What is your go to pheasant load? It will be pen raised birds so not sure how tight they'll hold.

#6 game load

it depends on how flighty the birds are. I've been on hunts with pen raised "flight conditioned" birds that you hd to kick up. You would then have to wait until they put some distance between you before you shot to keep from tearing them totally up. #8 field loads was what we went with there. That was pheasant ans chukar with some quail mixed in. I've been on pen raised hunts that the birds flew well and yeah # 6 would have been appropriate for the pheasants. Unless you have some knowledge about the facility I'd take a variety of shells to cove alll bases. Good luck and have fun.

What they said... I went to Kansas and had flight conditioned birds that flew just as quick as wild birds... #5 is what we used for both native and pen raised.

6 s , if they are pointed you can use 7.5

This! I like golden pheasant nickle coated loads and tend to use 7.5 alot

I use 5's for wild birds, 6's will do fine on released birds.

On pen raised - #7.5 express magnum followed up by #6 express magnum

this ^ with a 20ga

I prefer a 28 gauge.

6 to 7 1/2 depending on wild birds or pen raised.

So what non-tox load for pheasants? In SoDak in wildfowl production areas you have to use it.

#3 Steel, same as I use in the duck woods.

1 1/8 oz of hard 6's. Good for a lot of things.

Gauge?
20 or 12 Boss warchief 3/5 mix or 5’s (nickle coated bismuth)
28 or 410 #9 or #8 TSS. (No better all around pheasant combo then 28ga with #9 TSS)

Plated 6 shot.

if it need to be non tox you can go fancy and shoot bismuth 6's, super unnecessary fancy and shoot TSS #9, or just shoot steel 5's.

1 1/4 oz. #5 or #6

Anybody have a good source for the TSS in 28 gauge?

I shoot 7.5 Winchester AA’s in my 20 gauge. 1300 fps.

Never had a problem killing birds up to 60 yards.

#6

# 6 @ wild & 7 1/2 @ pen

Winchester, Apex, Boss, Verdict are all about same price, end of turkey season you can catch some close outs

Looking for a retailer, preferably in state.

1 ozw #6’s, 20 gauge. Pen or wild. Tower shoot 12 gauge 1 1/4 ozw #6’s.

For pointed wild birds, my favorite load is an ounce and an eighth of lead #5 in a 20. Early season or late, 1165-1200 fps is plenty fast for lead. Bumping up to fives solved the issue of cripples on long straight away birds. The only pen raised pheasant I’ve shot has been while training and I use low brass 7/8 ounce of 7 1/2 shot dove or quail loads with no problem. I would add that while quail hunting, I have balled up surprise pointed pheasant with 7 1/2’s that hold and flush close.


For areas where non toxic shot is required, I shoot an ounce of #2 steel around 1400 fps in the 20. It works well but is hell on molars if you bite down on a piece of shot.