First time pheasant (questions)
 

I am really wanting to get in to pheasant hunting this upcoming hunting season. It's something I have never done befor. I have been hunting grouse and waterfowl for many many years. I have some questions regarding pheasant hunting and I hope you guys can help with them, so here they are:
1. Can I pheasant hunt without a dog? And have success?
2. I have been reading about the pheasant release sites, will I have the best luck at one? Or are these sites over hunted and like war zone?
3. I have every gauge from 10 to 410. What will work the best? And what size and kind of shot will work the best?
And any other info and helpful points you guys can think of will be great. Thanks

1) yes you can hunt pheasant without a dog I've done it for 3 seasons , it's very rewarding when you flush one up and shoot it . Good boots and reinforced thick pants needed.
2) pheasant release site will likely be your best bet with out a dog .
3) pick up a box of 2 3/4 Remington #6 nitro or pheasant loads either 20 or 12 gauge
4) make sure to wear orange and respect other hunters space . Be mindful of direction before shooting , the release site can get crowded fast.

I was thinking of useing the 20 just because its lighter to carry and walk with then my benelli 12. But I'm a much better shot with my 16 it's just shot size and type is harder to come by.
I will have to check out the release sites befor this upcoming season so I know where they are. It's nice to hear from someone who has hunted with success with out a dog. I got the boots and the reinforced pants already, must have for busting brush grouse hunting. Thanks for the Info

I tried it for the first time last year at one of the release sites, went solo with no dog, and took my 20 gauge. Was able to get 2 roosters in an afternoon of walking. There were other hunters out there, but it didn't feel crowded. Definitely a fun time. I think success depends on how close you show up to the release days, which aren't advertised.

Not just the release days, the actual release time. If you show up within an hour of a release, your odds improve greatly, there are still birds disoriented and in the open. However, once the dogs start working the area, the birds are quickly killed, or driven into the cover. Once the birds are in the cover, you can walk by within a few yards, and not know that the birds are even there. Most will either hunker down in the cover and let you walk by, or run away, rather than fly. Typically, by the next day, almost all birds are in the cover, and you can walk for hours, and never see one, unless someone with a dog puts one up. Two or three days after a release, it can take hours to find birds, even with a good dog.
As far as crowds go, it can get crazy after a release, while some of us head away from the release area, many people hear the shots, and rush towards the release area, hoping to find birds, before they disperse. I avoid weekends, and try to avoid the actual releases, and it can be a pleasant experience, with no issues with other hunters.

Use your 16 if you shoot it the best. 1-1/8 ounces of #6 shot in a 16 ga SxS have killed 100's of roosters for me from Kansas to South Dakota and Montana out to Washington and most states in between. None in Canada though.

I've had good performance with 1-1/8 ounce Winchester Mark V, Remington Nitro and Federal "blue box" loads in the 16. You should be able to find them somewhere. My SxS did not pattern the Fiocchi Golden Pheasant ammo as well.

The federal blue box loads are very easy to come by, I just wasnt sure if they would be the best choice. My 16 is a single shot Cooey 840 but like I said I shoot is way better then any of my pump guns in any gauge. It's just something about the way that gun feels in my hand and when I shoulder it.

Just out of curiosity what style and shot were you useing in your 20?

Throw some decent boots on. Put your orange hi vis on and Foot soldier thru and you’ll have success on the release sites. Download albertadiscover app and you’ll see opening times, locations and land map plot.
Run a mod choke and #4 or #6. Have your migratory tag as you’ll have a chance to see Goose or duck. Enjoy it

Put your orange hi vis on and Foot soldier thru and you’ll have success on the release sites. Download albertadiscover app and you’ll see opening times, locations and land map plot.
Run a mod choke and #4 or #6. Have your migratory tag as you’ll have a chance to see Goose or duck. Enjoy it

Throw some decent boots on. Put your orange hi vis on and Foot soldier thru and you’ll have success on the release sites. Download albertadiscover app and you’ll see opening times, locations and land map plot.
Run a mod choke and #4 or #6. Have your migratory tag as you’ll have a chance to see Goose or duck. Enjoy it

But Don't shoot a duck or goose with your Pheasant Shot
carry some steel loads if a duck or goose comes by

/\ ofcourse carry steel. Just be prepared for the opportunity.

Was using Remington Pheasant Loads #5 shot from an O/U CZ shotgun with IC/Mod chokes.

Don't use a single shot if you don't have a dog. You may need extra rounds if the bird is wounded and decides to run. If that happens the only chance you have is to keep shooting. Pheasants go down real easy, maybe because they are so comfortable on the ground, but they can be tough to kill. When I was young and hunted them without a dog, we had a rule, you keep shooting while the bird is in the air unless you know for a fact you caught it with the centre of the pattern.

Anyone that hasn't hunted pheasant, likely doesn't realize how fast a pheasant can run, or how well they can hide. I don't care how good you are, if you don't have a dog, you are going to eventually lose some birds.

I agree good dog is best but with lots of recently released birds a hunter with good boots can get some birds. Always thought that more than one dogless hunter walking in parallel tends to unnerve most birds and they fly, rather than hide or run.
Bring your wife along for a good bonding day, give her a big stick and beat the bushes, will help to lift birds.

A 20 will do the job all day long but I prefer #5 shot for that gun. I don't even own a 12. Your 16 should be fine for size but the 5 shot might be hard to find.
I agree with pikergolf that the single shot is not the right tool for the job. I would rather have the 2-3 shots than worry about the 12-16-20 scenario.
Can you hunt them without a dog? Technically Yes. Can the Oilers win the stanley cup? Technically yes. Probability? Well we'll just leave that right here!

You can hunt Without a dog, but get ready for lots of miles and limited success. The release sites are your best bet by far I would say, if you are lucky there will have been a release the day you are there. If not they are pretty deep in the cover, you can walk right past them and they don’t flush. They seem to run as their first reaction. Much better and funwith a dog at this point or you walk by most never realizing they were there. I use a 12 gauge #6 shot 2 3/4”. I have thought about getting a 20 gauge, Maybe next year. This is my first year hunting with my Brittany, And I am enjoying far more with him.

light carry gun
 

1950's Ithaca 37/20ga FC with #4 Imperial lead.