What gauge, choke & shot for pheasant?

[cobb]

For me, I prefer a 12 gauge for pheasants with a IC choke and premium number 4 shot. I hunt pheasants behind a black lab, have done so for years and this works for me. I have had a few tell me that either the IC choke is too open or the 4 shot is too big for pheasant. But from my experience I hit the birds and loose very few that are wounded. That may be because the #4 puts the birds down and my dog finds them.

So something new, I have done a few searches on the new premium loads like Federal Prairie Storm, Fiocchi Golden Pheasant, etc., and find many pro's and con's verse price and choke. So does anyone have a solid performer in their eyes in certain gauges, chokes and shot shells on Minnesota pheasants? Is there a a better performing load out there that I should seriously look at?

[Holland&Holland]

16 gauge is where it is at for pheasants. Carries like a 20 hits like a 12. Federal high brass number 6s. O/U with a IC on the 1st shot and a mod on the 2nd. been my go to since I was 15.

[EJSG19]

I have found that I can use almost anything within reason to almost identical effect.

I carry a 12 ga semi auto, generally use a full choke (sometimes its either me that takes a bit to get on the bird, or sometimes the bird doesn't cooperate for my dog and decides to flush prematurely and far away.) But if I think I'm Captain Fast Shot I'll use improved or modified. IC is too open for my tastes. But I tend to take them a little further out. Had too many mutilated birds when I shoot them too close.

Shot size - I like 4 shot and 5 shot. I've also taken many with 6 shot. In my poor days in highschool, it was full choke and the cheapest thing at Walmart, which was 7 1/2 shot. That was too small, and once in a while the results were obvious. However, that was still probably only 1 bird in 10 that wasn't dead as it hit the ground. We were pretty quick to get a bead then though.

[pastorpaul]

i have an old winchester 1200 auto from the 70's w/ choke tubes. i mostly load any brand two #6 and a last #4 figuring if i miss the first two that last one one will need to carry the most irnetia. early in the season or day i'll start ic but carry my tubes and tool in my vest or jacket. when the birds get nervous and begin to fly sooner, i swap out my tube. i rarely change shot size but have on occassion gone from 6 / 4 to all 4 or, once i think, 4 / 2. i do not have a hunting dog (only dobermans) and have only hunted chinese one time with one. one reason i like bird hunting is the the amount of variable you can choose from in shot weights, charges and even patterns with just the one gun; understanding you have a choke tube type like i have.

[timwarner]

I usually run full choke #4 shot in my benelli SBE.

[yuppiejr]

I've been using a Remington 870 Express in 12 gauge, 3" #4 steel shot (Winchester Xpert) out of a 26" barrel with IC choke and the standard brass bead. Does the job!

[mmcnx2]

I run a 20 SxS, IC on the first tube mod on the second. I run 6's from Fiocchi.

[rockcreek]

It's hard to go wrong with a 12ga and #5 shot. I normally shoot the standard "high brass" load of 1.25 oz and 3.75 dram through a modified choke. On farm raised pheasants, I will use my 28ga O/U with #6 shot and I/C and mod chokes, and it seems to work just fine, I just can't bring myself to try it on wild birds that will run 25yds before flushing. On some late season hunts, where the birds have been well educated, I have used 12ga 3" #2 lead through a full choke.

[farmerj]

12 ga , 2 3/4" STS hulls, 7/8 oz #5, 17.5 gr Clays, MOD choke.

Same load I use for skeet. I just replace the 5 shot for 8 shot and use a skeet choke.

Cycles a benelli SBE I and works great in my 870

[minnesotatv]

For me, I prefer a 12 gauge for pheasants with a IC choke and premium number 4 shot. I hunt pheasants behind a black lab, have done so for years and this works for me. I have had a few tell me that either the IC choke is too open or the 4 shot is too big for pheasant. But from my experience I hit the birds and loose very few that are wounded. That may be because the #4 puts the birds down and my dog finds them.

So something new, I have done a few searches on the new premium loads like Federal Prairie Storm, Fiocchi Golden Pheasant, etc., and find many pro's and con's verse price and choke. So does anyone have a solid performer in their eyes in certain gauges, chokes and shot shells on Minnesota pheasants? Is there a a better performing load out there that I should seriously look at?

3", .410, modified, #4 because its easier to dig out.
If they jump out there aways, I just sit and watch the show.

[LarryFlew]

12,full,5

[crbutler]

Real early season, with a GOOD dog, 28 Ga with #6 shot, Skeet 1/skeet 2 choke.

Most of the time 20 Ga IC/Mod using #5, or 16 ga with Mod

Late season or with a group of guys who refuse to only shoot in their lane- 12 Ga 3" with improved Modified and #4 Nickle plated shot. (the Fiocchi 2.75 1450 FPS load with NP 5's worked well too, but its next to impossible to find)

[smurfman]

Most of the time a 16 ga Browning Upland Special with Mod/Mod chokes. I tend to use old paper hull, fiber wad #6 shot of whatever weight in the bottom barrel and 1 1/8 oz of #5 shot in a modern one piece wad and shot cup in the top. If the birds are spooky I'll put the 5s on the bottom and run 1 1/4 oz #4 out the top. The top barrel is a bit larger and shoots about half a choke tighter than the bottom with the same tubes. The difference is even more with the old hulls in the bottom barrel.
Very late in the year when it is cold, windy, and the birds are very spooky I'll use a 12 ga auto of some type with Mod choke with an ounce and a quarter of 5s followed by a buffered 1 1/2 oz of #4. I hunt a lot of cattail sloughs and find the larger shot gives me fewer cripples. I absolutely detest crippling birds as they tend to lose the dogs more than dead birds. I also have a setter that is not big on retrieving crippled roosters, he has been spurred by them a few times too many, and the wirehair tends to crunch them as his cure for that problem. I don't care for that either.

[farmerj]

this year, you're likely to need more than just a shotgun to get a pheasant....

They are scarce....haven't seen any around here yet.

[Belgiboy]

I use whatever flavor no 5 I can get the cheapest. The Browning Gold has modified choke, the O/U has IC in the bottom and IM in the top barrel. I did get a couple of boxes of the Prairie Storm #5 to try out in ND next week so I'm pretty curious about those.