I have seen people kill pheasant, wild or released, with #6 shot out of a 410 or a 28ga, when they pick their shots carefully for close in head shots. If you can't limit yourself to less than 20 yards and crossing head shots, use something with more punch. A 20ga is about as low as I go when the birds hold tight and my usual pheasant guns are 16's for early season and 12's for later. #5 shot is the prefered pheasant load.
I hunted pheasant for a while with a 28ga D. It was a crippler and I gave up and sold the gun.
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