I grew up in northwest Kansas and shot many pheasants with 7 1/2 shot. It is deadly IF you take your lead off of the head. To answer your question though, 7 1/2 will not penetrate the body much more than just under the skin at that range. Many hunters are fooled due to the long tail and aim at the center of the bird which is really more towards the back of the body. A benefit of hitting the head is most of the time when the bird hits the ground, it stays put where it fell or flops a lot and is easy to find.
