Originally Posted by battue
At the ranges most of us should be shooting it makes little difference.....a Pheasant being a large Bird, pretty much fills the pattern circle of either....and that circle will contain the minimum 5-8 pellets required for clean kills. The 12 with the additional pellets will always hit them with more strikes....are they necessary?
With a good point, no....

I would rather hunt Pheasants with a quick handling 20--or, 28, or 16---than a burdensome 12 better suited for trap and sporting clays....


I agree, "quick handling" being critical. Frequently the rooster has moved from the spot where the dog is pointing, so you don't know where it is going to launch from, and you have about one second to shift your feet and get your gun up.

Pheasant hunting for me entails miles of walking through tough ground. The light weight of the 20 is helpful.

Photo from last week in S.D.

[Linked Image from imagizer.imageshack.com]

Last edited by RimfireArtist; 11/29/20.