On early season birds you can get by with 1.125 oz of #6.
If your and your gun can do it, try #5. Fiveshot has
j u s t
a
l I t t l e
bit more kinetic energy, and less less pellets to tear up the meat on a crossing shot.
Stay away from 7.5 shot. A solid hit makes a mess.
I've always liked Remington STS hulls, Remington 209P primer, WAA12F114 wad, 21 grains of Green Dot. With 8&9 it makes a dandy winter clay load.
I rolled up a batch of 1.25 oz #5 and#4 late season loads with blue dot and Rem 209 and STS. They work wonderfully in back bored/overbored bbls, but through my 0.000 and 0.030 SxS the patterns were a mess. I think it was a Rem RP wad.
Oh.
What.
Cooking recipes?
Fillet the breasts.
Place an envelope of McCormick hunter sauce or French onion soup or both and water in a casserole. Heat on stovetop just enough to dissolve and whisk out the lumps.
Place breasts in casserole with whatever meat you can get off the bone. Dump in about 1/2 cup of rice.
Toss in a stick of butter just because.
Cover.
Put in oven at 225 about 2:00.
Watch football,.
Add water about 4pm as needed
and lower heat to about 180. Go duck hunting,
Come back in about 7:30 and eat.
Pheasant is tough to keep moist. Deep frying works, I've stuffed them with apples and wrapped them with bacon. The key not overcooking them. Low heat and just long enough to get the pink out. Don't overcook. They taste great, but the texture is pretty coarse.
Maybe a scallopini?