...Then I do the math and determine if my load will have sufficient energy, at long range, to kill the bird. Shot on target is all that matters, if it has enough energy to penetrate and do its job.
Great long range patterns are only useful if you can use them to take your bird cleanly. Different with clay targets, which do not suffer if "wounded". One thing I learned was that I could get very useful hunting patterns by changing shot size, then changing velocity to make a load much better at long range. In short, big shot going slightly slower, works better at range than small shot starting out faster.
I agree - retained energy is just as important as pattern when bird shooting. And, yeah, slower is usally better - within reason. Most of my loads are at 1150 - 1200 fps MV.
