Home Forums Birds & Dogs Upland Game Upcoming Pheasant Hunt ???

I'll be heading to Kansas next pheasant season with some family and I have a couple of questions. What is the gauge and choke of choice? I have never hunted said gamebirds before. Any other advice for pre-preperations?

Thanks .. BP...

I'm driving up tomorrow to finish out the season. Ike, my dog, and I have had some pretty good hunting this season. I'll have both a 20 and 12 with me. Early in the season I prefer the 20 O/U but the later it gets, the more I carry my 870 12 ga. I believe that the shells you carry are more important than the gauge. My favorites are copper coated 5s and 6s in either gauge. Much depends on how you hunt. If you walk and block the fields with lots of people you need a little more firepower. I hunt quietly, and usually it's just Ike and I.

I'm certainly no expert on upland hunting, but I have learned a few things this year. Much depends on the quality and type of dog to make the choice on the gun and load.

Pre Pointer, I was using modified and full with 6 shot from a 12 guage. The birds were jumping way out ahead and without a dog took some time to find if they hit the ground running.

Post dog I have switched to 7 shot with ImpCyl and Mod choke in my 12 guage double. Since he points and I am almost on top of the birds before they flush my range is short and I never have to worry about finding the birds that fall to earth. The dog simply changes everything.

A decent load of 5s or 6s will be about right. If 12 guage, probably 1-1/8 at a minimum, 1-1/4 ounce would be better. If 20 guage, 1 ounce is the biggest load you'll find without going to 3" shells. Choke choice will depend on your dog situation and hunting conditions and style. Where in Kansas are you hunting?

I recommend comfortable, lightweight boots at least 8" tall. Any shorter and you'll have weed seeds, burrs, etc in your socks.

Use 6 for phesant. Rarely 5 until late late in the season. Public land rosters are big time runners towards the end of the season.

I'm not sure of the location yet. My BIL puts this together every year. This will be my 1st time that I'm able to go. I do know he uses dogs but not sure of their quality.

Thanks again for all the knowledge .. BP...

I used a 20 ga A5 with modified barrel this year in Kansas and never felt under gunned. Took 3 roosters and the ones I missed were not any fault of the gun or caliber. BTW, even though wild pheasant run a lot watch the dog. Made a big difference for me that my Vizsla either pointed or was tracking the birds I bagged.

I used one for 20 years as well. At pointed birds, you'll never need more. IMO, wild-flushing, wary, late season roosters often need a little more killing. In the end, 20 v 12 is the shotgunner's version of a 30-06 v 270 debate. No NEED to buy a new gun, but when is it only about need?

I killed a lot of pheasants with a youth model 870 Express 20 guage shooting 1ounce of 6's in my pre and early teens. Switched to various 12's after that, a Winny Model 12, a Mossberg 500, a couple of 870 Express. Now I use either a Beretta 391 auto or Beretta 686 O/U. Typical load is Remington Express 1 1/4 ounce of 5's, late season switch to 1 3/8 of 5's in the Fiochi Golden Pheasant. Opening day I started with a 40's vintage Ithaca 37 in 20 guage, full choke, missed two roosters off of a point within 30 minutes of daylight. Not the guns fault, just my excitement, switched to the 391 and did alright. There is nothing that will get your heart pounding like a dog on point and having a rooster or three or four get up at your feet.

Long winded way of saying about any shotgun will work. I'm going to try and make it out west of Greensburg on Thursday, hopefully the weather will be bad enough for some good hunting.

Years ago, I hunted pheasants out in the middle of nowhere near Comstock, Nebraska at a buddy's parents' farm that my buddy's great-grandfather had homesteaded (a square mile aka "640 acres")... and I always used a skeet/trap type load (1-1/8th. ounce/3-dram equiv.) handloaded copper-plated 6's in my 12 gauge over/under (improve cylinder/modified) shotgun hunting without a dog.

If you don't handload shotshells, then I'd use a standard 12 gauge field load consisting of 1� ounces of #6 hard-lead shot.

You don't need a "magnum" load for pheasants.


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.