Late season pheasants - Full choke? Modified?

birdshooter said:
Jonny,

May I make a recommendation?

Since your issue seems to be mainly your ability or inability to mount the gun quickly / efficiently, how about focusing on practicing your gun mount at home? You can even wear the same clothing you would when hunting. In the carry position you would normally use when hunting, practice mounting the gun to your shoulder whiLe focusing on an object across the room. Do this deliberately at first until you get muscle memory working then if need be increase the speed a little. I think you will find that if you do this every night for a couple weeks you will find it to help quite a bit. No need to be excessive maybe 20-25 times a night. Just remember to duplicate as best as possible your normal low gun ready position and step into the shot with your lead foot.

Give it a try you may be surprised. I instruct some of my youth league members at our local Sporting Clays club to do the same.

Oh and be sure you gun is UNLOADED....
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Birdshooter: thanks for the message. Have thought about doing this at he clays' range but will practice at home too. I know I don't step into the shot every time! Too focused on the mount and looking at the bird.

I don't have issues at the clay's range, as I can pre-mount and usually shoot in the 34 to 38 range with an occasional 40. To date it hasn't been cold so we haven't been wearing heavy clothing; that's changed now...

Often the mount is too quick/fast and I miss the spot on my shoulder and end up too low or high and the cheek isn't on the stock. If I step into the shot I may reduce this problem. Often I'm on uneven ground, on the side of a hill or other awkward positions, so it's difficult to get into the classic mount position.

I do give the roosters a chance!
 
Yeah this is where the practice at home will develop muscle memory so you don't consciously have to think about it, it just happens naturally. Gun mounting exercises aren't the most exciting thing in the world to do that's why I said to keep the reps low but do it often. Besides, practice at home is cheap... :D I used to do it and now since I'm a Permit to carry holder, I even practice my pistol draw from concealment for the same reason.

Here's another tidbit on the gun mount as it relates to Pheasant hunting. Unless the bird has flushed at the far reaches of gun range (in which case you may want to withhold shooting anyway) there's really no reason to hurry or rush the gun mount. Pheasant can fly fast but not faster than the shot out of your barrel. With practice you will be able to make a much more positive move, which will put the barrel on the bird with more consistency.

Give it a try... you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. :thumbsup:
 
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birdshooter said:
Yeah this is where the practice at home will develop muscle memory so you don't consciously have to think about it, it just happens naturally. Gun mounting exercises aren't the most exciting thing in the world to do that's why I said to keep the reps low but do it often. Besides, practice at home is cheap... :D I used to do it and now since I'm a Permit to carry holder, I even practice my pistol draw from concealment for the same reason.

Here's another tidbit on the gun mount as it relates to Pheasant hunting. Unless the bird has flushed at the far reaches of gun range (in which case you may want to withhold shooting anyway) there's really no reason to hurry or rush the gun mount. Pheasant can fly fast but not faster than the shot out of your barrel. With practice you will be able to make a much more positive move, which will put the barrel on the bird with more consistency.

Give it a try... you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. :thumbsup:
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Thanks for the input...

I have a pheasant mounted on the wall in a fly position. One I had stuffed (Iowa) many years ago. I could draw down on him, but he's a bit too close! Iowa - those were the day's; one license for the year, lot's of birds and no fees to pay. And road hunting was excellent, they didn't mow the ditches.

Going to try the clay range next week without mounting...

What part of Mn are you from?
 
Yep, Iowa back in the good ole days when they were king when it came to Ringneck harvest, Million plus every year....

Hanover. couple miles south of St. Michael.
 
BShooter: A brief update...

Have had a "practice" session with clothing and noticed my poor posture - not having a forward look/ foot forward position. When I move to the forward position, the gun comes to the shoulder easier. Also, I have sort of an appliance I wear that was made years ago. This fits into my shell vest shoulder pocket. Have not been wearing it lately, but am going to try it again. It's designed to keep the gun from slipping off my shoulder.

Trying to plan a hunt for two day's starting Friday, in western MN. Hopefully I can get a good gun work out!

Jon
 
Good to know Jon. Keep practicing at home till it feels comfortable and automatic. Practice all angles even completely turning around simulating a bird flushing behind ya.
 
Bird flush behind...my nephew had one of these in SD last week and he got completely turned around, forgot to move the feet and fell over!

Jon
 
I use an O/U and like to take my time to see the bird well. I for years have used a modified in my lower barrel and full in the upper. Always use lower barrel first. This has worked well in field trials where we want a bit longer challenging retrieve. Also with wild birds they get going a bit faster than the pen raised birds that we use in trials so the mod/full works quite well for me and others that I know when in the field.
 
This sounds like a clothing issue as much as it does a gun problem. I don't think anyone shoots well in a heavy coat, or with warm gloves. You might want to try some layering. I wear a light weight Orvis strap vest, over a gore-tex 'micros suede' shell, with either a fleece or goose down vest [both have high collars] for insulation. The vest allows for much better arm movement than an insulated coat. Finding the perfect gloves is a challenge. I have found that wearing a lighter one on my trigger hand, and a warmer one on the other can help. Good luck out there.
 
Have been practicing my mount; it is atypical. Try and layer with a light and unencumbered clothing I can get by with.

Also viewed a video that demonstrates gun mount and sight picture (Shotgun Report). Good video and reminder to slow down the draw. I'm historically too quick to shoot.

Used a mod choke yesterday and it worked well.

And at my age, keeping the hands warm is a very big challenge. Finally bought battery gloves - these work.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
You not only have an excuse for slowing down, but you have an excuse to BUY something!!! An improved-modified aftermarket choke tube!! It's between modified & full. And even if you never use it, who cares? Carlson's makes a reasonably priced, quality product.

That said, if you don't feel like buying new stuff, I'd stick with modified unless you think a significant amount of shooting is going to be over 40 yards. Then try full. In 12 gauge, I'd go 1-1/4 oz unless you think that might beat you up too much. But remember recoil increases as velocity increases too. So if you go 1-1/8 oz, I'd still try to keep the muzzle velocity down there around 1,250-1,330 fps.
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Excuse to buy a new choke? Heck and excuse to buy a new gun. The benelli 828u is an ultra light and has an awesome recoil system. Shoot 1 1/4 ounce loads filled with #5s, put in a modified choke and have at it.
 
In my experience, the lighter the gun, the bigger the recoil...

Have tried 1 1/4oz. in my 20 ga. and can really feel the difference; and I have a new gun as a backup to my 20.

Using the mod choke now; not sure I can tell much difference, as yet. Off to SD in Dec. and would assume the shots will be longer.

Thanks for the input, everyone's comments are welcome.
 
jonnyB said:
In my experience, the lighter the gun, the bigger the recoil...

Have tried 1 1/4oz. in my 20 ga. and can really feel the difference; and I have a new gun as a backup to my 20.

Using the mod choke now; not sure I can tell much difference, as yet. Off to SD in Dec. and would assume the shots will be longer.

Thanks for the input, everyone's comments are welcome.
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Yes I agree. Typically the lighter the gun, the more kick and that increases as the load gets heavier. If you have problems with recoil I really would suggest looking at the Benelli 828u. I was amazed at how little the recoil was because of their new recoil system. It would allow you to shoot a heavier load and have less recoil than you do now. But it's not cheap.

Good luck and remember, you can kill them at 40 yards with 7 shot if you center them:)
 
benelli-banger said:
all distances...works for me...a buddy even goes cyl all season...he brings down some crazy long shots!
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on one of my december hunts last season I shot at a crosser that was about 50 yards up in the air, and at least 60 yards from me...I missed the first shot, missed the second, and just kept increasing the lead, and hit it on the 3rd shot...watched that bird fall for what seemed like 4 or 5 seconds...SK choke, #5 lead from my Benelli Ultra light 12 gauge...pure luck!

Same time of year, hunting cattails or other dense cover, there are routinely shots at 7 or 10 yards...I was just patterning a new S X S I recently acquired when I was in SD yesterday...wanted to know what the open barrel (cyl) looked like at 40 yards shooting 7.5 shot...still lots of pellets on a pizza plate at that distance...noticeably more open, of course, t han the tighter barrel (LM)...was shooting a 20 gauge AYA #2.
 
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benelli-banger said:
on one of my december hunts last season I shot at a crosser that was about 50 yards up in the air, and at least 60 yards from me...I missed the first shot, missed the second, and just kept increasing the lead, and hit it on the 3rd shot...watched that bird fall for what seemed like 4 or 5 seconds...SK choke, #5 lead from my Benelli Ultra light 12 gauge...pure luck!

Same time of year, hunting cattails or other dense cover, there are routinely shots at 7 or 10 yards...I was just patterning a new S X S I recently acquired when I was in SD yesterday...wanted to know what the open barrel (cyl) looked like at 40 yards shooting 7.5 shot...still lots of pellets on a pizza plate at that distance...noticeably more open, of course, t han the tighter barrel (LM)...was shooting a 20 gauge AYA #2.
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pheasants can take a lot of punishment........i like #5 shot, in any choke......prefer IC or MOD. either way, it is all about knowing your limits and ability.......rather have a clean miss than a crippled bird flying off.
 
hunter94 said:
pheasants can take a lot of punishment........i like #5 shot, in any choke......prefer IC or MOD. either way, it is all about knowing your limits and ability.......rather have a clean miss than a crippled bird flying off.
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Absolutely. Knowing when a clean kill can and can't be had. Its the ethical thing to do. Losing a cripple really bothers me to no end.

Usually a clean kill requires 3-4 well placed pellets in a vital to dispatch the bird in the air. The most difficult situation for that to happen is the long dead going away shot where pellets must drive thru the tail feathers and the back to get to the vitals. Low percentage shot at best.
 
I have found that the velocity of the shells make a big difference. Even more so than shot size. Which is why I prefer to use high velocity (1500 fps) or higher. I use #6 lead with an IC choke all season (12 gauge) and rarely run into crippling problems.
 
Apologize if I missed this part of thread. My suggestion would be to look at gun first. 1.) Are you shooting an automatic shotgun, no matter the brand they tend to have less recoil due to operation of action, IMO inertia drive more so than gas. By shooting an autoloader you should be able to up the payload of shell without more felt energy. 2.) Shell technology has advanced and you can get more down range energy now with more open choke, still need to pattern gun. Example: As season progresses I change load size vs. choke constriction to accomplish range/distance and penetration, 90% of season use I.C in auto and I.C/Mod. in two pipe.
 
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