How many shells?

[AKSkeeter]

Eastern Washington or Northern Idaho I carry more since quail is always a possibility.
My favorite loop I could shoot doves, quail, chuckars, huns, and blue grouse.

In western MT, its mostly pheasants, ducks and huns and I typically carry 10 shells,
but I only hunt mornings every weekday.

 

[Wind River]

After 2Point's story and pic of cow moose, I'm carrying 5 for self defense.

 

[NDPheasant]

I have this phobia of running out of shells so I put in about 15 but often reach in the truck for a few more just to be safe. I hunt dirt that can yield pheasants, huns and/or sharp tail on any given walk. While I typically shoot well on pheasants and grouse, the little Hungarian rockets definitely test me.

 

[LC Smith]

I just drop the entire box (including the box) in my right vest pocket and call it good. I only can shoot two at the most on a bird, so they usually last a long while.

 

[goldenboy]

I have this phobia of running out of shells so I put in about 15 but often reach in the truck for a few more just to be safe. I hunt dirt that can yield pheasants, huns and/or sharp tail on any given walk. While I typically shoot well on pheasants and grouse, the little Hungarian rockets definitely test me.

I have seen you miss on those little rockets, but I have also seen some misses on a point over those Visla's at point blank range! I always tell my buddies you better have enough shell because they are expensive in the field and I only take cash! I had a buddy years ago run out of shells after I told him this and we were still in sight of the truck! He hangs his head every time I tell the story. Some days the opportunities are abundant and I never want to be out of shells in an epic flush!

 

[Tuckr2]

When hunting out of state NODak I carry 3 in the gun and about another dozen in my vest. With 3 different upland birds available I never know if I’m going to run into pheasants, sharpies, huns, or several of each. usually more than enough as we hunt about an hour at a time and then working our way back to the truck. have only Had one time where between my missing and a fairly large amount of birds I had to borrow a couple from a buddy.

 

[birddude]

I just decide how many birds I want to shoot. If I want to shoot 4, I take four shells. What's the debate??

 

[Tomahawker]

Pockets bulging with shells has a great ring to it when telling a story.

 

[brown dog]

I run a huntredi vest with their shell "rail". It holds 12. I'll load the gun which holds 3 and go with a full "rail" and have yet to run out on a field. I'll reload the rail as needed during the day.

 

[joeg]

I found it pretty humorous when I was taking my buddy's kid out for his first wild pheasant hunt, on late season public land in MN. He took a fresh box of federals and dumped all 25 in his shell pouch, talk about optimism! Thankfully he got his 1st ever wild rooster that day, and a nice one to boot! His is the bird with the longer tail. I managed to get one too. Great day and great memories.View attachment 7515

This makes life worth living

 

[airmedic1]

I haven’t hunted quail for so long that I don’t even remember how many I carried but I’m guessing it was about 25 and I have needed ALL of them!
Now I carry 8-10 for pheasant. There is an elastic band that holds four in my WingWorks vest that I try to keep full and then 4-6 more and the two in my gun. I have never run out but came close once. I only had one in my SxS when I got back to the truck. I shoot a 16 so even if I’m with someone I can’t borrow any!

 

[KEOutdoors]

I usually take 8 or 10 for pheasant. Usually 4 in the easy open pocket on my right side (2 for gun 2 for reloading) and then 4-6 in a more secure pocket so i dont accidentally lose them bending over or crossing a fence. If I shoot 8 shells and dont have 3 birds, then its either time to accept that it wasn't meant to be that day or go back to the truck and start over after a break.

 

[KEOutdoors]

I do have to chuckle a little bit at the beginning of TV shows like The Flush where they dump a whole box of prairie storm in their pocket in the parking lot id be embarrassed to be on TV if I thought i needed 25 shells for 3 pointed birds.

 

[Munster927]

I do have to chuckle a little bit at the beginning of TV shows like The Flush where they dump a whole box of prairie storm in their pocket in the parking lot id be embarrassed to be on TV if I thought i needed 25 shells for 3 pointed birds.

That's because they encounter hundreds of "wild" birds in those perfectly manicured sorghum plantations that I never seem to find when I look at the public atlas haha

 

[Bob Peters]

That's because they encounter hundreds of "wild" birds in those perfectly manicured sorghum plantations that I never seem to find when I look at the public atlas haha

Game farm vs. wild is a constant talking point on this forum and others. Wild birds are always better in my opinion. I do go to the game farm sometimes, if season isn't open or if my buddies all want to go. It's fun but not the same. One thing I really disagree with and burns my britches is "professional" tv shows, videography, photography when they are almost guaranteed hunting/taking pics of coop roosters. I saw one the other day sponsored by a bunch of big brands and I'm pretty sure it had planted birds. It was a classic when A5 got the new PF calendar and called out a picture of a raging flare nare flying across the landscape.

 

[remy3424]

Would you fellas prefer to watch filmed pheasant hunts of groups of hunters in your public parcels???
Wonder if PF bought any more bird pics from that fella, or if they cared much about that....it may have been a random South Dakota bird.....sorry, I retract the last poke, I don't have strong feelings either way on farm raised birds, it is just what has to happen when you bring paying shooters in day after day.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

Would you fellas prefer to watch filmed pheasant hunts of groups of hunters in your public parcels???
Wonder if PF bought any more bird pics from that fella, or if they cared much about that....it may have been a random South Dakota bird.....sorry, I retract the last poke, I don't have strong feelings either way on farm raised birds, it is just what has to happen when you bring paying shooters in day after day.

"Random SD bird..."...Good one.

A couple/few groups from "The Flush" (in addition to the 10s of thousands of people already hunting my public land) wouldn't affect my hunting in the least. They most likely would be there at a time, & hunt in a manner, that led to educating very few, if any, of my pheasants.

I don't care what type of birds anybody wants to spend their time & money chasing. But I do feel "The Habitat Organization" (dedicated to habitat for WILD pheasants) should have at least enough integrity to use wild pheasants in their magazine pictures, calendars, sponsored "hunts", etc.

"Hey! Look what a great benefactor of wild pheasants we are!!! Check out this habitat!!! Now look at the picture of this flare nare pseudo rooster we released so it looks like there's a pheasant here." That's limp noodle at best.

 

[Glock]

Quick math in my head says the average amount carried by those who commented is 14. So either we are all old boys scouts “be prepared” or not crack shots (one shot/ one kill) like we say we are or all a lot of you are like Goose and my cousins in which we have to bring shells for our hunting partners because well 14 shells isn’t enough.

 

[remy3424]

It is a good pic of a rooster pheasant PF purchased...are we next going to get ripping on the photographer who took the pic of such a abominable creature? PF creates habitat for not only wild pheasants, but all wildlife...if a farm raised rooster seeks refuge in such cover, I see no problem with this. If people get a chance to shoot farm raised roosters and it generates the passion to hunting wild birds, hey, that is a positive. The more interest in pheasants, the more chances PF has to get people involved, donate and grow to put more acres into the access of the public. It is amazing that a noodle like some here don't get this and continue to beat PF down.

 

[KEOutdoors]

PF has donated to or straight up purchased almost every public hunting area I have visited in Iowa.

They just agreed to purchase a new chunk locally to me last month, and are asking other non prof to help donate to the purchase. It will then be purchased and donated to the county for public hunting when funding goal is met.

Even if not involved in the purchase, they donate for food plots, burning equipment, and habitat restoration days (removing invasive plants) to improve and maintain.