Mid-November in South Dakota

[Phil Yearout]

Day 1, around 60 degrees; Maddie, Tim, Phil, Penny and Pete...

https://i.imgur.com/WVsaFfel.jpg

Day 2, high of 9 with sideways snow most of the day; Penny, Pete, Randy, Maddie, Jamie, Tom, Yeager and Phil...

https://i.imgur.com/De6P0Vrl.jpg

Lots of standing crops in the fields, and LOTS of standing water. We found birds but it weren't easy!

[Garry L Gordon]

A great example of life on the prairie. Enjoy your hunt...and friends.

[Ed Norman]

Phil,
Those are such great pictures, what a difference a day makes. Is that an older side by side your using? I would like to take a couple of friends out there hunting, I am trying to figure out what gun to take. Garry Gordon just posted in another thread some info on pheasant hunting in general. I am learning a lot in here.

[Kenny Graft]

Ed....take the two guns that fit you and you shoot best! Good field loads in 4&5 shot. Always gun the leading edge...that would be the head of a rooster. Above all else...have a great time. I head to Kansas one week from Friday...(-: XE-16 and DHE-16 Both are chokes mod and tight full. A third gun may also come, Fox CE-16 with a little less choke and some 6 shot. Both the land owner/farmers I called this past week tell me of large population of wild quail this year,, sweet! Right now the weather looks good for our week hunting. SXS Ohio

[Kenny Graft]

Kansas weather is a screaming rollercoaster...goes from warm to freezing overnight! Fox EX-16 getting cleaned and my pup resting after the hunt. SXS ohio

[Garry L Gordon]

Good to know that Miss Ruby gets the bed!

[Kenny Graft]

Miss Ruby or correctly (Princess Ruby) is flippin spoiled rotten !!!! That's what a good nose does for ya!

[Kenny Graft]

Ruby kayaking, being driven around at Hauseman's in the RST ride, Ruby goes in all motel rooms first and pics her bed! 4th picture...she can read too, In her room at home a picture of mom and pop working. Her portrait, lastly Ruby waiting for her turn hunting.....SXS Ohio

[Phil Yearout]

Phil,
Those are such great pictures, what a difference a day makes. Is that an older side by side your using? I would like to take a couple of friends out there hunting, I am trying to figure out what gun to take. Garry Gordon just posted in another thread some info on pheasant hunting in general. I am learning a lot in here.

Thanks Ed. The gun is my 16ga Fox A grade; the last day I carried my 16ga Fox Sterlingworth ejector. I've found that 1oz. of #6's works fine for me on wild pheasants, though I've used #5's at times too. If you hit 'em either will do the job. I prefer 7-1/2's for quail.

[Ed Norman]

Thanks Ed. The gun is my 16ga Fox A grade; the last day I carried my 16ga Fox Sterlingworth ejector. I've found that 1oz. of #6's works fine for me on wild pheasants, though I've used #5's at times too. If you hit 'em either will do the job. I prefer 7-1/2's for quail.

Phil,
I just purchased a 16 gauge fox sterlingworth with 28" barrels, I believe its improved cylinder and improved modified chokes. The shells I am using are RST falcon lite under load on the box it says 7/8. The fox is a philadelphia era gun, so would you shoot the 1 oz. load through that gun also? I just asked the guy at fieldsport where I bought the R.S.T. shells to get me the lightest load they had. I apologize for all the questions I have but I have not hunted in so long I don't know a lot about guns. I have been using the 28" barreled fox for grouse and woodcock and recently it worked well on planted pheasants. I also have a parker vh? with 26" barrels and similar chokes, that gun has been refinished and is almost to nice to hunt with. I am guessing a 28 inch to 30 inch long barreled gun would be best with tighter chokes for that type of pheasant hunting out west then. It would just seem to give me another reason to get that one more gun I need for my recent addiction:) Thanks again for everyones input in this forum.

[Ed Norman]

The guy I purchased the R.S.T. shells from last fall called me and talked me through about everything I had questions for about the load size and difference between planted pheasants around here and hunting out west for wild pheasants. I need to be careful and not open a "can of worms" when asking an opinion that is so wide open for interpretation. My 2 buddies that have helped me train my brittany both had similar but slightly "different" opinions on a couple ways to train my dog. I just did what I thought would work best for myself and my situation and the time we have to work with the dog. Both of those guys know how much I appreciate all their help, the one thing they both showed my wife and I was how devoted you have to be to the dog in time, exercise, training, loving him up etc. to get a good bird dog. The people in this forum remind me a lot of my 2 new hunting buddies, the end result is everyones input is meant to help someone out which is why I really really like this forum:) Thanks again for all the input in here.

[Ed Norman]

The guy I purchased the R.S.T. shells from called and gave me a good talk about all the things I had questions on about shells, guns, chokes etc. and hunting planted pheasants around here versus hunting wild pheasants out west. I want to be careful about not asking questions that could have to many differing opinions like I just did in my last post. My 2 buddies that helped me so much training my dog both had similar but different ideas on how to train my dog. My wife and I listened to both of them and then used the ideas that worked best for our lifestyle, our schedules etc. Both of them showed my wife and I how much effort had to be put into our brittany. They both want what is best for our dog and us in our situation. They remind me of the input that I get in this forum, its so helpful to me after not hunting for so many years so again I thank all of you for all your help and input. I may be going out west hunting pheasants or quail some day:)

[Ed Norman]

sorry about this, I typed the first post, then thought I deleted it, so typed another similar post, ugh, I need a full time computer trainer:) I tried to cancel the second one, but can't figure out how to do that.

[Ken Hill]

Ed,

Phil, Kenny, and Garry have provided great information and tactics on hunting wild pheasants. I hunt pheasants over a Gordon setter and use a 2" 12 gauge with #6 shot in a 15/16 oz load. Later in the season I'll use a 2 1/2" gun with #6 and #5 shot in a 1 oz load. Most of the shots are under 30 yards so you don't need pocket rockets to bring the birds to the bag. However, if you taking longer shots you may need a pocket rocket.

Kenny,

I thought my Gordon was spoiled, but now I know she has more training to do on me!

Ken

[Ed Norman]

Ken,
Thanks for more input, all you members have been most helpful. I keep hearing stories about how long of shots you end up taking out there. I think I read in one of the lodges out there, that they want heavy loads etc. My buddy just got back from Iowa, they limited out every day I think, and he gave me more info to dwell on. I think the best advice in all this is not to take to long of a shot and be patient for the shorter shots regardless of the gauge, load size etc. I will practice on sporting clays, clay pigeons set up for mid range shots, not like I get on grouse and woodcock to better prepare myself. I really think after my wife giving me an ok to look at more guns it just seems like just one more little old gun might be all I need:) (yeah right) so I saw this thread on 16 gauge guns ( I now own 2) and that got me thinking about the one more gun in case I ever get out west. I do have a couple more to look at, I will check those out, and I want to get a gun for my friend who has helped me so much and get one with a stock that is cast neutral, or get it bent for a left handed shooter, or make him get a fitting then bend the stock. The one he liked the best was a cast neutral stock on a fox 16 gauge. I think if I can find a gun like that (cast neutral) he would be thrilled. This is such a good forum for a guy like me. I learn something literally every time I come in here. Thanks again all, Ed