Many of the best Shots whose opinions I most respect won’t shoot a pheasant in October. For the very lucky, August and September are for grouse, October is for partridges and only in November do they start thinking about pheasants. By the time January comes round, it is supposed that…
Pheasant Shooting
The pheasant shooting season runs from 1 October through to 1 February in England, Scotland and Wales and pheasant is the quarry most game shooters are likely to come across.
Top tips for pheasant shooting
- Know the breed of pheasant you are shooting. They all behave slightly differently in flight.
- Get your footwork right. Move your feet correctly before you mount the gun and make the shot
- Practice your gun mount beforehand. A consistent gun mount will help you take the shot correctly.
- Finish your shot properly by watching the bird fold in the air
- Don’t aim, rush or snatch at the trigger
- Don’t cover the line of the bird with your muzzles
- Keep your stance and weight correct
Get to know the different breeds of pheasants
You’ll also need to know what the best guns are for this type of shooting, what load to use and what the distance limit is to shoot.
If you’re new to shooting and wondering what the difference between walked up shooting and driven shooting is, then here is an easy guide.
The Beretta Silver Pigeon is a popular pheasant shooting gun
Pheasant shooting has its own etiquette and part of it is knowing what to wear when you’re out in the field so here’s a useful guide.
Later on in the season pheasants behave differently and the talk is all about shooting high pheasants.
And then when you’ve got your bag, you can finish off by browsing through our pheasant recipes.
Follow the dress code
Beginners and improvers
If you want to start shooting, this is the perfect place to read up on the know-how and make sure your shooting etiquette passes muster.
If you’re looking improve your shooting technique when you’re after pheasant, then you’ll find a host of articles here on how to be a better shot – with plenty of advice on stance and eye dominance.
We’ve also investigated many pheasant shooting grounds and you can read our reports here and see how they match up to your expectations for shooting pheasants.
Why the wild pheasant is the greatest test
’I remember the first time I was invited to a day of wild pheasants. It was a cold January morning and I stood on the edge of an old woodland filled with oaks and ash that sloped away into a deep valley where the other Guns stood waiting, nervously shifting…
Best loads for high pheasants
So what is a high pheasant? And what are the best loads for high pheasants? For normal mortals shooting cartridges with say 30gm of No 6 or 5 lead shot from their standard shotgun, a distance of 40 to 45yd is generally considered to be a decently high pheasant. The…
Six of the best pheasant shoots
Every shoot is different in its own way. We asked our contributors for their nominations for their best pheasant shoots from seasons gone by and here is what they came up with, in no particular order… 1. Hornby shoot, Cumbria “The best syndicate shoot I have ever visited” is how…
Estates should act to limit the number of dead poults
Too much pheasant roadkill In the early years of my shooting career, pheasants were far too valuable to use for retrieving practice. I didn’t shoot many and those that I did bag were destined for dinner. This became second nature and, even today, I don’t like to use a shot…
How to shoot high pheasants
There aren’t many shortcuts in this game — shooting high pheasants takes practice. The only way to become really good at taking on those tall birds is to spend hours standing underneath them. That said, there are a few tricks of the trade that will set you on the path…
What’s the best cartridge load for standard driven pheasants?
How should you tackle standard driven pheasants when you’re out in the field? The sort you’re likely to come across earlier in the season. What would be the best cartridge load for driven pheasants? Speaking from my experience as a shooting instructor I think that the cartridges a shooter uses…
Six must-reads about pheasant shooting
There’s an early morning nip in the air which means that the pheasant season, starting on 1 October, is just around the corner. Whether you’re new to pheasant shooting or a seasoned hand, here are some useful pheasant shooting must-reads covering everything from guns and ammunition to shooting high birds.…
What is the best shotgun cartridge and choke combination for pheasant shooting?
The right shotgun cartridge and choke combination for pheasant shooting could transform your days this coming season. There have been some major advances in shotgun cartridge technology in the past couple of years. To protect the environment shooters should use fibre wads. The Eley Hawk VIP Game cartridge comes in 28,…
15 of the best pheasant shoots in the UK that will be open next season
We’ve searched out a number of the best pheasant shoots around that will welcome shooters from October, with social distancing measures in place. Tregoyd, Powys If you like the challenge of tricky birds on a variety of terrain then this shoot is one you should visit. Situated to the south…
20 of the best UK pheasant shoots that will be open this season
Tregoyd, Powys If you like the challenge of tricky birds on a variety of terrain then this shoot is one you should visit. Situated to the south of Hay-on-Wye in stunning countryside. Visiting Guns are tested in every possible way in a mixture of woodland and open drives. And if…
The rules you must follow when rearing gamebirds
Before you take any steps to start on rearing gamebirds yourself you need to be aware of the key factors involved. Rule 1: Think of it as a business You need to think seriously about rearing gamebirds right from the beginning and consider it as a business, whether you’re rearing…
One barrel is all you need
A single-shot, single-barrelled shotgun is not popular these days. The guns are looked down upon as somehow ‘less than’. When I began my shooting life under my father’s instruction, I was as excited as any 14-year-old could be. I had completed my three-year apprenticeship of various gun-, dog- and bird-related…
Having trouble shooting high pheasants? Then read these expert tips
Chris Bird at Hollands offers some high pheasant shooting tips
Facts about the pheasant – phasianus colchicus
Just how long the pheasant has been found in Britain is open to question but it is likely that, as with so many of our non-native species, the Romans had a major hand in bringing them to our shores. It is also likely that they were bred as table birds…
High pheasant shooting – how to master it
High driven pheasant shooting lesson: It’s getting to that time of the year when the birds are really beginning to fly well.
An invitation to a driven day – a female Gun reports back
I have been fortunate enough to be involved in the wonderful world of fieldsports for most of my life. From rough shooting with my father to great times on the beating lines, I can still claim that one of my greatest achievements was to be head beater by the age…
Is the pheasant the perfect gamebird?
Good looking, fast flying, delicious as well as easy to rear, tough and adaptable. The pheasant comes in a perfectly designed package. Like anything that’s relatively trouble-free, we don’t think about it much. So are we in danger of taking the pheasant for granted? An exotic alien We expect it to thrive…
Which type of pheasant shooting is superior?
High pheasant in open fields By Giles Catchpole Snap shooting is all very well and good. Couched on a ride in the midst of the shelter belt or in a clearing in the heart of a block of forestry can be exciting, for sure. Who doesn’t enjoy a bit of…
Popular shotguns for the pheasant season
What you need to consider when picking out a game gun Weight Gauge Style Action Budget Patrick Galbraith, Editor of the Shooting Times, comments when discussing shotguns for pheasant shooting: “I would say that there has been a move towards affordable guns, with pairs of Mirokus becoming a frequent sight…