Be headed up to South Dakota for my first ever pheasant hunt this fall. Just got into dove and quail hunting this last year so am really looking forward to it.
Get WAY out in front of the bird. If you shoot them in the "middle" you'll drop their legs and they'll keep flying. Because of the long tail, the middle of a pheasant is his arse. Focus not just on the head, but, on the BEAK. You'll kill more that way rather than wounding or missing. Take your time, pheasants are huge and SLOW compared to any of the clay pigeon shooting sports. Take your time, find the beak and then shoot. With rare exception, the person who shoots 1st is almost always just the person who can miss the fastest.
