or so.
I go to Rios Mags 4, 5, and 6's. Shoot well and for $12.99/box pretty cost effective.

As a boy all I had was a Harrison & Richardson single shot .410. My older brother was into shooting regulation trap and would take me with him to the range where I would shoot a round or two on Saturdays. The best I could ever do was 12 out of 25. When I finally got my 12 ga. the first time out I jumped to 22 out of 25 and would stay in that neighborhood always. The reason for that is, more powder, more shot,denser pattern, higher velocity = more hits = cleaner kills. I don't think I ever saw a serious trap shooter using a .410. I think the smaller bore guns are fine for Woodcock and Quail but for those tuff roosters I feel best with a 12 ga. and 4's or 5's. But thats just me. Its still a free country.