This year I plan to do quite a bit of bird hunting on state land on account of the private clubs getting too expensive. (Besides, who wants to shoot farm birds all the time?) Most of these areas are super thick and brushy and are usually thick with quail but very few pheasants if any at all.
Being it's state land, steel shot is required.
Gotta protect them ducks don'cha know. Even though the nearest water is miles away.
Anyway, I'm looking for a good steel load to carry for quail. Shotgun is a 12ga. Benelli Nova with whatever choke I think will work best.

You can almost kill a Quail with a hard stare. Any of the smaller shot sizes in steel would be more than necessary. You can kill one on the sit with a BB gun for reference.

I bought a case of Kent upland steel 5's when they first came out and have been happy with them quail, woodcock and grouse have fallen to them over my pointer.

I've shots bunch of clays with Win steel target 7's ànd they break dogs well and should wo4k for quail

I shoot several hundred Quail every year, with .410 browning over and under and # 8s Rio7

I load steel 6's and 7's for dove, push 'em fast and they work great. I'd take the same load on quail if necessary.

7/8 oz in 12 or 16 ga.

Fed "Game and Target" steel #7's work on dove just fine. Haven't tried them on quail yet. Ought to work tho. This is out of a 12ga, 2.75" SA.