What kind of shot do I use and what size choke do I use when hunting pheasant with a 12 gauge shotgun.?
149268
I would say #6 shot with full choke.
723539
Any shot that severs the spine will drop a deer dead before it hits the ground.  However, those are risky shots and may end up wounding the animal.  The same goes for head shots...they end up wounding more deer than killing them.  The most effective shot is just behind the shoulder about 1/3 of the way up the body.  That will take out the lungs.  If the deer is quartering away from you, aim at the far shoulder.  If the deer is headed directly toward you, aim for the middle of the chest under the neck.  If the deer is facing away from you, wait until it turns to get a better shot.  Keep in mind that with all of these shots the deer will run off a little distance, usually less than 100 yards.  If you need to drop the deer right there in it's tracks, shoot for the middle of the shoulder.  That will bread the shoulder bone and drop the deer.  You will most likely need to follow up and shoot it again in the neck when you get to it.  Check out the link below to see a visual of what I just described.  Good luck.
873303
It depends on your classification of large. The .30/06 has the longest range and is the general caliber that most people can withstand in recoil and weight. In Arizona 300-400 yard shots are common and small little coues whitetail deer and .30/06 150-180 grain bullets drop them fine so do the 130 grain .270 and 7mm do well too. I would not recommend the .243, it is a nice flat shooting cartridge which is good for long range, but you have to hit them right to get a good kill, which isn't ideal for long range where you would have to track them if you miss. The .30/06 wont do good either if you miss, but there is alot more diameter and energy going downrange. I know, i know velocity equals on paper energy but I personally think that big heavy bullet is better than a light super fast one. Plus if you factor in the effect of wind, the .30/06 is 100x more wind resistant. My .25/06 little .25 bullet gets blown around in light winds. Plus if you practice more with the .30/06 and understand bullet drop, you will have a great all around weapon whereas the .243 is limited to deer and smaller species. The .30/06 will take game up to moose and black bear. Don't listen to people who say it doesn't work on elk, I have shot many and they drop real fast, farthest I had to track one was 100 yards. My dad shot one at 300 yards with two shots, one busted the front shoulder the other right through the heart. I personally think the shoulder shot was amazing at 300 yards to do that much damage to the shoulder. He missed probably due to buck fever, it was the biggest bull the game warden had seen up there in years. That was last season. The .30/06 is all you need and it is a good short range cartridge too, use with with 180s which are good for elk and I just took one this last season with an 80 yard shot, right through both lungs the bullet exited making a half-cent size hole. The elk ran 30 yards uphill and died. \n\nThe .50 BMG would split a deer in half, it does so to humans and blows heads, arms and legs off, too much gun, unless you are shooting at 5,000 yards. \n\nA howitzer is impractical and there would be no meat left and like the gau 8 it is pretty much illegal in all U.S. states.
964159
forget the .44, its still just a pistol round. fine to 100 or 150 yards but beyond that no. 30-30 is good to 200 yds and has killed about as many deer as any round, its cheap and easy to shoot but its not the flattest shooting thing out there, you need to know your rifle. 30-06 and .308 are almost clones ans both are fine calibers, the 06 will handle heavier slugs better however due to the longer neck. 7mm is also a fine round, flat shooting with more that enought power but for your uses its almost overkill. other cartridges to consider- .243, flat shooting and easy recoil, accurate and powerful enought for any deer- 8mm, .303 , 7.62R close matches for the .308 and 06. and enjoying a comeback as surplus rifles are getting easier to find. an out of the box round to think about is the 7.62x39 soviet in an SKS. cheap gun that with a change of sights is useably accurate and effective to 200yds for deer, about = to the 30-30 and there's some good ammo being made for it. for those that want knockdown power there's the 45-70 and the marlin .450 in the guide gun. \n   as to rifles there's not a lot of real differences between any major brand. its more what you like, can afford, and can find easily. i have used about every action and each wil work well. the bolt is the strongest and may be the most accurate but for 200yds any action is accurate enought. pumps, levers, and auto are faster for the second shot and may be shorter and handier in brush. whatever floats your boat. BTY savage arms makes some of the best shooting guns today and as i said the SKS is a much better gub than most prople think. don't think you have to own a high priced rifle when there's many less expensive ones that will do just as well.
746233
Bound's hubby here:\n\nIf I remember correctly, the Winchester Model 70 hunting guns require a degree of up pressure toward the tip of the forearm, while the "OLD" Model 70T target guns had free floated barrels. The Model 70, nicknamed the "Rifleman's Rifle" was Winchester's Mercedes Benz of rifles, and it is doubtful they would have let a sour shooter leave New Haven!\n\nI would suggest the following:\n* Check scope bases for tightness (remember, be liberal with the "locktite" or iodine!)\n* Check to make certain the scope rings are tight on the scope bases.\n* Bore sight the rifle for 100 yards - NOTE: I just got a Model 70 in .270 ... I think it may be a featherweight synthetic or a "shadow", and I was not happy with the way it bore sighted ... the stud would not stay in place in the bore!\n* After bore sighting, fire a three shot group at the target, with the target set 25 yards from the rifle ... it should print very close to "dead-on" ... then go for 100 yards.\n* When zeroing the rifle, do so with a good sling, and perhaps a rest ... do not let the rest touch the barrel, only the fore-arm!\n* If this does not work, call the good people at Browning who are providing customer support for the defunct Winchester line ... they will probably ask him to ship it to their facility at Arnold, Mo. for repair. \n\nGood luck!
796289
HUNTER ARM'S COMPANY\n                              Fulton, New York\n\n  Fulton Hammerless Double Barrel Shotgun\n   Boxlock. Plain extractors. Doubletriggers or non-selective single trigger. Gauges: 12, 16, 20. Barrels: 26- to 32- inch, various choke combinations. Weight: about 7 pounds. Checkered pistol-grip stock and forearm. Good Hunting
570221
It depends on how much damage you want to do to the meat (not the animal) and how accurate you are.  A smaller, faster bullet, such as the 30-06, conveys a lot of hydrostatic shock that ruins some of the meat.  If you do your own reloading, and experiment with your reloads, then a 30-06 will work for you.\n\nA larger, slower bullet, such as the .308, makes a larger exit wound, but since the bullet is traveling slower, there is not as much ruined meat.\n\nI use an 8mm (8x57 IRS) for my hunting.  I am currently hunting in Germany where I regularly shoot Roe Deer and wild boar.  I will stack that caliber up against anything out there, and will use it next year on my elk hunt in CO.
185205
for target shooting or hunting go with a savage model 110 in a 308 the gun is super accurate and the price is about 375 dollars \nthe ammo is cheap and easy to find with light recoil\nif using mainly for target go with the bull barrel it expels heat better and makes for tighter groups it may be a bit heavy to hunt with tho\nalso go with a good quality scope because ur rifle is only as good as ur optics i would go with a burris with parralax adjustments \nit will cost u about as much as the gun but well worth it
187996
In my experience, a Snipe Rifle is a must! Especially in Alaska & Canada. (Canada has STRICT gun laws, but I'm fairly certain they make exceptions for Snipe hunting, as they are severely over-populated from British Columbia all the way to Manitoba.) You can usually get away with a regular rifle in the lower 48.\n\nThe best time to hunt Alaskian Snipe is usually in the summer months. (I prefer going 1st-season, before the mountain is overrun by tourists.) They are most active between Noon and 4 in the afternoon. \n\nThey are very quick on their feet, so a high-quality Snipe-Bag will come in very handy. You can get a sturdy one, at any sporting goods store. You should probably also pick up a Snipe-Call as well, if you haven't yet mastered the art of "Snipe-Yelp". (My grandpa had the best yelp I've ever heard.)\n\nAlthough their pelts are very desireable, the Black-Billed variety tend to be somewhat gamey and tough. In my opinion, the Winged-Back Pygmie Snipe are the best eating. I have some wonderful recipes, if you're interested!\n\nHappy Hunting!
786859
Well, its smaller than a 12 or 16 gauge, but larger than a .410, so it just depends on what you're comparing it to.  I prefer a 12 for most of my shotgun hunting, but I know plenty of people who love bird hunting with a 20.  I suppose it just depends on what you want to use it for, but a 20 gauge has plenty of power to get the job done in most cases.
108481
When hunting ground birds, a dog normally runs out in front of the hunters.  When the dog goes on point, the hunters get an idea of whee the birds are (in this case it was a covey of quail).  The hunters move forward and at some point the prey is flushed (they startle out of their nests and fly away, toward, up, all directions, although usually away.  Usually when hunting ground birds two hunters go with one dog, but a line could be used....  \n\nThe dangerous part is when a bird flies back through the shooting line.  The shooter have to be disciplined enough not to shoot outside of their arc, in order to avoid the other hunters.  Now the arc changes slightly as the shooting line follows the outriders and the dogs.  If someone is out of line or a bird flushes toward a hunter, there is a risk of getting shot.  In this case, the man who was shot was out ahead and to one side.  \n\nWhen one tracks a ground bird, one tracks from where the bird flushes and aims a bit ahead with the shotgun.  So the muzzle of the gun moves from down to up.  It is easy to get hit when hunting quail, pheasant, partridge, etc.  Safety rules must be observed and the guide has to keep track of where everyone is.  \n\nIf you hunt birds you are going to catch some bird shot from time to time, I have been hit twice, although at longer range and with fewer pellets.  The more you hunt, the more likely you will get hit.  Other factors influence as well.  This incident happened late in the day when people were tired and the sun was low.  This is when a lot of accidents happen?  Hope this helps.
864147
After the head is off, dunk it in HOT water for a few minutes, and pluck the feathers. This may take a few dunkings. There may be some pin feathers left....you can deal with those later. Cut off the feet. Loosen the wind pipe away from the neck as best you can. Spread it's legs and cut the skin from the end of the breast bone down to the tail. Be sure to cut only the skin. Don't cut into the innards. Then cut across this leg to leg....kind of a 't' pattern. Reach in under the breast bone to loosen the innards and pull them out as best you can.  The wind pipe should come with them, but if it dosen't you can pull it out from the neck.  When you have the guts out, carefully cut around them and the tail..cut the tail right off ...be sure not to cut into the guts. Reach back in and get out what didn't come out the first time...make sure you get the lungs and liver.  You may have to rinse it a few times with cold water to get it all out. Then rinse it again real well and pick  out the pin feathers. Wa -la!  one cleaned pheasant.
871757
Bound's hubby here: \n\nFirst, remember the PA law that requires the use of manually operated firearms... no semi-autos. This leaves you with two styles of handgun, revolvers and single shot pistols. Keep in mind your typical shot will be at about 40-50 yards, you will need to be able to hit a 6 inch target consistently at your maximum distance. \n\nIn revolver .357 Mag is the absolute minumum to use. A .41 or .44 Mag or a .45 Long Colt would be better. \n\nIn single shot pistols (the Thompson Center Contender) any rifle cartridge barrel could do, but I would suggest the .30-30 barrel. You will get close to the same performance as a .30-30 rifle in a handgun. \n\nGood luck.
1181511
Only muzzleloading firearms that are 40 caliber or greater and capable of firing only a single charge may be used to hunt deer during this season\n\nhttp://www.maine.gov/ifw/hunttrap/hunt_traplaws.htm#MUZZLELOADING%20SEASON
892722
Bound's hubby here:\n\nYou have asked a question that is a double edged sword:\n"What can you hunt with a .22?" (within the cartridge's abilty) versus "What can you hunt with a .22?" (what can you legally hunt with it).\n\nLegally, that depends with your state's Fish & Game regulations.\n\nWhat is the cartridge capable of bagging? Rabbit, squirrel, small varmints ... but keep your maximum range to about 50 yards. Try not to shoot birds with a .22 ... using solid bullets makes your rifle dangerous to over a mile, and using .22 shotshells will be frustrating, since the #11 shot (commonly called "dust") is effective to about 10 feet!\n\nGood luck!
1016673
I go with a bolt action; Remington 700, Savage's model 16, or the model 10/110 also from Savage.  All rifles from Savage come from the factory ready for optic sights(scopes) and have the bbl floated(from the factory.  Floated bbl's are more acurate.  Don't look at price when looking for ammo.  You get what you pay for.  Premium ammo costs more but it shoots and performs better.  Save the cheap stuff for practice.  When it comes to caliber, here are my picks: .270 Winchester Short Magnum(my round of choice that I have killed 2 Caribou and a Dall Sheep in Alaska with; very fast, very accurate to well over 500 meters{I've done 1MOA goups at 800m durring practice a couple of times, it's hard to find a civillian range that has the ability and space to let you shoot past 200m.... big brother and I just went out into the AZ desert somewhere and shot}, enough ass to kill all game but Kodiak bear and probibly moose), .30-06 Springfield(old but old for a reason... IT WORKS!), .308 Winchester(7.62x51, the round of choice for precision Haji hunting and US med. machine guns), .300 Winchester Magnum(hits hard, shoots straight, requires getting used to the recoil, will kill anything, excellent round overall), .270 Winchester(another good all around cartiridge, it's kinda a small .30-06, been around for a while and that means ammo is readily available), and any variant of 7mm(accurate and powerful, but I don't have much experience with it.  I just know some guys that love it).  Don't go for any 7.62x39.  That round loses alot of ass/accuracy after 300 meters.  Train yourself to be surgical at 500 and you will be golden come hunting season.  It's the Indian not the arrow my friend.
196138
first, it depends on where you live.  in illinois only slug shooting shotguns are allowed.  in the carolinas you can use buckshot.  out west, a long range 30 cal centerfire is the norm.  in texas and down south, 243's are common.\n\ni use a .308