Turkey Noob - Shot Size?

[canadian hunter312]

Ok, so what is your point then? Impossible to headshot a turkey with a 4" pattern out of a 12 gauge at close range? Or you can't hit one at 40 yds with a 12" pattern?? My point is shot size/pattern compared to target size. Be familiar with your firearm and it's pattern and bagging game is not an issue.

Yes, for some it takes custom semi-auto 12ga guns and pockets full of special shells. For the OP, try what you have first...you may be pleasantly surprised. Lots of us older hunters are still quite successful considering we don't buy all the latest doo-dads ;-)

As always, YMMV. Practice really does make perfect!

His point is your first post in this thread gave many of us here the impression that you've never hunted turkey before as everyone, except you apparently, knows that whacking a turkey at close range is harder than putting them down at extended ranges. This isn't really an issue if you have some sort of sight or optic on your scattergun, but the majority of people simply use their multi use shotguns with nothing more than a single front bead which can easily result in a miss if the bird is close and your aim or form is slightly off. This is often the case when you're trying to get a shot off at a weird angle because the bird snuck up on you.

It happens to pro's who've shot plenty more birds than any of us. I guess the rest of us can only hope that one day we'll be as good as you are



As for shot size, nobody here can tell you which will work best out of your gun and choke combination as each gun patterns differently. Some will pattern better with smaller shot while others will pattern better with larger shot or some will even pattern very differently if you're using the same brand and type of ammo with a different length shell. The only one who can say what shot size is best for your gun and choke is you after you've tested a bunch of different ammo.