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< 16ga. General Discussion ~ pheasant loads |
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Posted:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 5:56 pm
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The best pheasant load is the one you can put on the front half of the pheasant. |
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Posted:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 6:24 pm
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Joined: 20 Jul 2011
Posts: 625
Location: Ohio..where ruffed grouse were
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I believe I will steal that Internet advice. |
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Posted:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 5:33 am
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Joined: 27 Sep 2015
Posts: 177
Location: Alabama
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Posted:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 6:19 am
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Joined: 04 Mar 2019
Posts: 1846
Location: Central ND
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Dave has it right!! |
_________________ Mark...You are entitled to your own opinion. You aren't entitled to your own facts. |
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Posted:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 10:08 am
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Member
Joined: 19 Nov 2013
Posts: 381
Location: NW Arkansas
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Fully in agreement with the front half of a pheasant recommendation. Given some results I have seen when a pheasant is going straight away over a point/flush at one's feet, I've about decided that it would be best to just pass on the bird!! Hard to believe that a rooster gets away when one sticks the gun barrel up the exhaust pipe at 15-20 yards and pulls the trigger, but it happens more often that one would imagine. |
_________________ 16 gauges:
1954 Win M12 IC
1952 Ithaca M37 Mod
1955 Browning Auto-5 Mod
1940 Ithaca NID M/F
1959 Beretta Silver Hawk
Ranger 103-II M/F
Browning A-5 Sweet 16
Browning Citori Invector
Rem 870 Remchoke |
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Posted:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 12:40 pm
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Joined: 17 Mar 2017
Posts: 2811
Location: Endless Mountains of Pa
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4Setters,
A big old wild Pheasant late in the season can be tough to bring down on a straight away gunning set up. Definitely helps to have a good dog to track and retrieve in this kind of situation.
Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man |
_________________ "L.C. Smith America's Best" - John Houchins
Pine Creek Grouse Dog Trainers |
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Posted:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 12:48 pm
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Joined: 20 Jul 2011
Posts: 625
Location: Ohio..where ruffed grouse were
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Just an opinion...straight-aways seldom are.
I do suspect that they, and shallow departure angles, are more often missed or edged by a lifted head and/or a too quick trigger finger.
Something about that view seems to rush us, at least, they do me. |
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Posted:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:15 pm
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Joined: 04 Mar 2019
Posts: 1846
Location: Central ND
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There is nothing in the butt end of a pheasant that you can hit with a shot swarm and expect an instant kill.
The vitals of a pheasant that get you a quick kill are all on the other end.
On a going away shot, what we do is float the bird on the bead and if we have a flat shooting gun 50% of the pattern is under the bird, the rest hits the bird where it isn't going to do much at least not instantly.
Regardless of the direction the bird is flying you have to lead the head and sometimes we just don't do that. |
_________________ Mark...You are entitled to your own opinion. You aren't entitled to your own facts. |
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Posted:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 1:47 pm
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Joined: 20 Jul 2011
Posts: 625
Location: Ohio..where ruffed grouse were
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Instant kills are often about density, distance and pellet size...as well as placement.
So are misses and woundings.....in the best of places.
Tail pipes can be instant, of course.
Knowing when not to shoot tho...is indeed the ticket.
Most of us are not all that hungry. |
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Posted:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 2:48 pm
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A few years ago I noticed a mini-funk where I was either crippling or whiffing on straight-aways or near straight aways, and these were birds well within range.
I got my answer one day at the end a long dry creek in Iowa. My big Draht Gus went on point at the line fence at the end. It was the typical messy burm of dirt, field rocks, weedy cane, etc. I dropped the rooster, but he was again flapping and fell into the obscured dry creek bed. I immediately hustled around the whole thing to cut it off on the perpendicular line fence. Got Gus over there and no scent. So sure I had a runner I then took him to all the three escape routes. Nada. Then back down into the dry bed and in a minute here he comes with the rooster.....two broken legs. Hmmm, shooting low.
The next similar shot was back in Wisconsin on a knob above a swamp where I had missed a bird pushed off the edge earlier in the season, and it was another puzzling whiff.
This time I did engage the brain and made sure I kept the barrel moving up and swung through to a memorably successful shot. Roosters are nearly always rising and they tempt you to spot shoot with a dead gun. Of course on the near straight-aways you are then both behind and low. Your best chance is getting the pattern high and strafing the head, neck, and getting whatever damage you can below. |
Last edited by double vision on Mon Jun 08, 2020 3:07 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Posted:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 3:01 pm
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Member
Joined: 19 Nov 2013
Posts: 381
Location: NW Arkansas
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Dave, Since the top barrel of my 'Citori patterns high (and the bottom, dead on), I shoot the top barrel first, as pheasants are almost always rising as they leave. The 2nd shot is usually after they have leveled out a bit, so the bottom barrel is next. I probably shoot my Citori better than any other shotgun I have at upland game, and the poorly regulated barrels are probably why!!! I've killed a lot of pheasants and quail with it over the years. |
_________________ 16 gauges:
1954 Win M12 IC
1952 Ithaca M37 Mod
1955 Browning Auto-5 Mod
1940 Ithaca NID M/F
1959 Beretta Silver Hawk
Ranger 103-II M/F
Browning A-5 Sweet 16
Browning Citori Invector
Rem 870 Remchoke |
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Posted:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 3:04 pm
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Sounds perfect, 4setters. My Iside has a high point of impact and it really works well for me on pheasants. |
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Posted:
Thu Jun 11, 2020 4:10 am
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The Brits would tell you to imagine a pheasant is wearing a top-hat and shoot it off. |
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Posted:
Sat Jun 13, 2020 12:42 pm
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Joined: 09 Mar 2016
Posts: 756
Location: Mn.
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Dave Erickson wrote: |
A few years ago I noticed a mini-funk where I was either crippling or whiffing on straight-aways or near straight aways, and these were birds well within range.
I got my answer one day at the end a long dry creek in Iowa. My big Draht Gus went on point at the line fence at the end. It was the typical messy burm of dirt, field rocks, weedy cane, etc. I dropped the rooster, but he was again flapping and fell into the obscured dry creek bed. I immediately hustled around the whole thing to cut it off on the perpendicular line fence. Got Gus over there and no scent. So sure I had a runner I then took him to all the three escape routes. Nada. Then back down into the dry bed and in a minute here he comes with the rooster.....two broken legs. Hmmm, shooting low.
The next similar shot was back in Wisconsin on a knob above a swamp where I had missed a bird pushed off the edge earlier in the season, and it was another puzzling whiff.
This time I did engage the brain and made sure I kept the barrel moving up and swung through to a memorably successful shot. Roosters are nearly always rising and they tempt you to spot shoot with a dead gun. Of course on the near straight-aways you are then both behind and low. Your best chance is getting the pattern high and strafing the head, neck, and getting whatever damage you can below.
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Back when I first met you I shot flat shooting guns, 50/50. Then for around 15 years went to high shooting guns 70/30 or more. And worked well for clays and phesants. I spend at least 2 weeks every year in SD pheasant hunting with some other retired Navy guys. The kitchen table my sons grew up with is now in the Admiral's (2 star, rear upper half) house there. We shoot a lot of birds. And unlike grouse hunting on the North Shore don't really rough it too much...
Silk table cloth over the handmade table made in Hickory, NC I donated adds some elegance. We wait until the crops are out in November at least most of us do to show up there are 4 of us that are the "core". And bring our woodcock for woodcock Cristina Di Beccaccia.
Did I mention we shoot a lot of pheasants that are well educated and heavily feathered? Took us more than a decade to get on some of the private land to hunt but have access to a lot of it now.
When I went back to flat shooting guns after so many years of floating birds the first 2 phez I shot both dropped a leg. First was right leg and the second the left leg. Amazing how far and fast they can run with a busted leg, why I don't have a flusher sit on shot it is better to see asshole and elbows after the shot IMO. Chase it down and do it now. After the second bird dropped a leg the Commander who witnessed both of my shots next to me yelled at me Mike cover the damn bird! Was fine after that. Because I did.
So started to do the Air Force thing and started to "Aim High". We do let 4 AF pilots cycle through the house also LOL. |
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Posted:
Sat Jun 13, 2020 7:22 pm
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Member
Joined: 06 Apr 2007
Posts: 3373
Location: The Great Northwet
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Must be the off season. Time for the annual pheasant load thread I see. |
_________________ Gun art: www.marklarsongunart.com
Gallery art: www.marklarsonart.com
The man's prayer from the Red Green Show: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to. I guess." |
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