MiddleRiverShootist
Active Member
LOL thanks for the replies! Trap and Popeyes,, i liked that one.
what 12 ga shell for a guided pheasant hunt ?
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I hunt at Caroline County every year or 2. For a mix of Chukar and Pheasant, high velocity 6s are in order. Only need to be high velocity to get good penetration on a pheasant flying straight away. Chukars and quail will actually come down easily with 7-1/2 or 8. Full choke is way to tight for preserve shooting over dogs. I use a double (Citori) with Sk 1 and mod chokes. IC would be a decent compromise in a single barrel gun and I would not go tighter than a Mod. With a modified, you might need to refrain from the really close shots. Have a ball. If you get Donny Swann, he is a pretty good guy (his family owns the farm).
fabsroman
Ultimate Member
Shooting at the preserves is pretty boring. When my brothers and I used to do it, we would put out 100 quail. Worst we ever did was bagging 96 of them. One time, our guide said that if everybody shot like us, they would go broke. Every once in a while we would run into a pheasant or a chukar that the previous party did not bag. Being opportunists, we would shoot it and just add it to the total.
Anyway, to answer the OP's question, I usually shoot #7.5 Remington Nitro sporting clays rounds at 1,300 fps at these game preserves. They are actually reloads of the shell most of the time.
These aren't the wild wiley running pheasants that flush 20 yards away from you. A couple of times, the guide has had to kick the pheasant up from the ground and it has come down as hamburger. When they set the birds out, they tuck their head under their wing, swing them around to put them to sleep, and then move on to the next set. I almost feel sorry for the birds.
Have not had a pen raised, game farm pheasant or chucker live because I was using a #7.5 Nitro sporting clays round instead of #6 high brass. Only reason they lived is because we all missed.
Ammo Jon
Ultimate Member
- Mar 3, 2008
- 21,059
A slug really takes the challenge up a notch 
Ugh. All of this reminds me that I grew up in rural SW Nebraska where hunting pheasant was just part of life.
I was going to also suggest 2 3/4, #6 shot.
I was going to also suggest 2 3/4, #6 shot.
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The Pheasants I used to hunt almost always ran before they flew. Especially in stubble or crp. We used to post some up on the other side of the field and run them over for the ones that didn't get stepped on or flushed by the dog. If you go to regulated shooting take a break and don't be in hurry before they set the birds out. Let them wake up a little bit.
Fat pen raised birds are slow-carry a 20 gauge if you going to be walking alot and have fun. At least you'll get some shooting in and don't read too much into it. Its a RSA.
Some of those Fiocchi golden pheasant 20g are plenty and cheaper than turkey loads per box so you can use them up for that.
Fat pen raised birds are slow-carry a 20 gauge if you going to be walking alot and have fun. At least you'll get some shooting in and don't read too much into it. Its a RSA.
Some of those Fiocchi golden pheasant 20g are plenty and cheaper than turkey loads per box so you can use them up for that.
E.Shell
Ultimate Member
When I was in my teens, there were quite a few wild pheasants in Carroll, northern Baltimore and Harford counties, and more up into southern PA.
We used to hunt them without dogs and they were well-known runners. You often didn't get a shot until they got to to the far end of the rosebush thickets, and sometimes not even then. We would usually hunt in threes and post one of us as a stopper at the end of cover as the other two kicked through, or the birds would keep running and never fly. Cockbirds only, and to get your limit of two was really a feat. I remember the cocks used to cackle when they took off, never heard a pen-raised bird do that.
Pen-raised birds are a far cry from wild stock. We even shot them at one of the regulated shooting areas with archery gear once. We had chuckers and pheasants released. Four of us went, and at any given flush, three of us shot bows and we had one guy with a shotgun to bat cleanup. Practiced on hand-thrown Nerf footballs for a couple months before we went. Most were killed with the backup shotgun, truth be told, but we did get quite a few with arrows. Found out that "bird points" are useless against larger birds and the wire loops just fold back...
We used to hunt them without dogs and they were well-known runners. You often didn't get a shot until they got to to the far end of the rosebush thickets, and sometimes not even then. We would usually hunt in threes and post one of us as a stopper at the end of cover as the other two kicked through, or the birds would keep running and never fly. Cockbirds only, and to get your limit of two was really a feat. I remember the cocks used to cackle when they took off, never heard a pen-raised bird do that.
Pen-raised birds are a far cry from wild stock. We even shot them at one of the regulated shooting areas with archery gear once. We had chuckers and pheasants released. Four of us went, and at any given flush, three of us shot bows and we had one guy with a shotgun to bat cleanup. Practiced on hand-thrown Nerf footballs for a couple months before we went. Most were killed with the backup shotgun, truth be told, but we did get quite a few with arrows. Found out that "bird points" are useless against larger birds and the wire loops just fold back...
Dave
Ultimate Member
stuff it with goat cheese and and wrap it in bacon. delicious!
byf43
SCSC Life/NRA Patron Life
Pheasants, I've always used either #5 chilled shot, or #6 chilled shot.
2-3/4" shells. Claybuster wads. 1-1/8 oz of shot.
Red Dot powder. 1200 fps.
Improved Modified or Modified choke, in my 24" Hastings barreled Remington 1100.
"High Brass"............... nah.
With the exception of back in the '80s and loading for geese and ducks, I don't load "high brass".
Winchester AA compression formed hulls, or the old Peters "Blue Max" hulls.
Aw heck. The old Mohawk hulls are good for a few loadings, too. (Although they are harder to find/pick up when hunting.
(I try very hard to not leave my empties in the field.)
With the aforementioned scattergun and load, a good friend has commented (more than once), "If he's got that danged 1100 in his hands, if it flies, it dies."
2-3/4" shells. Claybuster wads. 1-1/8 oz of shot.
Red Dot powder. 1200 fps.
Improved Modified or Modified choke, in my 24" Hastings barreled Remington 1100.
"High Brass"............... nah.
With the exception of back in the '80s and loading for geese and ducks, I don't load "high brass".
Winchester AA compression formed hulls, or the old Peters "Blue Max" hulls.
Aw heck. The old Mohawk hulls are good for a few loadings, too. (Although they are harder to find/pick up when hunting.
(I try very hard to not leave my empties in the field.)
With the aforementioned scattergun and load, a good friend has commented (more than once), "If he's got that danged 1100 in his hands, if it flies, it dies."
fabsroman
Ultimate Member
Yep, those were the days. This pic was from 1982 on a 100 acre farm in southern PA around Biglerville. Think I would have to head out to Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, etc. to hunt pheasants like that again.
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E.Shell
Ultimate Member
Nice pic! My teens were in the 70s and we hunted around Hereford, Glen Rock and Maryland Line. Was typically a great day with a mixed bag of pheasants, woodcock, quail and rabbits.
I miss ringnecks… it's been years (actually more like decades) since I've shot one.
fabsroman
Ultimate Member
I'm looking at getting a couple of lab pups this fall. So, I might take them to a shooting preserve to work with them a little. Took my last dog there when he was 3 or 4 months old and the stories are way too long to post tonight.
Think the only reason I will shoot a game farm nowadays is to work dogs. Otherwise, clays work better for me.
I usually take some 7 1/2 shot low brass and some 6 high brass both in 2 3/4. Use the 7 1/2 for the first shot and load the 6 for if they get out there a bit. We would have a mix of pheasant, chucker and quail put out when we would hunt up at Dave Tracey's place (Gunpowder Game Farm).
gcwood
Continental Soldier
- Jun 26, 2013
- 20
Pheasant Hunt Shells
2 3/4 low or high brass 7 1/2 shot. Use improved cylinder or modified at most. If the birds are holding tight your shots won't be far. Good luck!!
2 3/4 low or high brass 7 1/2 shot. Use improved cylinder or modified at most. If the birds are holding tight your shots won't be far. Good luck!!
Mattitude
Member
I've used the Federal Prairie Storm shells with great success, the Flight Stopper pellets are no joke.
MiddleRiverShootist
Active Member
Thanks again! a wealth of knowledge i love this forum
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