Hunting & Fishing Lets see your Turkey Gun Pattern

[CraigT]

I believe in patterning my turkey gun with the ammo that will be used. So lets see your patterns

I will start.
Remington 870 with Rob Roberts Choke and barrel work, Federal Heavyweight 3.5" #6 27 yards

 

[NukeMan]

Bout to start patterning my girls turkey guns. Both are semi auto 20 gauges. Taking them to Missouri in April. I'll post up when we get to it. Ones a Remington 11-87 the other is a Weatherby sa-08

 

[tango11]

30 yards

 

[CraigT]

@tango11 I have never hunted Turkeys with a bow that seems to me that it would be crazy hard. Do you run and bow or do you use a blind?

 

[Mauser06]

30 yard pattern.

 

[tango11]

@tango11 I have never hunted Turkeys with a bow that seems to me that it would be crazy hard. Do you run and bow or do you use a blind?

I "run n bow" using a portable stakeout blind like this one.

I started last season and I haven't been successful yet. The hardest part is that I can only shoot on my left side with a small "cone of fire". I had a turkey gobbling really close right behind me and I didn't dare to turn. I will certainly try again this season.

 

[BullGear]

I've wondered why people don't hunt turkey from a tree stand. I doubt the bird would spook as easy as when you hunt from a ground blind or just sitting up against a tree.

I have never hunted turkey, but I've always wondered why you hunt them from the ground.

 

[tango11]

I did think about using something like a tree saddle. I will at least have clear shooting lanes. For gun hunter they aim for the head when it's extended. Shooting down on a turkey will ruin a lot of meat.

 

[CraigT]

@BullGear I was always told that it was not legal in S.C. to hunt off the ground for turkeys. I just tried to look it up and did not find that it is illegal to hunt that way. I would not want to for two reasons.
1. It would be super hard to chase turkeys having to climb a tree stand
2. I just do not feel that that is being a sportsman. I feel that it gives the turkeys an even more of a sporting chance due to they can not smell good so they only have their eyes and ears. The reason that I feel this way is that they do not seem to respond to me moving and doing stuff in the deer stand the way they do when I am on the ground.

Also I guess the 3rd reason is that I love the closeness of being right there and seeing the bird on his level, it is like you have a close connection to Turkey when you can look him in the eye on his level.

@tango11 I never thought about the meat destruction aspect of being up higher.

 

[silentnswift]

Mossberg 835 Indian creek choke
42 yds. TSS #7 and 9’s

 

[Spring1A]

30 yard pattern.

Sweet! custom build? I'm guessing about 15 seconds before you see if the turkey is down or not

 

[Mauser06]

Sweet! custom build? I'm guessing about 15 seconds before you see if the turkey is down or not

Yep I built that one. It was my 2nd precarve. Finished a build from a blank last year. Gotta rebuild the ole turkey gun now that I've learned more. It's functional. My shaping of the forend wasn't where it should have been.


Really depends on the conditions. I've killed a lot of critters with flintlocks. Usually enough breeze to blow the smoke out of my view. One turkey was a damp rainy morning. The smoke fell into the hay field. It was pretty cool to see. The air was so thick it looked like I was able to kick the smoke as I was going to get the bird.


It's a blast. I love hunting with them...love shooting them. Now I love building them. My "shop" is kinds funny...from a very modern precision rifle to a a&d120 V3 setup, to a bench of flintlock parts, building tools, builds in progress etc. Not uncommon to be bedding a modern rifle stock and have a flintlock build there too lol.

 

[Spring1A]

Yep I built that one. It was my 2nd precarve. Finished a build from a blank last year. Gotta rebuild the ole turkey gun now that I've learned more. It's functional. My shaping of the forend wasn't where it should have been.


Really depends on the conditions. I've killed a lot of critters with flintlocks. Usually enough breeze to blow the smoke out of my view. One turkey was a damp rainy morning. The smoke fell into the hay field. It was pretty cool to see. The air was so thick it looked like I was able to kick the smoke as I was going to get the bird.


It's a blast. I love hunting with them...love shooting them. Now I love building them. My "shop" is kinds funny...from a very modern precision rifle to a a&d120 V3 setup, to a bench of flintlock parts, building tools, builds in progress etc. Not uncommon to be bedding a modern rifle stock and have a flintlock build there too lol.

Nice, looks good to me, love that picture! My old man is a pre revolution flint lock freak, look at any gun in "Last of the Mohicans" and he's got one. His last one looks like it came right out of Maguas hands. He has had a gentleman out of ND build most of them, and he does a great job. Dad gave me a .50 cal based off an Isaac Haynes pattern, she's a long s.o.b but accurate as all get out, killed some deer with that one. Guys at the range can't believe how well them patched round balls group, I'd put her up against an inline any day. Same guys laugh at all that smoke, but the way that smoke settles on a cool calm morning is bad ass. Good luck on the rebuild.

 

[Army First]

We have rain on the way and rain in the forecast for tomorrow. May flowers I could care less about the morels are another story.
Perhaps my opportunity will be Sunday. I have some reloads that I want to try and some factory ammo if the reloads let me down.

Updated 4-11
Rain seems to be hanging around so I went in a lite drizzle today. I'm using 4 and 5 shot, one was a mix of those, I also had 5 on the bottom pushing 4 out.

Last I had taken a straw cut at case height and filled with 4 shot up to the wad height, weighed it out, next I weighed out enough 5 shot that the combined total of 4 & 5 weighed 1 1/8. I placed the straw in the center, poured 5 in around it and pulled the straw out.

All loads were 1 1/8 lead. That load using a straw was the killer

 

[MarkLeupold]

I've wondered why people don't hunt turkey from a tree stand. I doubt the bird would spook as easy as when you hunt from a ground blind or just sitting up against a tree.

I have never hunted turkey, but I've always wondered why you hunt them from the ground.

My dad and I actually used to when I was little and had a harder time sitting still. It's definitely different, and we would only do it if they were in the area of the stand. It's hard enough to call them in across the field, let alone over a ridge or two.

I think that's the major thing: it gives you more chances to get on birds when you're mobile and adaptable on the ground. The ability to close to calling range and then set up on the birds is lost in a tree stand. Plus, it's way more exciting being on the ground with them!

 

[Steel+Killer]

 

[Steel+Killer]

I've wondered why people don't hunt turkey from a tree stand. I doubt the bird would spook as easy as when you hunt from a ground blind or just sitting up against a tree.

I have never hunted turkey, but I've always wondered why you hunt them from the ground.

Because hunting turkeys is usually not static mostly it is on the go locating / finding them and then setting up near them without getting busted and trying to call them to you if you can. That is not to say you couldn't get up in a stand and have one come by or call it to within range, but you really limit yourself if you see some on the other side of the field and you can't get any cover getting out of a stand to get closer then your kind of screwed. For example I was hunting the other day I set up where I thought I had the best chance of getting them in range, but they just weren't buying what I was selling from where I was. Walking back to my truck on the edge of a field I happen to see one out on the corner of the field about 250yds away I dropped to my knees and crawled about 10yds in the woods and started calling him he was liking what he heard from where I was and it cost him.....LOL Had I been stuck in a stand and not mobile I would have been going home empty handed that day.

 

[GONE BAD]

Will I pattern the shotgun for my grandsons and this year they goter done! Told them 40 yards would be a long shot with the shells i used and the oldest used every bit of it on his bird!

My second oldest got his this morning

 

[GONE BAD]

One more of him packing it out

 

[GONE BAD]

I didn't take any of the photos posted here.
Their Dads did!
The last one should be on the cover of a hunting magazine! But then again I am biased
NO one replaces the Father! Not even grandpa

 

[krw]

Well I shoot a Beretta 390 with Ballistic Specialties 665 non ported tube. Use Nitro Ammunition TSS 7.5’s, 2 5/16oz 3” magnums. I feel like I can kill bird 50yds 99% of the time. Killd bird 16 steps last Thur morn, damn near missd him!! There is a fine line between tight enough and too tight.

 

[Steel+Killer]

My longest shot on a turkey was last week killed one right at 70yds with a SBEII 24" barrel, Anaconda choke, 3.5" TSS #7 shot. Oddly enough it was probably the fastest I have ever had one quit flopping.