No, I would say that normally rifle shots parallel to the ground that might go whizzing off for long distances would be very rare. Normally, a safety minded rifle hunter would be shooting down, or up into the trees, or against a large animal that would absorb the round safely (safely for humans I mean). Also, here in ON at least, legal large game hunting season has everyone out decked in blaze orange, not camo'ed up as is the case in turkey season.
Turkey hunting with a rimfire?
- Thread starter Suther
- Start date
No, I would say that normally rifle shots parallel to the ground that might go whizzing off for long distances would be very rare. Normally, a safety minded rifle hunter would be shooting down, or up into the trees, or against a large animal that would absorb the round safely (safely for humans I mean). Also, here in ON at least, legal large game hunting season has everyone out decked in blaze orange, not camo'ed up as is the case in turkey season.
I don't own a 22mag, and I'm not about to go buy one just for this. Plus 22mag has accuracy issues due to the general lack of high quality ammo compared to 22lr, so while a 22mag will give me more power it becomes a moot point if I can't keep groups small enough past like 50m.
Besides that, I plan to use a shotgun. I figure as a first-time turkey hunter I should use the one that gives me a higher chance of hitting my target, even if it means I need to limit my range compared to what I could possibly do with a rimfire rifle.
Centerfire is not allowed.
Its on the to-do list. I just ordered a pair of turkey chokes (one for a friend) so once those arrive I'll be headed to the range with two of my shotguns, the new turkey choke, and a full choke or two and see how things go. Another friend will be borrowing a shotgun from me, but I'm not buying a 2nd turkey choke so hes just going to have to live with whatever effective range we can get out of a full choke. In total it sounds like its going to be 5 of us, two with turkey chokes, 2 with full chokes, and one with a bow.
If nothing else it'll be a fun trip out of town with the boys. Hopefully put a few birds down early and get to do some walleye fishing while we're in the Kootenays, as a coastal boy fishing is usually focused on trout and salmon, never caught a walleye...
antiqueguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- windsor ontario
Turkey chokes and loads are kind of a gimmick in my mind. I patterned the new imperial(1 1/8oz)sold at crappy tire in my old stevens 58(12ga 2 3/4”)with the choke set to full at 25yard the pattern is about dinner plate size with some fringe around it. A lot of these birds got dropped with smooth bore muzzleloaders that didn’t have a choke it’s not rocket science.
And how far out would that be considered good? From what I've read/seen it seems people tend to pattern their shotguns at more like 40 for turkey?
Bittereinder
CGN Regular
- Location
- Ontario (GTA)
Maybe getting a bit off topic but some states even allow centre fire rifles.
https://struttingtom.com/what-rifle-should-i-use-for-turkey-hunting/
https://struttingtom.com/what-rifle-should-i-use-for-turkey-hunting/
Ontario regs:
Shotgun not larger than 10 gauge or smaller than 20 gauge, using shot size of 4, 5, 6 or 7.
(Nothing about the shot having to be copper plated)
Bow must have a draw weight of at least 18 kilograms (39.7 pounds) at a draw length of 700 millimetres (27.6 inches) or less.
Crossbow must have a draw length of at least 300 millimetres (11.8 inches) and a draw weight of at least 45 kilograms (99.2 pounds).
Bolts at a minimum must have 22 millimetres (0.87 inches) wide broadhead with at least two sharp cutting edges.
He probably means a shotgun is his only legal (firearm) choice, not that specifically copper plated #6 was the only option...
Ah then yes, firearm wise it is only shotgun or muzzleloader allowed.
Runningfool
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
antiqueguy
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- windsor ontario
It would be around at least a 60 percent pattern at 40 yards. You only need 4 pellets totalling 4ftlb in the head and neck on a turkey.
Runningfool
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
You're right, my mistake, I must have glazed over that post and assumed they were talking about body shots.
I'd be interested to hear from someone here if they have experience with body shots on turkey using the 22LR.
I've shot a couple turkeys with centerfires while hunting in the US; one with a .22Hornet at about 60 yards (headshot) and another with a .222 at a hair over 100 (center of chest face-on). Before I did it, I thought that hunting turkeys with a rifle would be the coolest way to do it...but now that I have tried it, I would never bother with it again.
Calling a gobbler in to 30-ish yards and then smoking him with a shotgun is the only way to go, IMHO. Archery? Meh...my mediocre bowskills would require me to use a blind, and that is another thing that detracts from the whole turkey-hunting mystique for me.
Calling a gobbler in to 30-ish yards and then smoking him with a shotgun is the only way to go, IMHO. Archery? Meh...my mediocre bowskills would require me to use a blind, and that is another thing that detracts from the whole turkey-hunting mystique for me.
I never said it was. I said that for a half-assed archer like me it would be...
I don't know if the mystique of archery is lost on me because I'm an indifferent archer...or if perhaps I'm an indifferent archer because the mystique is lost on me.
Whichever the case is, hunting with bow and arrow just doesn't turn my crank. I also don't have any interest in compound bows, but I just don't spend the constant ongoing time required to develop and then to maintain my skill with a recurve. I shot two jakes with my recurve...out of a blind...just to see if I could. Retired now, so maybe I'll spend more time on it...but I doubt it...When I lived in Ontario I was hunting turkeys the moment I stepped out the back door. Now, I live at least a couple hours drive from turkey hunting, but my rifle range starts at the back door, so guess where I spend the time.
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
You should actually try some turkey loads and chokes before making such a ridiculous comment about these being gimmicks. There is an enormous difference between standard shells/chokes and turkey specific combinations in terms of pattern density, even patterns, and effective range.
How long has it been since you tried turkey chokes and loads, 20+ years?
canadian hunter312
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County
My 3 year old, 35lb toms head is nowhere close to the size of a hardball. Where are you finding 20-25lb wild turkeys with heads so big? And yeah, my white turkey does indeed call in both toms and hens close to the house making for some hilarious moments.
As for rimfire, id use 22lr out to 50 and 17hmr out to 100 yards for headshots only. But the funnest part of turkey hunting is getting them nice and close while enjoying the show before you drop the curtain....
I never said it was. I said that for a half-assed archer like me it would be...
I don't know if the mystique of archery is lost on me because I'm an indifferent archer...or if perhaps I'm an indifferent archer because the mystique is lost on me.
When I lived in Ontario I was hunting turkeys the moment I stepped out the back door. Now, I live at least a couple hours drive from turkey hunting, but my rifle range starts at the back door, so guess where I spend the time.
For me it is not a mystique thing, it is simply a challenge thing. I intentionally handicap myself to prolong my time hunting. Having said that, I fully accept the limitations of the equipment and my limitations in using it. Nothing cheeses me more than guys who choose to bowhunt and then are lobbing arrows at distances unreasonable for the equipment and their skill level. Regardless of the equipment choices, you should KNOW that you are going to kill the animal BEFORE you take the shot... things can and do go wrong even when you are supremely confident, adding further risk by taking Hail Mary shots is inexcusable IMO.
P.S - not speaking to jjhohnwm in saying that... just an opportunity to rant.
