More speed. Tighter patterns. Cleaner kills.
As we wrap up another season and begin to clean, organize and prepare our gear for the next season, it becomes readily apparent that the smallest item we use has the biggest impact on our guest’s success. By far the most overlooked component by upland bird hunters, the shells we choose to feed our shotguns.
Although some may sputter at the price of premium shells and question the need to spend just a few dollars more, it is by far the smallest expense incurred on any hunt. Quite frankly, the whole hunt hinges on what we ultimately send downrange at 3-pound Roosters that, even when hit and feathers fly, simply refuse to go down easily.
To put this into perspective, you can arm yourself with the most lethal shells available for the price of a tank of gas. And you will shoot far less of them than the bargain variety shells that are so commonly used. By the end of season, you will not have spent a nickel more as you have not fired as frequently. More importantly, you will cleanly harvest nearly every bird you take aim at, while also playing a serious role in conservation. You wouldn’t elk hunt with a .223, so why would you hunt pheasants with ammo that only wounds birds and sends them sailing off to die?
Modern Birds Demand Modern Loads
What we demand for our hunters are premium shells that are faster, hold better patterns, penetrate deeper, and cleanly dispatch our quarry. There are several qualities and ingredients a truly good shell must have. First, a healthy helping of clean burning powder with enough inherent power to push our pellets downrange as quickly as possible. This helps keep up with deceivingly fast flyers like pheasants while providing the energy needed to knock them down dead.
That extra punch, combined with nickel or copper plated shot, is the key. Plated shot does not deform like un-plated lead shot does. The result is consistently tighter patterns, which equate to more shot in the bird. And by “in”, I mean full penetration. Because the shot doesn’t deform, it doesn’t catch feathers or hinder its ability to lodge deeply enough for clean kills. As a bonus, when we clean our birds, the shot simply falls out of the meat, as there is nothing to catch and keep it there.
The somewhat recent emergence of fast and very fast shells is more than just impressive numbers on the box. Speed does kill and better yet, kills cleanly and ethically. If you have yet to step up to premium shells for your upland hunting, why not? Yes, the stuff that Dad shot still kills birds. It also wounds just as many that simply fly or run off, never to be retrieved.
Just as our selection of what we feed our guns has evolved tremendously over the last 50 years, so have the birds, pheasants in particular. We must realize that nearly every mammal, along with far too many avian predators, relish a meal of pheasant just as much as we do. Survival for them never takes a day off. This continual pressure has led to what I call Darwinism in fast forward. Only the best and brightest of Roosters survive to see another season and pass on their superior genes.
Fiocchi Golden Pheasant
What we rely on here at Dakota Pheasant Guide is selected from the Golden Pheasant lineup produced by Fiocchi. Shot size is another critical factor. We use absolutely no 6 shot, as it simply does not carry the force needed to consistently bring down these battle-hardened birds. We start the season with number 5’s. Preferably in a 12-gauge, 3 inch if shooting 20 gauges. As the season wears on and the birds accumulate their winter plumage, number 4’s become our go-to. Around Thanksgiving, the truly big stuff comes out, and we rely on the same 4 shot, only going to a 3 inch load for the extra pellets and of course power. If your local provider does not carry Fiocchi, please ask them to do so. It will serve both their customers and bottom line. If it’s not available, the Federal Premium copper-plated loads are an excellent second choice.
The simplest and most cost-effective thing you can do for the upcoming season is to spend another couple of bucks on the good stuff. When all your planning and effort lead to a good shot at a Rooster, you might as well cleanly harvest it rather than watch it sail away mortally wounded, never to be retrieved. In my opinion, it is unethical to wound birds simply because we failed to come properly armed and prepared.