Hi
A few cents worth from across the big water.
I grew up on sugar cane farm in Zululand in South Africa. The vegetation where we were is Valleys with grassland inspersed with sub tropical rain forest along water courses. Visibility in this bush is about 5m. Our quarry was Bushbuck and Bushpig. To walk and stalk in this bush was beyond my skills, and we generally used both dogs and beaters (i.e. a driven hunt). I say dogs, but ours were really hounds, Beagles, Foxhounds, Blueticks and crosses of these. Nothing has yet to rush my heart like the sound of the first strike on a scent for the day. Unfortunately my father who was manager on this sugar estate (my happy hunting ground for my whole young life) is now retired and we no longer live on the estate, so we can't keep hounds anymore (have nowhere to hunt with hounds anyway), but I hope to buy myself a little patch of Africa one day where I fully intend to tie loose the dogs.
As to Buckshot, we used to carry both rifle and shotgun on our hunts. Shotguns were used up to about 50 yards, rifles beyond that - usually would hold the shotgun in case of game breaking close, with rifle slung for quick access.
We used SSG - sorry I don't know how that corresponds to the American designation - and found it highly effective within the stated range. 50 yards was with a full choke, as we mostly carried double barrel ss guns. The "Spread" barrel was limited to 35 yards. Shots were mostly shoulder or low neck. I don't believe that head or neck shots should be taken unless very close - too many holes in the pattern - check out how small the kill zone on a bucks head is - too much chance of breaking a jaw, smashing sinuses, blinding, etc, but not killing. At the shoulder there is heart, lungs, etc which can be hit - overall a much bigger target.
I preferred the SSG, as this gave you more pellets on the target - can't remember how many - something like 30. Some of our friends preferred LG (which is .357 cal), as they felt it was "more killing" - it only held about 15 pellets.
Hope I have contributed.
Cheers