#343 | Shotguns, Shotshells, and Smarter Pheasant Hunting with Phil Bourjaily

Birdshot Podcast

Nick Larson

Leisure, Science, Sports, Nature, Hobbies, Wilderness

4.8 • 971 Ratings

🗓️ 19 December 2025

⏱️ 73 minutes

🔗️ Recording | Apple Podcasts | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of the Birdshot Podcast, Nick Larson is joined by Phil Bourjaily, Shotgun Editor at Field & Stream and passionate bird hunter. Phil shares insights from his pheasant hunts, discusses the current state of upland bird populations, and offers tips on hunting pheasants with pointing dogs. He also talks about how habitat loss affects bird numbers, the role of public and private land hunting, and how hunting conditions vary season to season. Whether you’re a seasoned hunter or just getting into upland bird hunting, this conversation offers a wealth of knowledge and experience. Phil Bourjaily is a Shotgun Editor at Field & Stream, where he covers topics ranging from bird hunting to gun reviews and outdoor traditions. He’s a seasoned upland bird hunter with a wealth of experience hunting pheasants, grouse, and other upland species. His love for bird dogs and his deep understanding of hunting habitats make him a valuable resource for bird hunting enthusiasts. Expect to Learn How habitat loss impacts pheasant and quail populations The importance of public and private land in upland hunting Tips for hunting pheasants with pointing dogs, especially during late-season hunts The best weather conditions for pheasant hunting and how snow can affect bird behaviour The best shotgun set-up for pheasant hunting, including the right gauge and choke combinations Episode Breakdown with Timestamps [00:00:00] - Introduction [00:04:40] - Armadillos [00:10:29] - Public vs. Private Land Access [00:16:56] - Short Hairs vs. Other Dogs [00:24:58] - Zeke's Hunting Behavior - Moving, Tracking, and Following [00:29:00] - Discussion on Choosing the Right Gauge for Pheasant Hunting [00:48:05] - Weight and Balance in Pheasant Guns [00:58:09] - Bismuth Pricing [01:11:18] - Find More of Phil’s Published Work Follow the Guest Phil: Field and Stream: https://www.fieldandstream.com/authors/phil-bourjaily Top 10 best shotguns: https://www.fieldandstream.com/outdoor-gear/guns/shotguns/best-pheasant-hunting-shotguns Follow the Host Nick: Instagram: @birdshot.podcast Website: www.birdshotpodcast.com Listening Links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/17EVUDJPwR2iJggzhLYil7 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/birdshot-podcast/id1288308609 YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/@birdshot.podcast SUPPORT | http://www.patreon.com/birdshot Use Promo Code | BSP20 to save 20% on https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app Use Promo Code | BS10 to save 10% on https://trulockchokes.com/ The Birdshot Podcast is Presented By: https://www.onxmaps.com/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Really?
0:11.0	Really? Good girl, sweetie. That's a big bird.
0:27.6	That's a big jerk.
0:31.6	Wow.
0:34.6	Hey everyone. Nick Larson here, host of the Birdshot podcast, the show that brings you conversations, stories, and traditions from all across the uplands.
0:43.1	The Birdshot podcast is presented by Onyx Hunt and supported by folks just like you via our Patreon community.
0:49.3	If you want to stay up to date and not miss any of our upcoming episodes, be sure to subscribe and follow the show in your podcast player or on YouTube wherever you're listening or watching today.
0:57.5	Tap that button for me. Thank you for doing so. And with that said, let's get into today's
1:01.6	conversation on the Birdshot podcast.
1:32.3	I'm excited today to be joined by my neighbor to the south, Phil Borgaley, writer, author, birdhunter,
1:39.2	all bunch of things, right, Phil?
1:41.1	That's three.
1:41.8	I think three things is about this.
1:43.6	That's not all I do. What have you been up to lately? Obviously, winter? That's three. I think three things is about this spot. It's about all I do.
1:44.7	What have you been up to lately? Obviously, winter has arrived for you and I, which we've discussed a little bit, and maybe we'll get into that. But what do you been up to lately? Winter arrived, and with it came a whole lot of geese. I've been waterfowing the last couple times out where I've in bus hunts and it's gone really well. Yesterday was the last
2:01.6	day of duck season and we hunted a field and we turned out to be more of a goose hunt with with ducks on the side, but it was great. We shot a bunch of geese and saw a bunch of ducks and shot a few of them and it was a really nice way to end the season. What was the conditions like yesterday? It was kind of but we're in a little bit of a warm up right now.
2:17.4	Yesterday was pretty nice.
2:19.7	I still get cold because you're sitting still not going anything,
2:22.6	but it was pretty balmy compared to other field hunts I've been on later in the season. And we had
2:28.4	rain overnight, which is odd, but rain and high winds overnight. And now we're having just high winds. So a lot of, some of our snow
2:36.3	melted, which is great. It'll make room for the snow that's coming this weekend from what I've
2:41.9	been tomorrow, I think. I don't know. We got a little bit of snow early this week and I was listening
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Nick Larson, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Nick Larson and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.