i am going on my first pheasent huntin a couple of weeks and i have a skeet over skeet 12 ga that i get along with pretty well and a modified and improved 20 ga. i dont want to go out and wound birds with either of these. should i borrow something else or will i get buy with these? thanks for any help

I say you'd get buy with the 20 ga no problem. The 12 GA would probably be fine for shots out to 30 yards or so. Just make sure you use a heavy load in either. Are you hunting over pointers or flushers?

it is a free hunt and i dont know if there will be a dog or not i am afraid it is just going to be a lot of walking with birds flushing about 150 yards in front of us. no matter what happens it will be a good time with my buddies i am looking forward to it. thanks for the input

If you are worried about the Skeet choke being too open just go find a box or 2 of Federals Prairie Storm shells(only if you have non-ported barrels) The flight control wad will keep pattern density up 10-15 yards farther out over standard wads.I was skeptical about just another gimmick to sell shells. I saw how they preformed this weekend and they stone cold kill a bird.

Skeet is to opened for the type of hunting you are doing.Use at least a modified or full choke.Use a # 6,5,or #4 high based load.Get a load that will travel at least 1300fps. Then you will be ready.

To kill the bird choke down to modified on shots less than 45 feet. I would use a #6 nickel plated shot. The shot is harder and will penetrate well enough to kill.

I hope you meant 45 yards. 45 feet is only 15 yards,and not much time to mount gun ID bird as rooster and shoot. Like I said in my 1st post to question. If you feel most confident with your 12ga use the Federal Prairie Storm ammo(lead inequivalent to Black Cloud). The flight stopped wad will keep the pattern more than tight enough to drop birds out to the 40 yard range. It works! I watched it work on pheasant this weekend.

Stay with the 12 ga. and modified choke. I use mainly Golden Pheasant 3" with #5.

On my recent trip to KS, I dropped a rooster at about 25-30 yards with an IC choke and 7.5 shot (verified by Stinkbelly). The bird didn't move once it hit the ground. While obviously skeet is not the best choke for pheasant, listen to Deckhand...with the right shells you can still kill plenty of pheasants. Just don't plan on taking 50+ yard shots. If you have a good time hunting pheasant, maybe think about investing in a shotgun with screw in chokes for future hunts.

Open chokes bring down birds much better than many think. A standard 1 1/4 oz. load of 6's has approx. 281 pellets. An improved choke will put 77% of those pellets in a 30 inch circle at 30 yards and 55% in the same circle at 40 yards. Skeet is 72% and 50%. I know many use tight chokes for the longer shots but they are also giving up pattern on the closer shots...I'd guess that the largest percentage of birds (pheasant) are shot in the 20-30 yard range.

P_102

Last weekend I shot my over and under with an IC in the 1st barrel and and modified in the 2nd. I was shooting #6 High Brass and some RIO 36ga long range (just becuase I had some). I only had to shoot one twice. If you are shooting over pointers I would shoot either IC/IC or IC/Light Modified. Even a skeet choke would work very well over pointers.

I also shot a coyote on the run that flushed at 30 yards and the #6 High Brass piled her up in one shot with an improved cylinder. If it will knockdown a coyote at 30 yards it will darn sure knockdown a pheasant

Since you are new to Pheasant hunting. You do not know if you are hunting behind dogs. You are using 20ga.You are far better off choking down and using a good pheasant load.I have shot pheasant with dove loads.I shoot an over under with removable chokes.If I'm hunting a canal I'll use IC or skeet.If I'm hunting a field I'll use Modiefied and full.I am always hunting behind a pointer.At the beginning of the season the birds are close. Once they get shot at a couple of times they smarten up and even a good pointer has tropuble holding them.I can't tell you how many hunters I've seen crying the blues becuase their wounded bird got away becuase they did not use the right set up.
this pic is from last Sat.6 of us shot this group before noon. We ended up with 25 for the day.We do this every Sat.The other pic is my friend and I a few years back.

If you thought I meant yards you don't wanna hunt with my buddies. (just kidding, 45 yrds)

6 hunters / 25 birds, hmmmmmm

Prairie Storm only $36 a box at Gander Mountain!!

I always use full, with #6 shot.

I like Light Modified in first barrel, then Modified, #5 shot. If I go somewhere where birds are thick, I shoot #6

Just so you know limits are 8 birds where I hunt.

this is what Im taking on my first pheasant hunt over new years as well.

Be sure to use a high base #6.Get something that travels over 1300fps.
good luck

thank you I will do my best

Where do you all hunt?