easy question about pheasents

[Monster Buck]

I need to know what the best shot for pheasent would be. I have a 20 gauge and I want to try pheasent season this year, but I don't know what to shoot them with. If you have an idea, post something. Thanks.

[lawdog]

Monster, I always start out the season with 6 shot and then later when they are a little wilder and they have their winter coat on, I shift to 5's or even 4's. Don't let anyone tell you you need a 12 gauge either, I've shots tons of pheasant with the 20.

Good Luck.

[Tyler Holm]

I shoot #5 or #4 shot similiar to lawdog. I've been know to give the #2s if I am shooting steel late season. I'd recommend spending the cash for a better 3" shell (if your gun can handle the 3" shell). Its money well spent to buy a little better (longer) shell. Its better than wonding a bird and having to chase or loose it.

[rundrave]

lawdog is right on, I couldnt agree more,

good luck to you as well, its always a blast, where do you plan on hunting?

a 3" in my opinion is a little over kill for pheasant, I guess if you want hamburger meat, if a bird gets up right next to you, and you shoot it close range, theres not gonna be much meat left to work with.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'm gonna agree with the dog on this also. Sure, I use a 12 ga now, but for a long long long time I used a 20 and dropped a lot of birds. My boys both use 20 ga and they can drop phesants just as good as I can.

Good luck, you're gonna love it.

[bigeyes]

12 or 20 is fine. Most guys start with a 6 and then go down to 5 or maybe 4 depending on how smart the birds are or how windy it is. I am not sure you need the 3" but again late season it might be nice. I hunt over a pointer so I use really cheap 7 1/2 shot 2-3/4" Winchesters all season as not to make hamburger. My shots are very close range and if the bird goes down wounded it doesn't have much of a chance at hiding with Jake around.

[gspman]

The 2 3/4" 1 1/8 oz 20 ga. short magnums in #6 lead shot work very well for pheasant. If you shoot over a pointer you can move up to 7.5's for your first shot. For steel the "experts say that 2 or 3 shot is best. Not sure how well that'd work in a 20 though. I'd think the pattern would be a bit thin.

You really should pattern a 20 gauge with whatever you use to ensure you have a good consistent pattern that's dense enough to kill a pheasant. Pheasants take a lot of killing to bring them down dead and a poorly patterning gun will leave too many cripples.

The best pheasant gun I've ever had was a 20 ga Beretta o/u. I shoot over a pointer so I'd choke CYL and IC and shoot 1 1/8 oz 7.5 shot from the CYL barrel and 1 1/8 oz copper plated 6 shot out of the IC barrel. That shower of 7.5's at close range was nearly impossible for a pheasant to fly through. I was a pheasant killing machine with that gun.

Then I got stupid and decided to use a series of 12ga guns and my success rate went down. Settled on a Beretta 391 and am finally starting to shoot well with it. Should've stuck with the 20.

gspman

[SCUMFROG]

Ok, here's one for you all. I have 2 870's one 20g one 12g. I plan on getting out this year pheasant hunting for the first time also.

Is it harder to use a pump then an auto or an over under? I don't want/need to have a gun for every thing I plan on shooting. My 12g is a combo set up so I've got the slug barrel for deer also.

And if any one is willing to take a newbie out with them and show them how it's done, let me know.

[Fishing-Around]

I dont think it makes a hoot wether it's pump, auto or an o/u, it depends on what you personally are comfortable with. I am just a better shot with my o/u because of the shooting plaine and how it throws to my shoulder. My buddy shoots a pump and he can accuratly throw out just as much shot as any using an auto (he's fun to watch shoot). But as stated before you should pattern your gun with different loads, distances and chokes!! Good Luck

[Eric Wettschreck]

Scumfrog, the more the merrier I say. When season rolls around drop me a line and I'll take ya out.

Shoot what ever you want to. If you have a gun you are comfortable with, use it.

[gspman]

Scumfrog,

You'll be just fine with the corn shucker. The 870 is the most popular selling shotgun of all time. It didn't get that way because it's hard to use.

gspman

[SCUMFROG]

Why do they call it the corn shucker??

boilerguy I'll give you a shout. Were do you go? I don't have a dog, that hunts that is..

[gspman]

I think it's because the pumping motion used to cycle the shotgun is similar to the motion used to shuck a cob of corn with an old antique leather hand corn shucker. I actually have a couple of these (the corn shucker) at home and never actually tried using it.

[SCUMFROG]

I've never seen one.

[CodyDawg]

I have a little different viewpoint. I don't recommend 7.5 shot simply because of the amount of pellets hitting the bird (talk about hamburger). Also, roosters are tough birds. Pointer or no, birds get up at all ranges. If you think you are going to shoot a lot of MN roosters after they hold for a point, you will likely be dissapointed. I shoot a 12 ga and start with #5s. Maybe toward the end of the season I use #4s. If it gets up close, take another second and make sure it is a one shot kill. No hamburger and there arent 50 million BB holes.

[Tyler Holm]

7.5 shot is primarily for Doves and smaller birds of that nature. Sure you can kill a pheasant with it, and if you do, most times its hambuger. Chances are you will hit and wound the bird as the 7.5 really doesn't have enought knock down power for a pheasant. They are tough creatures and can withstand a few smaller BBs. They may keep flying and die at a later time, or simply hit the ground running top speed. Either way, you stand a good chance of loosing the bird.

[brittman]

More pellets is not always the answer.

Check the pattern of your gun. Especially with the the larger loads (3in) and larger diameter shot size.

20g. shotguns can have issues patterning larger shot sizes. The issue is compounded when you try force too many pellets down the barrel.

[bigdog]

I use 3" #4 in a 20ga on pheasants regardless of the time of the season. I also hunt behind flushing dogs.

[Tullibee]

My favorite ammo for pheasants is a combo of two different shells. Since I shoot an over under I put a 2 3/4" six shot in the top for my first shot, and a 3" 5 shot in the bottom for my second shot. as for a brand name of shells I use Fiocchi Golden Pheasant. they are a little more expensive than your traditional pheasant load but they offer impressive knock down power IMO.

[Tyler Holm]

The 3" Ficchi Golden Pheasant is prob the best pheasant shell I have ever shot in terms of knockdown power. Must be careful not to shoot the bird at close range. You'll be left with nothing but feathers.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Scumfrog, I usually go phesant hunting about 100 yards from my back door. There are a few advantages to living in the prairie.

I have a dog. This is his first year out so I'm not expecting perfection. This is also my first year hunting over my own dog so I'm not expecting too much from me, either. No matter what, it'll be fun.

[tweedlap]

boilerguy,

I am going to be emailing you around December 1st about those 11" perch. Might have to give up pheas for a day and catch a couple of those dandies.

tweedlap

[email protected]

[Eric Wettschreck]

Dude, love to get into more of those dandies. Dec 1 is a gamble however. No guarantees there will be enough ice to walk out on. If there is, I'll definately be trying for em.

[Wallydog]

All this talk about shot sizes, chokes & loads.........Most people spend more time bantering back and forth about details, when infact they ought be at a local gun club or open field SHOOTING. The very best load in the very best gun means absolutely nothing if the gun is in the hands of an incompetent shooter. Of course there is a learning curve in shooting and the only way to improve is to shoot. The volume of ammunition spent in the off season will relate directly to your harvest rate and minimize your cripple rate.

WD

[Jackpine Rob]

True enough Wally, but while we can sit at our computers at work and argue about shot sizes and chokes, most bosses frown on employees blasting clay pigeons over the cubicles.

[charliepete2]

Sometimes I drag out the 20 gauge early in the season when the birds are sitting tight for points. If you take them within 35 yards 1 oz of hard 6's knocks them down pretty good if you center them. I have gone to 5's before, but I got a pretty patchy pattern unless I bumped the shot weight up to 1 1/8 oz. When you shoot 3" 20 gauge shells the pattern might look good on paper, but in reality the shot string is really long. Think of shot string as how long the column off bb's coming out of the shotgun is. Large shot strings aren't good on crossing birds. They might catch the front half of it, but the bird will have moved sufficiently before the tail end of the column catches up. It's comparable to the difference between running through water being sprayed out of a hose, and having someone throw a bucket of water at you.

Personally when I want to push more than an ounce of shot I go with a 12 gauge. The bigger bore produces a better shot string with the 1 1/4 oz loads I prefer to hunt pheasants with. 6 shot is the smallest size I'll use on pheasant. 7.5's just don't have the knockdown power out past 35 yards. I like to gear up for the further shots I'll take, and just let the close ones out a bit so they are still fit for the table.

[Mr.Seaguar]

Heres my take- pellets in the tail, bird flys away. pellets in the head, bird is down. Doesnt matter what pellet what you pick, thems the rules.

[SCUMFROG]

Wow boilerguy that must be nice. I live in the BIG city . I'll be letting you know if I'll be able to go.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I agree. That's why I always tell the kids to shoot em in the lips.

Tail they flail, head their dead.

[lawdog]

Funny story: we were pheasant hunting and one of the guys was bragging how he always shot the roosters just in the head and never ruined any meat. He liked to brag a lot, and of course we were giving him all kinds of grief about how we thought he was full of it and wouldn't you know it, the very next rooster that gets up, he just absolutely guts from about 8 yards away. He was so frazzled he just had to show us what a good shot he was and he did that instead. He didn't hardly even get leg meat off the thing it was so hammered.

Moral of the story, hitting them in the head isn't always possible!