Pheasant setup

[fishuhalik]

I've been shooting 3" #2 Kent Fasteels with a modified choke. I'm shooting #2 steels cuz I've had ducks & geese fly over while walking a field several times, & I also didn't want to run the risk of accidentally throwing lead in my gun in the duck blind. Now that all the waterfowl are gone, it's time to switch to lead. I know it's subjective, but what's your favorite shells for pheasants? I have a hard time spending $20/box for Prairie Storms, but if they're actually that much better at dropping critters, I'll spend the $.

[Ryan_V]

I shoot steel only unless trap shooting. I shoot Winchester high velocity steel 3" #4. around $10/ box. have been dropping roosters all season with them. steel is required when hunting any public land and is overall better for the environment. I think lead will eventually be phased out. when I shot lead, I shot #6, steel shoots a little different, so I went to #4 and an very happy with it. so if you hunt public land, you'll have to stick with steel, if you hunt exclusively private land, lead is ok.

[kevfish1]

Are you sure about that? I could be wrong but I thought you could use lead on state public land and that steel was only required on Federal land?

[2thepointsetters]

I shoot steel only unless trap shooting. I shoot Winchester high velocity steel 3" #4. around $10/ box. have been dropping roosters all season with them. steel is required when hunting any public land and is overall better for the environment. I think lead will eventually be phased out. when I shot lead, I shot #6, steel shoots a little different, so I went to #4 and an very happy with it. so if you hunt public land, you'll have to stick with steel, if you hunt exclusively private land, lead is ok.

Nope. Steel needed on WPA but on WMA you can use lead.

[creepworm]

Steel must be used on waterfowl production areas, lead can be used on the rest. Can't help you with the lead question, haven't used lead for anything but clay pigeons for ten years.

[Ryan_V]

my bad, most of the land I hunt is wpa, that's why I said that. sorry!

[jjz]

With lead I run 1.75 oz of 5 or 6s through a briley quail choke about IC. Lets me take close shots without shredding the bird and has enough pellets at 40 to 45 yards to still make clean kills. Pheasants are tough and a nice even pattern that puts at least 10 to 20 pellets on the bird is what is most important. With 2.75 in shells and 1 3\8 or lighter payloads the open choke will kill cleanly to about 35 then the pattern starts to thin out leading to more cripples\runners, with mod or tighter under 20 yards usually destroys the bird, but you can make clean kills out a good ways past 40 yards. With lead pellet count is way more important to me, lead doesnt need speed like steel to kill cleanly. havent used praire storm but i wouldnt pay 20 bucks for anything that doesnt have at least 1.5 oz of pellets. The only lead i would pay 20 bucks for is 3 in 1.75 or greater 6s or 5s, everyone makes something like that, it all works depending on what patterns best out of a given gun.

[jparrucci]

BB steel for pheasants. They are easy enough to hit at pretty much any range. I want the ability to reach out for those wiley late season public land roosters.

[yakfisher]

I would not use prairie storm. It patterns way to tight,I've shot a couple of boxes now and unless you are dead on you will cripple more birds or flat out miss. I'm just not a good enough shot for PS. However if your on it's deadly. I took a wing and half a head off at 15 yards shooting it through an IC choke. Overall, I do not recommend the loads. I've been using it up by placing it as the third shot in a 3 round Beretta. I prefer 2 3/4 6's early and 3 in 5 later in the year.

[WallyGator12000]

Interesting, I've had the opposite experience with prairie storm. I absolutely love the stuff. You're right about needing to use an improved choke, federal's wad system keeps the shot cupped longer than any normal wad would. But I've shot roosters at close range and extremely long range with 2 3/4" #5 prairie storms with awesome results, and none of the birds have been ripped up or turned to mince-meat.

[stretch]

On wpa land i shoot 3" heavy metal 4 shot and absolutly love it. I haven't lossed a bird yet. But otherwise i shoot federal premium lead 5 shot and have had great success.

[candiru]

I recently tried some Prairie Storm and was not impressed. I do like the Federal Premium Upland loads 2.75" ounce and 3/8 load #4's

I figure that by the time I walk a mile and the dog works her heart out that shells are cheap.

[R. Miller]

Started using Prairie Storm last year, lead #5s and steel 3" #3s for my 20 ga. o/u. Love it! Great knock down power for me. Choked improved cylinder and modified.

[sightfisher]

I only used the Prairie Storm shells one time. They patterned very tight out of my gun, Federal acknowledges this too. Even with an improved cylinder it looked like I hit the bird with a full choke based on the solid hole through the bird. Clearly some knockdown power though! If I use them again I'll just need to remember to pause an extra second before shooting.

For an all around shell I like Hevi-Metal #3. Good shell, and no worry about going from a WMA to a WPA. Good duck load too.