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turkey guns

chadperr said:
I am confident out to 60. Shot one last year at 74, even though I would rather them be much closer.
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I've played around quite a bit with various HTL loads and chokes, but haven't yet found anything I felt good with beyond about 50 yards. Am currently mainly using the H13 Mag Blends and H13 straight 7's.

I know a single pellet might have enough energy to kill one farther, but once there becomes more chance of putting a single pellet in a gobbler's gut than his head, I just don't feel right about taking that shot, since the bird is more likely to die unrecovered, than for me to walk out of the woods with him. For my set-up (yours may be different), that seems to be somewhere around 50 to 55 yards, so I'm trying to limit quick visually "guessed" shot distances to 45 yards, and rangefinder confirmed distances to 50 yards. But that's just me, and I'm probably not as good at guessing distances as some, and may not have as much a long-range turkey gun as some of you.

But if I were to fire at 4 birds at 70 yards, I'd fully expect to go home with one of them. But I'd also figure a couple of those die a few days later from having a gut wound (to me, a sad and wasteful loss that was just unnecessary). Would just rather come back another day, even if it's next year, and try for a higher-probability opportunity, and/or defer that opportunity to some other hunter. So even with the turkey gun/shells/setup I'm using, still try to limit shots to no more than about 45 to 50 yards.
 
As an aside, for those hunting more in wooded areas than fields, having a tightly choked long-range performing turkey gun can often be more a problem than a benefit, such as when you're unlikely to even see a turkey beyond 35 yards, and your first sighting is going to be nothing more than his red head coming up like a periscope over the slope some 25 to 30 yards away.
 
Wes Parrish said:
chadperr said:
I am confident out to 60. Shot one last year at 74, even though I would rather them be much closer.
Click to expand...
I've played around quite a bit with various HTL loads and chokes, but haven't yet found anything I felt good with beyond about 50 yards. Am currently mainly using the H13 Mag Blends and H13 straight 7's.

I know a single pellet might have enough energy to kill one farther, but once there becomes more chance of putting a single pellet in a gobbler's gut than his head, I just don't feel right about taking that shot, since the bird is more likely to die unrecovered, than for me to walk out of the woods with him. For my set-up (yours may be different), that seems to be somewhere around 50 to 55 yards, so I'm trying to limit quick visually "guessed" shot distances to 45 yards, and rangefinder confirmed distances to 50 yards. But that's just me, and I'm probably not as good at guessing distances as some, and may not have as much a long-range turkey gun as some of you.

But if I were to fire at 4 birds at 70 yards, I'd fully expect to go home with one of them. But I'd also figure a couple of those die a few days later from having a gut wound (to me, a sad and wasteful loss that was just unnecessary). Would just rather come back another day, even if it's next year, and try for a higher-probability opportunity, and/or defer that opportunity to some other hunter. So even with the turkey gun/shells/setup I'm using, still try to limit shots to no more than about 45 to 50 yards.
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Very well put....I would be ashamed to kno I shoot at one at 74yds much less talk about it...however I have killed plenty in the past when I was younger. The older I get the more I enjoy hunting them...prolly use the bow some this year just to enjoy a different experience.
 
Its not like I sit there with a range finder and say wait till they hit 75 yards then shoot. I hunt some pretty steep stuff and unless im set up where I have checked distances then its just a guess until i shoot. Not to mention when I pattern my gun. I will usually take 2 or 3 shots at 70 and I always have 6 to 10 pellets at least in the kill zone on a turkey target. 60 is the distance that I feel confident knocking them down a large majority of the time, but its not too far off 70.
 
Wes Parrish said:
Roost 1 said:
The older I get the more I enjoy hunting them...
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x 2

Yep, at some point, I believe most turkey hunters will find it more about the hunt, than the kill, and the circumstances of the kill matter more than whether there is a kill.
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When you work one from over 200 out and hang up, if I think I can make a kill shot I take it if not Ill keep working them or try and move toward them. I have only misse 2 birds in the last 6 years, its not like im not killing the ones I shoot at. If I didnt enjoy the hunt I'd just go out with a rifle. Just because I like to shoot a bird when I hunt, doesnt mean I dont really enjoy the process.
 
All of my turkeys always flop no matter how close or far or what they got shot with. Only remember one that didn't flop and it flopped violently when I touched it. Flopping means they are dead. It is reflexes. Every animal flops some when shot in the head.

I think the modern turkey guns/chokes/shells should be able to make a good clean shot at 50-55 yards. Anything beyond that may be killable but it sure is a risk. I prefer mine 45 yards in. And I am a turkey hunter, and I like to kill when I go, so if he is in range and its a clear shot I'm shooting him, which is 45 yards and closer.
 
I have taken several shots that If i realized the distance that I would not have shot even though I did kill them. But I have also not shot at a couple thinking they were too far then to check and they were well within range. Im not carrying a rangefinder with me, just taking an educated guess and sometimes Im fooled.

The couple I have missed over the last few years have not been becouase of distance but trying to make a shot from a weird angle.
 
REN said:
why do you need a follow up shot if you have a kill shot? also if you did by chance miss why would you want crappier ammo as the 2nd shot rather then the good ammo you used to pattern with??


I never understood the "cheaper" ammo as the follow up.
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I would personally rather have a more open pattern at a moving turkey than a super tight pattern. If the turkey is standing still i throw a softball at him if hes on the run afterwards i throw a basketball at him.

I dont see what doesn't make sense
 
Then why not throw a basketball at him to start with?? If he is on the run chances are he is further then the first shot so that softball is now a basketball anyways.

Again just don't make sense to me. If it does you and you like the idea roll on.
 
Roost 1 said:
I would be ashamed to know I shot at one at 74yds much less talk about it...
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chadperr said:
Its not like I sit there with a range finder and say wait till they hit 75 yards then shoot. I hunt some pretty steep stuff and unless im set up where I have checked distances then its just a guess until i shoot. Not to mention when I pattern my gun. I will usually take 2 or 3 shots at 70 and I always have 6 to 10 pellets at least in the kill zone on a turkey target. 60 is the distance that I feel confident knocking them down a large majority of the time, but its not too far off 70.
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I agree Roost. Embarrassing. I always hear about these guys that pattern shoot at 70 yards but I've never seen anyone do it or post a pic of a pattern. I know a guy (known liar) that claims his gun puts 150 pellets in a 10" circle and kills em dead at 80 yards. Whatever man. You want to impress me learn how to get them inside 40 yards.
 
chadperr said:
I usually dont miss on the 1st. I am confident out to 60. Shot one last year at 74, even though I would rather them be much closer. I pattern with both and they pattern similar, the hevi is just a tiny bit better, by no means is the kent Crappy in my book. If I used all kent I would still be very confident.
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74yds?


chadperr said:
Its not like I sit there with a range finder and say wait till they hit 75 yards then shoot. I hunt some pretty steep stuff and unless im set up where I have checked distances then its just a guess until i shoot. Not to mention when I pattern my gun. I will usually take 2 or 3 shots at 70 and I always have 6 to 10 pellets at least in the kill zone on a turkey target. 60 is the distance that I feel confident knocking them down a large majority of the time, but its not too far off 70.
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No range finder but 74 yds? Sounds like over estimation or atleast one could hope
 
im not scared to shoot one at 70.. would I want to? well no.. but sometimes those old stubborn long beards don't do what you want them to do so you gotta reach out and touch them. my longest shot is 59 yards. but most are within 40 yards. call me a nut or whatever you want to. but I know where my gun hits and I know my ability. I suppose im a nut to.
 
deerhunter10 said:
but sometimes those old stubborn long beards don't do what you want them to do so you gotta reach out and touch them.
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The way I look at this is the ol gobbler won on that day and lives to be hunted another day...I have too much respect for the animal to risk wounding by taking a LONG shot...Like I said earlier, the older I get the nore I enjoy HUNTING turkeys.
74yds IMHO is just too far.....
 
"I know my ability". You mean "I hope the magic pellet hits the magic spot". There are some great turkey hunters on this site that I admire, then there are some clowns that remind me why Old Gobbler has a rule that you can't even mention shots over 40 yards. One guy says 45, one says 50, next thing you know you got guys with magic guns shooting birds at 70 plus yards. It's a sad commentary on hunters in general. No wonder non hunters think we are a bunch of blood thirsty fools shooting at anything that moves.
 

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