Clear up my ignorance

[MrChristian]

I have just started deer hunting this past year (got a buck on my first day!) and have been thinking about the upcoming spring turkey season.

Since I've never hunted with a shotgun, a couple of seemingly conflicting bits of knowledge are running around in my head.

1. People talk about wall penetration of shotguns. I've been to the box-o-truth site and seen what kind of damage a shotgun blast can do

2. Birds have significantly less stopping pwer than a stud wall

So how is it that you can blast at a turkey or duck and still have something to show and eat, when the evidence seems to indicate there would be little left except for a few feathers and a big hole?

What am I missing in the equation?

Thanks in advance.
-Frank

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

The missing part of your equation is shot size, or the diameter of BB that is in the shell. For turkey you will use a larger BB, which will increase the size of each BB but lower the overall number of them in the shell. For duck you would use a smaller diameter BB, but there will be significantly more of them per shot. Take a look at shot size as that will tell you the size of BB is in the load. The larger the number, the smaller the BB.

 

[MrChristian]

OK, so that explains the difference between what I would use for turkeys and ducks, but I still don't understand why it puts a big hole in the wall and won't do the same to the bird.

-Frank

 

[RNB65]

The boys at the BoT are probably shooting slugs or buckshot. Lots of energy and mass. At room size distance the pattern doesn't have a chance to open up much beyond baseball or softball size, so all the energy is concentrated in a small area. At hunting distances the pattern opens up and only a few pellets hit the bird. Shoot a turkey at 10 feet using 00buck and you'll have one mangled bird.

 

[MrChristian]

OK, that is starting to make sense.
00Buck=more penetration #6bird=less penetration
Close=Small hole, low spread Farther=Bigger spread, lower penetration per inch

THanks, that actually helped a lot (plus, I went over to the BoT and re-read their shotgun tests, which confirm that bird shot is for little birds, and not much else)

 

[velojym]

Also, different materials react differently to impact. Wallboard won't act exactly like gooseflesh to a shotgun hit, just as a car's rear window will also react differently.

 

[foghornl]

Also, factor in the "choke" of the barrrel. I have noticed that the so-called "Turkey" chokes are also sometimes marked as XX-Full, meaning that is about as much constriction as can be safely obtained.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Ranges when shooting turkeys are apt to be 20-30-40 yards. The birds are called in and sometimes decoyed to get them as close as possible- even so, they are quite wary and sharp-eyed. And you are shooting for the head and neck with large birdshot, not aiming at the whole bird (unless you want DIY turkeyburger). Turkey hunters usually work hard to get chokes and loads that pattern tightly as far out as they can get them, and use sights- even scopes- to get hits out there.

Have fun and be careful,

lpl/nc

 

[Mark8252]

Difference.......

The difference is the distance you are shooting. Your not going to likely shoot a turkey at home defense distances.
The shot pattern will open up.

 

[schmidtbender]

Turkey and ducks

For Turkey you want #6 shot with a super tight special turkey choke that will put 90%+ of the pellets in a 24" circle at 40 yards. An optical sight is not a bad idea like a Leupold 1-4 Vari X I with the turkey plex reticule. You shoot for the head and neck when the head is up or extended. Use the best premium copper or nickel plated shot and pattern your gun with many brands to get the best pattern and sight it in. 12 ga 3 or 3.5" or better yet a 3.5" 10 bore.

Duck and geese require non lead shot. The new hevi shot is getting high marks.
size 2 or 4 in the same guns as for turkey with different chokes (you must pattern gun). If you insist on using steel, I have found the only really reliable load past 25 yards is the 10 bore 3.5" with T shot. One exception is shooting geese in field over decoys from pit blinds where IF YOU WAIT, a load of #6s hevi shot, concentrating on the head & neck, is deadly. Hard to find a place not overrun by the "skysweeper" types though. That same scope set on 1X will amaze you as well. You can really place your shots shooting with both eyes open.