Adrian J Hare
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- NewLowell On. Can.
I see that this is something that may cause an arguement and not sure just how far turkey hunters have taken it. Turkey hunting controlled my life for years and I put so much into this sport to understand as much as I could. Some members know what I have done and I'm sure with others they dont really care as I read, and others are just going to plainly disagree and have their own views that won't be changed.
Being a successfull turkey hunter comes in a number of different steps and that also has different angles to the thoughts of any one person. There is so many turkey hunters out there that has walked into the field/woods and sat and called in birds that have no idea what pressure is and comes away thinking they got the sport beat. Believe me its not all that easy and just try to be successful everywhere you could travel, not knowing the land but only when it breaks daylight and having other turkey hunters all around you working the same birds day after day as you are hunting at the moment.
Areas where the turkey hunting sport has been open for 25 some years and is over pressured by other hunters can find private land hard to hunt let alone some public land spots. Sometimes extending your range for a shot is something you get only a few seconds to do and if you want that success your gun is going to be a difference. I have hunted these such places and have hunted Public land Gobblers all over North America in all the places that the average Turkey hunter only reads about.
I needed the right gun to do the job, not only to perform properly but a gun that would hold a pattern dencity for longer ranges and something that would not kick the daylights out of me. A light gun would be nice, because I do a lot of walking in some of these public land places to get back where most turkey hunters have pushed birds and won't go. These birds are not stupid, they still have the guard up and at times will not break that 40-45-50 yard barrier and want that hen to only come to them. Caution is their defence but interest allows them to take that cautious look over a rise or between branches to see that love sick hen that he has the interest in but won't play on his terms.
This is where the importance of a good turkey gun comes into play
A range with a 20-30-40 and even more distance to shoot to see what kind of patterns you may come up with.
Trying out different chokes is the most expencive part and for a good turkey choke that limits the money spent for the pattern your after your going to spend that $75-100 dollar range. This picture only shows half the chokes I have tested in this gun.
Optics only help the shooter with these tight shooting guns and there is less to think about when you have to take that moment of truth. The optics in the picture is a Red dot and I'm not real high on any battery operated optic device as they tend to let you down at the moment of truth and I have seen this a number of times in the field with fello hunters. My personal turkey gun is topped with a normal scope with crosshairs and is not an expencive one. Field of view is very important on a low power you should get as much field of veiw as possible. Most may think that optics are not needed but keep in mind that with a tight shooting turkey gun with the hairs in the middle of the crosshairs allow you to place as much of the dencity on the POA (head and neck)
I have tested every shell brand on the market and narrowed it down to only a couple different brands. I even got to the point that I also found differences in the same shell brand under different lot numbers.
I have also cut open some of the top shooting ammo to just see what is headed down to the target that produces some of the best patterns that we may see on the net. This example is a shell brand out of the States that allow #7 shot and some places there do allow #7 shot for turkey hunting. Here in Ontario we are stuck with a 4-5-6 shot and to gather patterns like some of the shooters in the USA are getting are not going to be close, so dont pound your head because your not comparing to these shot dencity patterns from down south.
When all this testing is done and you get a perfect pattern that will work for you, you should have a gun that will have extended the range by an average of 10 yards and have that gun the without question if you need to take that shot you will send that dence load and hit the target with the energy to take that bird.
My turkey gun is just that and I have taken confident shots that has dropped the jaws on partners that could not believe that a 20 gauge would be capable of. The targets that I show are of only 40 yards and are using only #6 shot. I could very well beat them all if I shot a #7 turkey load easy, but there is no scence in that as we here in Ontarioi can only use the smallest of #6.
A friends Remington pattern
Patterns that can produce will make success that much easier in the turkey woods
Places across North America hunting Public land birds were the gun of choice has made the difference
SD
PA
Ohio
Florida
A trophy room will soon follow
Being a successfull turkey hunter comes in a number of different steps and that also has different angles to the thoughts of any one person. There is so many turkey hunters out there that has walked into the field/woods and sat and called in birds that have no idea what pressure is and comes away thinking they got the sport beat. Believe me its not all that easy and just try to be successful everywhere you could travel, not knowing the land but only when it breaks daylight and having other turkey hunters all around you working the same birds day after day as you are hunting at the moment.
Areas where the turkey hunting sport has been open for 25 some years and is over pressured by other hunters can find private land hard to hunt let alone some public land spots. Sometimes extending your range for a shot is something you get only a few seconds to do and if you want that success your gun is going to be a difference. I have hunted these such places and have hunted Public land Gobblers all over North America in all the places that the average Turkey hunter only reads about.
I needed the right gun to do the job, not only to perform properly but a gun that would hold a pattern dencity for longer ranges and something that would not kick the daylights out of me. A light gun would be nice, because I do a lot of walking in some of these public land places to get back where most turkey hunters have pushed birds and won't go. These birds are not stupid, they still have the guard up and at times will not break that 40-45-50 yard barrier and want that hen to only come to them. Caution is their defence but interest allows them to take that cautious look over a rise or between branches to see that love sick hen that he has the interest in but won't play on his terms.
This is where the importance of a good turkey gun comes into play
A range with a 20-30-40 and even more distance to shoot to see what kind of patterns you may come up with.
Trying out different chokes is the most expencive part and for a good turkey choke that limits the money spent for the pattern your after your going to spend that $75-100 dollar range. This picture only shows half the chokes I have tested in this gun.
Optics only help the shooter with these tight shooting guns and there is less to think about when you have to take that moment of truth. The optics in the picture is a Red dot and I'm not real high on any battery operated optic device as they tend to let you down at the moment of truth and I have seen this a number of times in the field with fello hunters. My personal turkey gun is topped with a normal scope with crosshairs and is not an expencive one. Field of view is very important on a low power you should get as much field of veiw as possible. Most may think that optics are not needed but keep in mind that with a tight shooting turkey gun with the hairs in the middle of the crosshairs allow you to place as much of the dencity on the POA (head and neck)
I have tested every shell brand on the market and narrowed it down to only a couple different brands. I even got to the point that I also found differences in the same shell brand under different lot numbers.
I have also cut open some of the top shooting ammo to just see what is headed down to the target that produces some of the best patterns that we may see on the net. This example is a shell brand out of the States that allow #7 shot and some places there do allow #7 shot for turkey hunting. Here in Ontario we are stuck with a 4-5-6 shot and to gather patterns like some of the shooters in the USA are getting are not going to be close, so dont pound your head because your not comparing to these shot dencity patterns from down south.
When all this testing is done and you get a perfect pattern that will work for you, you should have a gun that will have extended the range by an average of 10 yards and have that gun the without question if you need to take that shot you will send that dence load and hit the target with the energy to take that bird.
My turkey gun is just that and I have taken confident shots that has dropped the jaws on partners that could not believe that a 20 gauge would be capable of. The targets that I show are of only 40 yards and are using only #6 shot. I could very well beat them all if I shot a #7 turkey load easy, but there is no scence in that as we here in Ontarioi can only use the smallest of #6.
A friends Remington pattern
Patterns that can produce will make success that much easier in the turkey woods
Places across North America hunting Public land birds were the gun of choice has made the difference
SD
PA
Ohio
Florida
A trophy room will soon follow
