What do you look for in a turkey gun?

[Guyon]

Just thought it was the time of year to start talking turkey.

I'm sure that there are lots of good variations on turkey guns out there, ranging from single shots with tight chokes to fancy semi-autos. Just thought I'd elicit some opinions on what you think makes for a good turkey gun.

For me at least, four factors are the most important.

(1) XF Choke - The choke needs to deliver plenty of shot to the head and neck at 20 yards minimum. You might be able to call turkeys right up to your hand, but most folks are happy just to get a turkey in lethal range. Lots of turkeys have been taken by barrels with fixed chokes, I'm sure, but these days, there's a big advantage to interchangeable chokes. The abundance of XF turkey chokes on the market allows a hunter to experiment and find a shot / choke combo that patterns tightly at distances out to 40 yards and even a little beyond.

(2) Magnum Chamber - Now I know that hunters were killing turkeys long before the super-size craze. However, I also know that the magnum HV shells can offer significant advantages. I don't care much for the 3 1/2" super magnum shells, but I do like a good 3" magnum for greater range and power. To shoot these shells, of course, you need a shotgun that is chambered for them.

(3) Low Visibility - More than once, I've blinked and had a turkey turn tail and run, and so I'm of the mind that out-of-sight equates with better chances. I don't think you need to necessarily hop on the camo bandwagon--though I'm sure that the camo guns do the job. Plenty of good choices exist in flat black finishes with black synthetic hardware. There are also plenty of good turkey guns out there that have been "camo'ed" by their owners with a little creative olive/brown/black spray painting.

Another factor here that adds to lower visibility is a shorter barrel. Less swing radius mean less chance of being seen or heard. The shorter barrel helps when you're hunkered down in brush, scrub pines, etc. because you're less likely to snag the barrel on a limb or vine and spook your prey.

(4) Sling studs - are a must. Turkey hunting requires mobility, and it's nice to be able to sling your gun. If your gun doesn't come equipped with sling studs, then you'll find it to your advantage to install a set.

Other bells and whistles can be nice, of course. For instance, I'm very partial to my fiber optic sights, which take any guesswork of of sighting. Still, a plain old bead can be plenty effective. Some folks like a scope on their turkey guns, but I find them distracting. Much easier for me to track and stay on a bird with open sights--especially if he's going behind trees, bushes, grass, etc.

As for the type of gun, it's any man's game--though I will give the edge to guns with at least one follow up shot. With patience and good judgment, however, single shot guns can be just as effective.

My current set up is a Remington 870 Express Super Magnum in black with a 23" barrel. I'm using an H.S. Strut "Undertaker" XF choke (.675) and Tru-Glo adjustable fiber optic sights. The gun currently sports a black sling from AA&E Leathercraft. The old locking safety has long been replaced by a standard "old-style" safety. I also use a Pachmayr slip-on recoil pad. For me (long arms, long neck) the recoil pad not only absorbs recoil; it also gives me a more natural LOP and sight-picture when I shoulder the gun.

So what do you look for in a turkey gun?

 

[Dave McCracken]

As said before, I'm not a hard core turkey fan, though I do like to get out once in a while and try. I am a hard core fly fanatic who loves to take good Crappie with a 3-5 wt rod and size 14 streamer in the spring. But I digress again.

Also, I've little access to good turkey hunting, public land just doesn't do it for me.

One of life's little ironies, I set Frankenstein up as a turkey gun originally. At this point in time, still no turkeys, just a truckload of other game.

Agreed with your list for the most part. Folks with high gloss shotguns can oft use camo tape to hide the shine for a temporary finish,but do not leave the tape on from season to season.

It's not the amount of shot in the shell, it's the amount of pellets ending up in an avian CNS at 40 yards or so. Some choke and load combos work amazingly well, without a teacup of shot and 50 POC of choke. I'd start off with 1 1/4 oz of 6s and work up from there slowly.

Emphatically agree with slings for this. Oft turkey land is on a slant, and one may need his or her hands for other things.

A caveat here. I've never heard of someone jumpshooting a turkey as they walked in, so leave the shotgun or at least the chamber empty walking in. Safety, safety, safety....

Buckdancer's choice on sights. One of the best turkey hunters I know(24 lb county record among others) uses a Mossberg Bolt action with Clect choke not screwed down tight and 5s he carefully loads himself in 2 3/4" cases. He patterned incessantly until he found The Magic Load. The bead doesn't seem to handicap him. FOs work well for this in lower light, no handicap in bright light.

 

[Smoke]

Bipod, heavy barrel, 3Kfps

Oh ....this is the shotgun forum.....still, a .22-250 to the head is a great way to take out a turkey, don't have to call them so close either.

Smoke

 

[Guyon]

A caveat here. I've never heard of someone jumpshooting a turkey as they walked in, so leave the shotgun or at least the chamber empty walking in. Safety, safety, safety....

Dave, I actually did it last season.

I was, however, easing down a gas pipeline road with gun in hand, shell chambered, safety on--no different than, say, quail or rabbit hunting. This road is just two worn tracks in a grassy and sometimes rocky cut through. The lack of leaves and limbs on the road cut down on my noise drastically, and I was able to hear something puttering around in the leaves down a hill to my left.

I froze, looked left, and there's a jake scratching and pecking in the leaves just out of range down the hill. I crouched down so that he couldn't see me and spent about the next five minutes trying to decide what to do. Finally, realizing I couldn't crawl off the road without making the leaves crackle, I just eased my head back up over the ridge. Mr. Jake, still there, decided to motor on up the hill, angling to my left.

I got down on one knee, clicked my safety off, guesstimated where he'd emerge onto the road, aimed my gun in that direction, and waited. Jake popped out, I sighted down on him, and.... he flew. I let him get about ten yards and popped him in the head on the wing. He dropped like a rock into the woods on the other side of the road.

If I had not had a shell already chambered, I don't think I could have taken that turkey. The action noise would have scared him, and shucking the action with the bird on the wing may have given him time to get back into the woods on the other side of the road.

YMMV

 

[PawDaddy]

I am not a "turkey hunter", but have been turkey hunting in the past and plan to this season. By the way, our season started today. And, I understand the fun and excitement that goes with "building" a special gun for different hunting situations. But, what makes it so much more difficult to kill a turkey (or other game) today than it did 60 years ago when folks HAD to put meat on the table? I am not trying to be disrespectful to this post, but it just started me thinking about how the old timers used to go out and bring home meat with just a plain ole single barrel shotgun. That is all a lot of folks had to hunt with and to protect to home and family.

 

[Guyon]

PawDaddy, That's a perfectly good point. It's no secret that scores of turkey were taken with regular old 2 3/4" shells shot out of a single barrel. Just ask turkey hunters who hunted pre-1970s and rarely saw or heard a turkey. All those birds didn't just disappear in a cloud of smoke. I'll bet more than a few were put down with single shots.

For me at least, the new breed of turkey guns offers two advantages.

(1) Greater range for those birds that hang up at 35-40 yards and won't come closer. Sometimes all the calling or patience in the world won't make a gobbler get any closer. It's nice to have enough gun to reach out and touch him.

(2) An ethical edge. I don't think that we can get statistics on how many birds were wounded but not killed back when the single barrel or double barrel was the standard gun. However, I can say with some assuredness that the super tight patterns today offer a better chance of putting a bird down for good. Turkeys are pretty tough birds, and it takes a well placed shot to kill them. A tighter pattern means a cleaner kill. It makes me feel better knowing that I'm doing my best to make the kill quick and avoid wounded birds.

 

[PawDaddy]

Guyon,

I agree with you. We who hunt should do our best to kill our game as quickly and humanely as possible. And, I know that there are better, more anvanced tools to do this with. I for one, can use all the advantages that I can because of health problems. So, a gun that offers farther reach is a great advantage.

But, aren't hunters in general becoming poorer woodsmen and just better marksmen because of the newer and better guns and ammo?

 

[Guyon]

But, aren't hunters in general becoming poorer woodsmen and just better marksmen because of the newer and better guns and ammo?

It's a good argument and probably one that holds some water. Here are a few of my thoughts, right off hand.

Am I the same woodsman as my grandfather? No. But it's got nothing to do with the newfangled guns and everything to do with need. I don't need to go out and get a turkey. Buy-Rite just down the street stocks them every day, and I can afford to fill my freezer with turkey if the mood strikes me. My grandfather, on the other hand, needed to get close to his game and to make that shot in order to feed his family. Because previous generations had greater needs, I'd say they were not only better woodsmen; they were better marksmen as well.

Some folks might feel like newer technologies detract from skills, but I don't think this is necessarily the case. My point is that you can't generalize or stereotype based on what a person is shooting. There are plenty of skilled turkey hunters out there that, for whatever reasons, scope their semi-automatic shotguns. Does the gun make them a bad hunter? Not in my book. This same debate comes up a lot among the blackpowder crowd, and the "traditionalists" have a merry old time poo-pooing the inline folks. However, I shoot an inline during muzzleload season because I want to increase my chances of taking a deer, and I want to make the kill as ethical and humane as possible. For me, it's as simple as that.

If my grandfather had been given the chance to shoot a newfangled turkey gun, I'll bet you he would have taken it. Hunters have generally always made use of new technologies.

In the opposite direction, the "traditionalist" argument can always be taken to the extreme, of course. That is, if you want to really become a woodsman, don a bearskin, fashion yourself a spear or atlatl, and really give yourself a test.

 

[JShirley]

Heh.

If I'm in the woods during turkey season, it'll be because friends are with me.

I'll actually be looking for hogs.

John

 

[PawDaddy]

Guyon,

Your observation is right on the mark. It's sad that so many hunters draw lines over equipment used. If someone wants to use a flintlock, and it's legal he should go for it. But, he shouldn't knock the inline guy for choosing his gun. We, as hunters need to stick together.

Getting back to turkey guns: I do have a 10 guage NEF with 36" full choke barrel. And, I have my old Rem. 1100. That gun has brought home lots of meat; mostly venison though.

Good luck this season!

 

[Dave McCracken]

Guyon, now I've heard of one time. Thanks.

The shotgun of yore had plenty of choke, a lighter shot charge than modern ones,usually only one or two shots, and the equipment was good enough that Eastern Turkeys almost went extinct.In fact, millions of Turkey died from musket shots.

A docent at Colonial Williamsburg told me he hunts Turkey with a musket, state of the art ca 1774. He does it in colonial garb also, with a wingbone yelper and home made box call.

Outdoor Writer E Donnal Thomas has taken several Turkey with a longbow.

Traditionalist Kirk Drier has taken a number of deer with handmade wooden arrows with stone tips and bows he's whittled out of Osage Orange and Hickory trees. I believe he has taken some Turkey with Neolithic tools too, but it's too early to call and confirm.

All of these folks are experienced hunters who know the limits of their abilities and equipment and stay within them.

Another case of the software being more crucial than hardware.

As someone already said, be humane. Take only those shots we KNOW are quickly lethal.

I still have some of the 1 oz loads of 6s I made for Squirrels. I may try patterning them to see how close I'd have to be to get 8-10 pellets into a Turkey head/neck target with Son's little NEF.

 

[Guyon]

All of these folks are experienced hunters who know the limits of their abilities and equipment and stay within them.

Dave, I agree that this is the key. If I had a lot more time on my hands, I probably would spend some of it with a more traditional muzzleloader. I like tradition and history as much as the next guy. Right now, though, I feel more comfortable with my inline precisely because I don't know the limits of a flintlock.

Does this make me a lesser marksman? Probably so. Like I said, I think there's something to PawDaddy's observation, even though it's not always safe to generalize. There are folks in the woods who could shoot your eye out with a flintlock but who choose to hunt with a state of the art Knight inline.

Does it make me a lesser hunter? No, I prefer to think of myself as a more ethical hunter precisely because I choose a gun that I trust.

I have nothing but respect for folks who do put in the time with more traditional weapons. However, as PawDaddy put it, we shouldn't draw lines over equipment. Hunters have enough problems from the anti-hunting crowd. I think it best we stick together and keep the infighting to a minimum.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Actually, I go for the fix it myself simplicity and reliability of old style MLs, Guyon. The history is just a bonus. And, using the methods I do, the possibly lesser range is a moot point.

Back to shotguns and turkey huntin'...

Ethics are what we do when nobody's watching.

If a hunter's ethics include commitment to humane kills, taking only very high percentage shots,, and wounding/losing little game, I care not a whit if he's using a matchlock or something belt fed and lazer sights with a bayonet on the front. Software beats hardware....

One big reason I no longer belong to my state's traditional bowhunting organization is there were way too many One True Way jerks in it. #@$%^&*( exclusivity.

 

[redneck2]

You talked about "flat black"

Sometimes the color or camo isn't so important as the fact that the turkey can see the different color of the black moving against your camo if you have to re-position the gun. It's the contrast of the moving object that gets you.

Since turkeys can see color so well, the gun should have camo about the same as the clothing that's behind it. Less noticed when you move

As to the "ancestors". First, they had little or no repect for "in and out of season". They hunted to eat. Second, they had a lot more time for hunting. No kids sports, etc. like today.

 

[Poodleshooter]

Second, they had a lot more time for hunting.

That's the big one.I'd bet that a lot of "hunting" in the old days consisted of dropping the plow handle and taking a shot.
I've gotten within 10yds of turkeys on public land in this state. Drew a bead on one with a .50 caplock two years ago (didn't fire),and nailed one with a rifleshot through the neck later. But being an apartment dweller, I just can't get the time outside to become that good of a woodsman.
I doubt my great grandpa could rebuild a PC if he had as little time in the office as I do in the woods.

I've never looked for a dedicated turkey gun. I just use my waterfowl/deer/upland/squirrel shotgun with an appropriate Xfull choke, and a lead load of at least 1-1/2oz of #4's,5's or 6's.
That caplock I drew a bead with @10yds a few years back was stainless steel.
I'd imagine that a straw or brown colored shotgun would be more effective than matte black. Nonreflectivity is really what we're looking for,more so than color.

 

[M Jager]

Myself, I am not much of a turkey hunting fanatic, but I try to go every year. For me, the most fun way to hunt turkeys is with a bow. When I don't have time to bowhunt (takes lots of practice) I'll use a gun. After bowhunting, shotguns seam pretty easy to work with so I take whatever shotguns that strikes my fancy on that particular day with and appropriate load and choke.
If I was wild about killing turkeys I would probably go for a camo auto chucker with a short barrel and high vis sigts. Until then I will stick to whatever I have on hand, and pick my shots.
Matt