Upland hunting chokes

[21 Gun Salute]

I'm curious to know what chokes you use to hunt pheasants and if your over dogs or not?

[elkhunter11]

Mod over IC for pheasant and upland birds, usually a 28 gauge O/U. This is usually over dogs. If I am without dogs, and the birds are flushing a ways away, I switch to a 20, or 12 gauge, but with the same chokes.

[Richard B.]

my 16g guns have fixed modified chokes - a little tight for ruffed grouse when I prefer a gun with no choke

[oldgutpile]

Pretty much identical response here, as Elkhunter11.
I am a devout subgauge gunner, typically using IC/Mod in a 28 ga. I handload, using 71/2 copper plated shot for everything from Bobwhite to Pheasant. I found that anything bigger than a number 6 shot in a 28 ga seems to "bridge" while loading, and the pattern starts going bad.
My hunting is all done over dogs, and rarely have to shoot over 40 yards.

[catnthehat]

I have ordered my fixed choke guns in IC/MOD over the years, finding that they seem to work very well for all around use, no matter what gauge .
However, my favourite gun is CYL/CYL.
I am not a fan of screw in chokes , I much prefer a well built gun with fixed chokes, one fairly open and the other tighter and double triggers , be it an O/U or SXS
Over dogs the choke is the last thing I worry about in a gun- if you are on the bird the thing goes down no matter what you have in the gun.
Many people feel different however.
Cat

[densa44]

I decided at the start that my 20 ga. would be cyl and mod, and I never change them. I use the gun for pheasants and huns. I reload and use #5 lead for everything.

My .410 single is a fixed full choke. also reloads, #5.

I only shoot pointed birds. I'm very successful.

[redbike]

If using o/u or sxs, imp cyl and imp mod or mod in second barrel. If single barrel, imp cyl.

[aulrich]

I typically run imp/modified in my OU and modified on my pumps, I have been playing with steel upland loads mostly because I will always take a change to jump shoot some ducks and I don’t want to be carrying a duck and lead ammo at the same time.

[Pudelpointer]

Since you are specifically asking about pheasants, I appear to differ from most it seems.

I hunt over pointing dogs and agree that open chokes over tight holding released birds, and early season young birds call for more open chokes, however...

On cagey paranoid twitchy wild pheasants and Hungarian Partridge that have already been hunted hard for 2 months, I hunt with full choke, mod/full and ImpMod/Full choked guns.

When pointed birds are getting up 20 yards or more away, I need tighter chokes than Skeet/Skeet.