Any advice on choke/shot size for farm raised pheasants?

When I hunted pheasants in Iowa, I had my best luck with #5 shot. The #5s blow right through the bird and you have very few wounded birds. Most are dead when they hit the ground. A wounded pheasant can run much faster than I can and it's difficult to get a good shot at the wounded bird. If you are hunting with a good dog, that is not a problem. The modified choke should be fine.

If you're hunting planted birds over good dogs, skeet or IC choke will work fine. If they're nervous and seasoned birds that flush far, your Mod will do the trick. Fiocchi makes their golden pheasant loads with 5 or 6 shot in loads up to ~1-1/4 or 1-3/8 (in 12). Not the cheapest, but still less than $1/pop

Fiocchi A+

I really like the Fiocchi Pheasant load. It is the only factory load I use. Hits hard, kills clean. I use #4 for less holes, but bigger thump. The nickel plating seems to pull less feathers through the bird. Not a problem with 2 birds, but on 15 it really makes a difference. Patterns a bit tighter than most lead. Skeet has killed ~80% of my birds, Mod on the long range.

Wait for the shot to develop... Many folks shoot too soon on dog held birds. Wait a second to get a good dispersed pattern.

Hope this help and enjoy your outing.

I use the #6 Remington Nitro Pheasants in my 16ga w/ fixed MOD choke and knock the snot out of 'em.

I always used #5 when only pheasant are allowed.

Whenever pheasant & quail are running concurrently, #6 would be a better choise.

Of course, I have killed more then a few pheasents with # 7 1/2 while quail hunting too.

rc

I have traditonally used #6 in both 12 and 20 ga. This past season I switched to #4s, an 3" shells in the 20ga, and my unscientific reaction is that I was killing the birds better with the larger shot. I have killed pheasants with 7 1/2 too, so the most important thing is hitting them (and not in the tail feathers).
Skeet choke will work over dogs but on wild birds I use IC, in a double I use IC and Mod. What little experience I've had on pen-raised birds is that they don't want to flush and the shots will be close. I have seen pen birds refuse to flush and my dog get bored pointing and just reach in and grab the bird.

farmed birds aren't particularly tough. I've used 7 and 7.5 shot (game loads) for the first shot and #6 golden pheasant for the second (over dogs). Haven't needed any second shots. In the 12 gauge. Modified choke.

In 20 gauge the 2.75" #6 super X game loads worked fine for me. Modified choke.

YMMV

I always used a 20 gauge with 2.75 high brass 6 shot in my a5 when hunting wild pheasants and quail. Very few wounded birds, and they were the product of me shooting them in the butt.

If the birds are sitting tight 6s will be plenty and 71/2s will work so long as you don't wait too long on the flush. If on the other hand if the birds are flushing wild, a .308 may not be enough. I always used IC for pheasant and quail.

Go here and read what Dave McCracken has to say about patterning your shotgun. If you have time and the facilities to pattern your choices you can get a good idea of you best choice for your hunt.

Key is to know what distance they'll flush at. Farm raised, over good dogs, you sometimes have to almost kick them to flush. In this case, I've shot plenty with my 20 gauge and 12 gauge with 7.5 shot and improved or mod chokes. If you don't know the distance I think it's hard to beat mod choke and 6 shot.

If you haven't hunted pheasant before, try to focus on the birds head when it flushes. you'll hit more. Lots of people shoot behind the bird because they focus on all the action going on with the big wings and long tail.

It's been about 30 some years ago when I last hunted pen raised birds back in Illinois. As noted sometimes you have to give them a 'kick start' to get them to fly and I had my best luck using a cylinder bore Mossberg 550 'deer barrel' loaded with high brass # 6s.

RJ

I like 4, 5 or 6 shot, in a 12 or 20 gauge with I.C. choke. Any of those loads will put a definite hurt on a pheasant. I do see a difference between wild and farmed pheasant in terms of when they flush, and the fury at which they launch.

Geno