To all the Pheasant hunters out there what is your preferred shot shell?

I was in SD last fall for pheasant and we used 3" winchester #2 steel with great success. I have used #5 lead in the past but we hunted some wetland areas this year and I didn't want to worry about switching ammo.

i also like #6's or #7 1/2's i really like 7 1/2's in a high brass shell when i can get them loaded. the smaller shot is better at slipping between feathers instead of having to punch through them. their skin is so thin and they have almost no fat, so the 7 1/2's do great when they slip past the feathers. the 7 1/2's are also less likely to penetrate through to the breast and ruin the meat as most pheasants are shot from behind. i have never used a 3 inch lead shell for pheasant, only in steel when it was required.

for me personally, a 50 yd shot is a little unethical, even with dogs, you are taking a big chance of wounding the bird and it gliding for a mile before it hits the ground and dies. but dont yell at me, thats just my opinion.

EDIT: if its successful for you, then do your thing. nobody likes that crappy feeling of losing a bird, kinda spoils the mood. do what you have to in order to avoid that feeling. i rarely shoot wild flushed birds. but i usually have a pointer with me too. in my experience, it only makes my dogs less cautious and they start working farther from the gun. if the weather is terrible, that can be a good thing, but on a mild day when the birds are apt to fly, it makes for wild flushes at 50 yards. just a little different method of hunting them i guess. i flush most of the pheasant that i bag. if i dont flush them, then the lab or springer is doing it right in front of me. that kind of close, steady work can corral birds to small areas where they are easier to put the dogs on. just more of a finesse method maybe. so it requires a little more finesse in shotshell choice.

i just dont like taking 50 yard shots. at that distance, you can wound it and not even know it. i have seen birds get their feet shot off and fly over the horizon. i really dont know anyone who thinks 50 yards is in range for flushing pheasant. im not taking jabs, im just saying, you are the only person i have ever heard of that plans for 50 yard shots. everybody i know lets those fly off, or blocks the other end of the field. or they work slowly to allow the birds to walk to a corner. but they dont shoot at 50 yards

* The proper and correct size bird-shot for Hunting Pheasant is number 7-1/2 size bird-shot.* I prefer the Winchester Brand Double AA's in number 7-1/2 size bird-shot.* You Sir are badly and sadly mistaken if you use #4, #5, or #6 shot for hunting pheasant.* Experienced Pheasant Hunter for over 60 years.*

Early on in the season i'll use #6 later on #5. Either Express or Eley.

6 Maximum 12 ga.