turkey – Wholesale Hunter

SHOT AND CHOKE

I often claim that I’m the world’s worst turkey hunter. Possibly not true, but when I tell you what I did last week, you’ll believe me.

Turkey guns and loads have come a long way.

Craig Boddington

I often claim that I’m the world’s worst turkey hunter. Possibly not true, but when I tell you what I did last week, you’ll believe me. I was trying to get a Rio Grande gobbler on my kids’ place in Texas. Running out of time, I took a final cruise down the power line road, stopped foe one more call. Good grief, a gobbler cut loose. Not far away. Grabbed the shotgun, pumped the action, ducked into the woods.

: Boddington’s first gobbler taken with TSS was taken in Georgia in 2023, using a Mossberg semiauto 12-gauge with Apex No. 8 shot. The shot was past 40 yards; the bird went straight down.

I found a perfect tree to sit against, got the gun across my knees, went to work on the slate. Double gobble, closer. Couple minutes later I saw the red head. Then another. Two nice gobblers, coming straight in. Both were good birds. When they were about 30 yards away I held the bead low on the neck of the larger tom…and heard the loudest CLICK ever. Plenty loud for the turkeys, too. They were gone. My fault or the gun? I know I pumped the action, but the bolt didn’t pick up a shell. And so ended my 2024 Texas turkey hunt.

The shell that I didn’t fire was a Hornady 12-gauge three-inch, nickel-plated No. 5 shot. Those were good shells, shot several gobblers with them. Still have a few, so I may shoot another turkey before they’re gone. Provided I can remember to load my darned gun. I was sad when Hornady got out of the turkey load business. I asked why and was surprised at the answer: “Turkey loads are getting ever more specialized.”

Donna Boddington and Zack Aultman with a nice Eastern gobbler, taken with Apex No. 9 TSS in a 20-gauge Benelli.

Man, are they. Not being a truly avid (or expert) turkey hunter, I missed much of this. Those Hornady turkey loads were good shells, though not much different from good shells I’ve used most of my life: Heavy payload of high-quality nickel-plated lead shot. Today, there are at least a dozen types of shot on the market. I don’t claim to have experience with all. I’ve shot couple of turkeys with bismuth shot, pretty good stuff. One, years ago, with steel shot duck loads. It worked, but I don’t recommend that. HD and Hevi Shot, both tungsten alloys, are excellent.

I was introduced to HD on a writer’s hunt in Mississippi several years ago, with experimental HD shells from Kent. Incredibly impressive on the pattern board, used them for a couple of gobblers, equally impressive. HD and Hevi Shot are excellent, and the shells are reasonably affordable. However, they aren’t TSS. Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) is easily the deadliest shot to date. Just two years ago my Georgia friend and Eastern gobbler mentor Zack Aultman introduced me to TSS.

Based in Mississippi, heart of turkey country, Apex is just one of several smaller firms offering today’s increasingly specialized turkey loads. This is the load Boddington used in 2023, a full two ounces of No. 8 TSS in 12-gauge three-inch.

As a metal, tungsten is denser than lead. Water has density of 1 g/cc (gram to cubic centimeter). The old standby lead is 11.3 g/cc, while tungsten is a whopping 18.1 g/cc. Tungsten is both heavier and harder than lead. In effect, you can drop down three or four shot sizes, still get more penetration per pellet, and a lot more pellets in your pattern. Because it’s harder and heavier, patterns hold together better. With lead, I’ve always been a No. 5 shot guy on turkeys, although I’ve often used No. 6. Often, I hedge my bet with No. 4 as the second shell in the magazine or in the second barrel. Smaller shot for head shots, larger shot for backup body shots if needed.

Two beautiful gobblers, plenty close. The bird on the left is offering a perfect shot.

With TSS, you can drop down to 8s or 9s, no real need for larger shot for backup. It’s that effective. You can also back off a gauge or two. Less recoil in a lighter gun. With TSS, serious hunters are confidently taking turkeys with .410s. Me, I’m neither that serious, nor that confident. For years, believing bigger was surely better, I used a 10 gauge. More of a fashion statement than a necessity. I went to a 12-gauge long ago, and today I’m perfectly happy with a 20-gauge…with good shells and a tight choke.

Of these five 20-gauge turkey loads, all are TSS except the top center Magnum Blend load, which is Hevi Shot. Only the Federal Premium TSS load is from a major manufacturer.

Last year and this, I took Eastern gobblers at Zack’s place, using Apex shells, loaded in Mississippi. Last year I used a Mossberg 12 gauge with two ounces of No. 8 TSS. One shot at the pattern board to verify. No turkey was going to walk through that pattern. The gobbler I shot was farther than I like, past 40 yards. Didn’t matter.

This year, a week before my comeuppance in Texas, Zack loaned me a 20-gauge Benelli, this time with 1 5/8 ounces of Apex 8 ½ TSS. Again, one shell to verify the pattern. With young Ben Pickren on the call—13 years old and so good I stayed quiet—we had a nice tom come to about 25 yards. Straight down without a wiggle.

That’s good, but this struck me more: I held low on the neck and was concerned the pattern might have messed up the breast. Not a single pellet the breast meat, only couple pellets in the head. The pattern centered exactly where I was aiming, low on the neck. That’s tight.

These patterns were shot at 25 yards with four different 20-gauge TSS loads, using a Rob Roberts choke in a Benelli semiauto. No turkey could walk through any, but the second from left Boss Tom, 1 5/8 ounces No. 9, is clearly the most impressive

With the turkey business done, we had some time to play. Zack dug around camp, found odds and ends of five different flavors of 20-gauge TSS shells. A Federal Premium load was the only one from a major manufacturer. He also found a hatful of 20-gauge turkey chokes.

Bigger isn’t necessarily better. As I wrote in this column a year ago, I lost a turkey pasted center-chest with a 10-gauge. That was poor shot placement: the head was tucked in, bad decision. In truth, my plain-Jane 10 gauge double that I loved threw terrible patterns. Not much development in 10-gauge chokes (or shells) because it’s uncommon and not essential.

Today there are numerous options in shotshells and shot. This Kansas gobbler was taken with Kent No. 7 HD load. HD is a milder tungsten alloy, heavier than traditional lead shot, but not as costly as TSS.

Although the science is hardly new, chokes have developed along with shot and shells. Unfortunately, at the cost of TSS shells, nobody spends a lot of time on the pattern board. Too bad because there is much to learn.

Using a Primos Jellyhead choke, this pattern was fired at 25 yards with Boss Tom’s 20-gauge load, 1 5/8 ounces No. 9 TSS, an amazing pattern.

No way I was going to run through six chokes, and we didn’t have enough shells anyway. I shot my turkey with a Rob Roberts choke, so we patterned it at 25 yards with four loads. No turkey could walk through any of those patterns, but a Boss Tom No. 9 TSS load clearly patterned better than the rest, including the Apex Ninja No. 8 ½ load I’d taken my turkey with.

Sort of randomly, next we tried Primos’ Jellyhead choke tube. Again, in this choke, in this gun, on this day, the Boss Tom load won. Big time. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a pattern like that before. About 70/30 above/below point of aim, density scary just above point of aim. I prefer high-shooting shotguns and always aim below point of impact. It is said that 60/40 (60 percent above aim, 40 percent below) is ideal, but I’m okay with 70/30. As an old trapshooter, I don’t want a flat-shooting shotgun where I must cover the head. My preferred hold is low neck, so I want a high-shooting shotgun.

Dad and I hunted turkeys in Missouri in the mid-Sixties, when the Ozarks first opened. I maintain my position that I’m not a serious turkey hunter. However, with nearly 60 years of experience, my long-set habits and opinions don’t change easily. Obviously, with better, deeper-penetrating shot and denser patterns, sensible ranges are increased. I know how far some folks are shooting turkeys, but I’m not going there. At 71, it’s like open sights on a rifle. My window has shrunk. I’m a 40-yard guy, do-able with older shells as well as new. Closer is better, but not too close. I’d rather have a pattern to play with, rather than a tight ball of shot.

: Patterning a shotgun off the bench is hard work. With heavy loads, even a 20-gauge has plenty of recoil. It’s not necessary to waste expensive shells, but it’s essential to verify both point of impact and pattern with whatever load you choose.

The most important thing: Essential to pattern your shotgun. We can still kill turkeys with old-fashioned shells. We must be able to because, awesome as it is, TSS has drawbacks. Since it’s harder than lead, it cannot be used in many older shotguns. If okay with steel, it’s probably okay with TSS. I have guns than can’t use either.

Boddington and Ben Pickren with a fine Georgia gobbler, called in by Pickren and taken by Boddington at 25 yards, using a 20-gauge Benelli with Apex TSS No. 9 load.

Then, there’s cost. Frightful. Tungsten is a scarce metal, few mines in the world. Some of the shells we were gleefully flinging at paper targets were ten-dollar shells. Ouch. Although tungsten based, HD and Hevi Shot are alloys that use less tungsten, less expensive. Not as good as TSS, but better than good old lead shot…which is not damning with faint praise. Despite efficacy, I wouldn’t hunt waterfowl with TSS. A turkey, well, kind of a big-game bird. Tasty, but more a trophy hunt than a meat hunt. I baulk hard at a $10 shotgun shell. Much the same cost as .470 Nitro Express. But we only need a few: One to verify pattern and point of aim. One to kill the bird, maybe a spare just in case. With the results I’m seeing, pricey but acceptable.

SHOTS AT TURKEYS

Throughout most of the country April is prime time for turkeys. I am not an expert turkey hunter, and a mediocre turkey caller…on my best days.

Craig Boddington

Throughout most of the country April is prime time for turkeys. I am not an expert turkey hunter, and a mediocre turkey caller…on my best days. No way I will write the definitive “how to” story on turkey hunting. However, given a chance, I’ve been pretty good at shooting turkeys.

When a gobbler is coming in, Boddington likes to keep his knees up so he can rest his elbows and get steady. Of course, a bird come in from any direction. Boddington is left-handed, but he practices shooting right-handed…just in case.

Not perfect. (Talk about that later.) Wife Donna hasn’t taken as many turkeys and, theoretically, isn’t as good with a shotgun. Even so, she is 100 percent on bagging all turkeys she has shot at. She took her first Eastern gobbler in Georgia last Saturday, so her experience now includes three varieties, with some multiples.

The Mossberg 940-Pro Boddington used in Georgia in ’23 was borrowed, but he checked the pattern on a target. Aiming at the center orange dot, this 25-yard pattern with Apex No. 8 tungsten is fantastic: About the right height above aim, and wonderfully dense.

On the other hand, my Dad was the best and fastest wingshooter I ever knew on quail and pheasants. Dad had been a successful fighter pilot in WWII and had off-the-charts vision. Despite these advantages, he couldn’t figure out how to hold a shotgun on a stationary bird and center a turkey’s head. His native Kansas had no turkeys for most of his life, so a wild turkey was one of few creatures he really wanted to take. I can’t recall how many turkeys he shot over until he finally took his first with a .22 Hornet (in Texas, where rifles are legal).

AIM A BIT LOW

Most shotguns are stocked to center the pattern a bit high for rising birds, so you can see the clay or the bird above the rib or bead. Some shoot “dead-on,” but few modern shotguns pattern below point-of-aim. Dad’s problem: A fast shooter on rising birds, he liked his shotguns to shoot high and wasn’t used to a stationary target. This exaggerates the effect of a high-shooting gun, and he couldn’t make himself place the bead far enough down on the neck to account for both the stationary target and the rise of the pattern.

An excellent Gould’s turkey, taken with a favorite turkey gun, a left-hand Moaaberg 12-gauge pump, using three-inch No. 6 lead shot.

You can check this with a pattern board, and you should. Checking “zero” and verifying patterns with a shotgun from a steady rest isn’t pleasant. Heavy turkey loads kick like hell, but it’s essential preparation.

What you want to see on a target: Most of the pattern just above the aiming point. Then, when a bird presents with a more-or-less vertical neck, you can place the bead about where the feathers stop and the naked, red neck starts. Remember, you’re dealing with a pattern, not a single bullet. The majority of the pattern should catch the entire head and neck.

This gobbler is in a near-perfect position: Not too far, not too close, head erect. Boddington would hold on that wrinkle in the neck just above where the feathers stop…and let a slightly high pattern do its work.

Depending on what a target has revealed, you are probably okay aiming where the neck joins the body (Dad would have been). Height of comb varies; my turkey shotguns don’t shoot as high as my trap guns or quail guns. The main point: Don’t aim precisely at the head. With most shotguns, this is asking to shoot over the top. You must hold a bit low, down on the neck.

On April 1^st, opening day in Georgia, we had a disappointing morning. Minimal distant gobbling shut off at dawn, and we never saw a bird. Nearly noon, set up in a different spot, a big gobbler came in completely silent. Just out of range but clearly eyeing our decoys, he started to strut—never gobbled—then advanced cautiously.

I always carry a rangefinder and check distances when I set up, so I’ll have a good idea when a gobbler is close enough. With the shotgun I carried, he’d probably been in range for a while, but he was strutting in weeds that almost covered him. Silent, obviously checking our set, but not comfortable. I was sure he was within 40 yards when he stood erect and stretched his neck.

When strutting, a gobbler tucks his head tight against his chest. A body shot can work, but is risky and will mess up a lot of meat. Better to wait him out and let him extend his neck.

On a stationary target, a high pattern keeps getting higher as range increases. I rested the Mossberg over my knee, held well down on the long neck, and pressed the trigger. The bird dropped into the weeds, gone, but he was right there, a last few wingbeats as I approached.

HEAD SHOTS ARE BEST

Years ago, I was hunting in Missouri with a borrowed Browning BPS 10-gauge, awesome shotgun. A big bird came straight to us, strutted, and I pasted him head-on at 25 yards with a 3 ½-inch shell, 2.5 ounces of shot. The bird dropped to the shot and flopped behind a big oak. My partner and I ran to it…and the bird was gone. No trace, never seen again.

Doesn’t matter what you’re shooting. Body shots on turkeys with shotguns are unreliable. Tough birds, thick feathers, heavy breast protecting the vitals. When in strut, the head is tucked in, and the temptation is to shoot for that big, black mass. Big mistake that I’ll never make again. Wait until the head extends, and aim for the head and neck

With a shotgun, you’re shooting a pattern, with no control over exactly where pellets land. Essential to be mindful of other birds, and make sure a chosen turkey is absolutely clear.

Drives purists insane, but some states still allow rifles. That’s a different deal; the head is too small a target, and often moving. Purists, please ignore this: Where legal, I get a huge kick out of sniping turkeys with a small rifle, .17 or .22 Magnum, .22 Hornet. Wait for the broadside shot and aim where the wing butt joins the body. Doesn’t mess up much meat, and effective. If you have that shot with a rifle, you also have the head shot with a shotgun.

The tricky part: If the head is extended horizontally, while the bird is gobbling, then you have only the head as a very small point target. Better know exactly how high your gun shoots, otherwise there’s increased risk of passing the whole pattern just over the top. I shot a big Gould’s turkey in Sonora with his neck stretched out, remembered to hold a bit low. Killed the bird—doesn’t take all that many pellets in the head—but most of the pattern went high.

Donna Boddington’s first Eastern gobbler, taken in Georgia on April 1st, 2023. She used a left-hand Benelli 20-gauge with No. 9 tungsten shot.

The shot I much prefer is to have the neck erect. Still not a big target, but bigger. Ideally, you want pellet strikes in both head and neck. No one can say exactly how many strikes are needed. Where pellets impact is random, but you want multiple strikes—with penetration—in spine and brain. There are “golden pellets”: The one strike that centers the brain, but let’s not count on that.

CHOKES, GAUGES, SHELLS

Depending on range, shells, shot, and pattern, anything can work. I’ve taken turkeys with my Model 12 skeet gun, but it’s not a turkey gun. For years I used a short-barreled Spanish side-by-side 10-gauge with screw-in chokes. Lots of shot, should have been perfect, but tt was rarely as devastating as it should have been. Not much development in 10-gauge shells. The pattern board eventually showed me that, with available ammo, the pattern had holes a turkey could fly through. Cool gun, but I got rid of it. Tight chokes are best, but even patterns more important.

Today, we have better shells, better shot, and better chokes. The great turkey hunter, Dr. Warren Strickland, was the first guy I talked to who was killing his turkeys with a .410. Today, a lot of serious turkey addicts, with great shells and awesome chokes, use small gauges.

Boddington’s Dad, Bud Boddington, used a .22 Hornet for his first turkey, taken in Texas. An avid quail hunter, he liked high-shooting shotguns…and shot over multiple toms before resorting to the rifle.

Sorry, I don’t. I’m neither a good enough caller, nor a confident enough turkey hunter, to bank on the small gauges. I mostly use a 12-gauge, but both Donna and I have taken numerous turkeys with 20-gauge guns. In 12-gauge, I’m comfortable with 2 ¾ or 3-inch shells; in 20-gauge, we use 3-inch loads.

I have also downsized on shot. Historically, I’ve usually used lead No. 5 or 6 for the first (preferably head) shot, backed up with No. 4 for a follow-up body shot if needed. New shot has changed the game. I was stunned when I heard about experienced hunters—like Dr. Strickland—shooting turkeys with shot as small as No. 9. Depends on the pattern, and the shot. This year, our Georgia gobblers were taken with No. 8 tungsten shot in Mississippi-loaded Apex shells. Tungsten is denser than lead, more small pellets in the pattern, with better penetration per pellet.

You can definitely get the gun up while a bird is gobbling, but all you have to shoot at is the head; it’s essential to know exactly how high your gun patterns and aim a couple inches low.

Remember, velocity is much the same from gauge to gauge, thus pellet energy the same. Performance is thus largely about choke and payload, which dictate range. With turkeys, the important things are to check point of impact and pattern with your gun and your load.

RANGE AND SIGHTS

Then, focus on that bright red head…and keep your shots within the distance your pattern density guarantees multiple head-neck strikes.

With the shells and chokes we have today, effective ranges have increased. For me, I don’t push the range envelope. Given a choice, I also don’t let birds get too close. Easy to miss when all you have is a ball of shot the diameter of your barrel. My ideal distance is 20 to about 40 yards. In that window, I have a good pattern to work with…and a bit of standoff to bring the gun to bear without spooking the bird.

This gobbler is awful close; instead of a pattern, there will be a tight ball of shot. Do-able, but with the bird looking right at you, he might spook before you can get the gun up.

Unlike most shotgunning, turkeys are usually taken by aiming precisely at a point, stationary target, as in rifle shooting. I prefer a gun with a rib to sight down, and a highly visible front bead. My Mossberg pump has rudimentary rear sight with fiber optic front, awesome.

Just once, I put a low-power magnifying scope on a turkey shotgun. I didn’t like the tunnel-vision effect, and found magnification unnecessary at turkey-shooting distance. I have experimented more with reflex (red-dot) sights. They are extremely effective, especially for older eyes, with increasing trouble resolving the front bead. If your shotgun has sights of any type, then it’s essential to, literally, check zero, adjusting the sight to ensure your pattern is exactly where you want it.

ENOUGH GUN FOR TURKEYS?

Craig Boddington

Gobblers were going crazy just over a little rise. I duckwalked to the crest, peered over. Sure enough, a nice gobbler was right there. I held the bead where neck feathers ended and saw him down hard. Awesome! Another gobbler rushed in from the right, probably to pounce on this one. Swinging hard, I used the second barrel. Two fine Merriam’s gobblers…and the only “double” I’ve ever gotten on wild turkeys. At least on purpose…more about that later.

I wasn’t hunting turkeys; I was up there on a spring black bear hunt. While sitting over baits, I heard a lot of gobblers. The season was open, so I went to town and bought tags. I didn’t have a turkey gun with me, but I did have a Krieghoff 20-gauge sporting clays gun in the truck.

This is a shot you don’t want to take, in strut with the head tucked tight against the body. Wait until the head is raised or extended and aim in the center of the neck, much more reliable and much less meat ruined.

SHOT PLACEMENT

There were few turkeys in Kansas when I started hunting, so experience came long and slow. I still consider myself among the world’s worst turkey callers but, today, at least I have a fair amount of experience shooting turkeys.

About 30 years ago, before I’d ever taken an Eastern gobbler, I hunted in southern Missouri with a borrowed Browning BPS 10-gauge pump gun. Awesome shotgun, but I didn’t know the gun. We had a big gobbler strutting across a clearing, not 25 yards, but trees and brush between us. Believing a max-load 10-gauge could do anything, I pasted him square in the center of the chest.

He dropped and rolled behind a big oak. We ran forward and saw…nothing. No feathers, no indication which way he had gone. We walked lines in every direction, and never found a trace.

The bird on the left is in an ideal presentation, head erect. Boddington’s preferred aiming point is where the neck feathers end, then let the pattern do its work. The bird on the right is a bit too close, better to wait and let them separate a little more!

I had made fundamental mistakes. I’m pretty good with a shotgun but, although many have, I’ve never taken a turkey on the wing; all of my gobblers have been on the ground. This is different from most shotgunning; you must aim, rather than point and/or swing!

Targets shot with a T/C 20-gauge, Full choke with Winchester 3-inch

Have you taken your turkey gun to the range and aimed at a point target, to see exactly where your pattern lands in relation to the bead? You might be surprised at the results. Many shotguns high, others dead flat. Less commonly, a bit low, or even off to one side. Few of us are dumb enough to go deer hunting without checking a rifle on a target, but too many hunters get handed a shotgun and go turkey hunting. A shotgun charge is different than a single bullet, so we trust the pattern…without knowing exactly where the barrel directs it.

A pattern target quickly tells you what you are dealing with. These targets were shot at 25 yards with 12-gauge 3-inch. Top two with Mossberg M500 with Full choke: Top left, Remington No. 5 HD. Okay, not great. Top right, horrible, with Kent No. 7 tungsten: Too much choke for these shells in this gun! Bottom two with Franchi Affinity, Full choke, same two shells! Bottom left, Remington No. 5 HD, awesome; bottom right, Kent No. 7 tungsten, devastating!

A turkey-hunting expert (which I am not), would never make such a mistake. Nor would he (or she) make the same basic shot-placement error. We can argue all day about gauges, shells, and chokes, but the turkey is a big, strong bird. Beyond point-blank range, no gauge, shell, or shot size can concentrate enough pellets to reliably take down a turkey with a body shot.

In these days of ammo shortages nobody has a wide selection of turkey loads! Loads Boddington has, and has been using, include, left to right: Hornady No. 5 nickel-plated shot; Remington Nitro No. 5 HD (tungsten); and Kent No. 7 tungsten, all in 3-inch 12-gauge.

A facing presentation requires the greatest penetration. What I know now (and didn’t know then): You never shoot a strutting turkey with head down! You’re banking on a couple of “golden pellets” into the head and neck. If you don’t get them, there is little guarantee of getting enough penetration through feathers and flesh into the chest cavity. Side shots are only slightly better. The turkey is our “big game bird” and shot placement is essential. The proper shot is with the head and neck extended, the aiming point at the head, if horizontal; and where the neck joins the body if vertical. Then you can let the pattern do its work!

GAUGES

It’s really not a matter of how much shot (gauge and shot charge). It’s really a matter of choke, matching the load to the gun, and putting the charge in the right place. Expert turkey hunters (which I am not) are now having great fun—and success—head-shooting turkey with .410s, and 28 gauges, enabled by wonderfully advanced loads and chokes.

Patterning done right, walking the gun out.

Absolutely can be done, but I have not opened that window. I’m not a good enough caller—or patient enough hunter—to go there. I went through my 10-gauge phase, but found that chokes, patterns, and shells weren’t as advanced—or as available—as for the popular 12 and 20 gauges. I’ve taken numerous turkeys with 20-gauges guns, plenty of gun…especially with the right shells in good chokes. However, I’m mostly a 12-gauge guy for turkeys.

Boddington’s son-in-law, Brad Jannenga, with a Rio Grande gobbler, taken with his Benelli Nova in 3.5-inch 12-gauge. The 3.5-inch 12-gauge has about the same shot charge weight at a 10-gauge, definitely an ultimate turkey gun…but also a great deal of recoil.

With the shells, shot, and chokes we have today, I can’t imagine a shot I might take that a 12-gauge 3-inch load can’t handle. Son-in-law Brad Jannenga uses a Benelli Nova slide-action 3.5-inch 12-gauge, theoretically as effective as my old 10-gauge. Devastating…on both ends. Left-hand 3.5-inch 12-gauge guns being scarce, I’ve never used one. I don’t push the range, and my experience is the shorter shells, albeit with smaller shot charges, often deliver better patterns.

Taken in April ’21, this is the heaviest Rio Grande gobbler Boddington has ever taken. Using a left-hand Franchi Affinity, a Kent No. 7 tungsten shot load proved extremely effective.

CHOKES AND SHOT

Taking turkeys cleanly isn’t about gauge or weight of charge, but pattern density. This is all about chokes! These days, interchangeable chokes are almost universal with new guns (even the side-by-side 10-gauge I used for years had choke tubes). Older guns, of course, have fixed chokes. Typically, you want a tight choke for turkeys but, depending on shot size and material (lead, bismuth, tungsten, steel), the tightest choke may not yield the tightest patterns in your gun. It’s important to know your pattern is tight and even, and that requires shooting at a target. Turkey loads are spendy and we don’t have a lot of shells to waste on paper. But, out of a 10-shell box of turkey loads, we can expend a couple, verifying point of impact and pattern.

The flexibility of interchangeable choke tubes is almost universal in new shotguns today. Depending on shot size and material, the tightest choke may not deliver the tightest or most even pattern. It’s essential to pattern on paper so you know what you’re dealing with

For several years, my “go to” turkey gun has been a camouflaged Mossberg 500 12-gauge 3-inch left-hand pump gun. I’ve shot a bunch of turkeys with it, mostly with lead No. 5 or 6 shot. I was curious how it might pattern with tungsten, so I started with the Full choke tube I’ve been using. We know from using steel shot on waterfowl that, with extra-hard shot, we usually use more open chokes to achieve uniform density and avoid blowing the pattern.

My long-reliable Mossberg didn’t look great with Remington 3-inch No. 5 HD (tungsten). It looked worse with a Kent load of tungsten No. 7, lots of deep-penetrating pellets…but they still must land in the right place. I was over-choked with tungsten; the No. 7 load had a classic “hole in the pattern,” centered on the head of a life-size turkey target!

Boddington used this American Arms short-barreled side-by-side 10-gauge for years. He abandoned it because 10-gauge shells became difficult to find…and available loads weren’t as advanced as for the more popular 12 and 20-gauges

If I had shells to burn, I’d have changed chokes and tried again but, these days, who does? Conserving ammo, I tried the same two loads in a left-hand Franchi Affinity with Full choke tube. OMG, not shells or gun, just the choke! Remington’s No. 5 HD looked great, over 40 pellet strikes in head and neck at 25 yards. Kent’s No. 7 tungsten was even better; I couldn’t count the pellets in head and neck on the target!

As for shot size, personal preference. Today, some serious hunters are using shot as small as No. 9, relying on maximum pattern density for head shots only. I don’t go that small! I’ve taken a lot of turkeys with No. 6 shot (lead or bismuth) for head/neck shots, but I like No. 5 better, good pattern density, with greater pellet energy/penetration. Often, I’ll load No. 4 in the magazine or second barrel for a rarely-used follow-up.

A fine Gould’s turkey from northern Mexico, taken with Boddington’s left-hand Mossberg 500, using Winchester Long Beard 12-gauge 3-inch with No. 5 lead shot. Turkey loads have come a long way, but it’s essential to match the choke to the load

Tungsten shot is a recent experiment for me. Denser than lead, penetration should be better for like shot sizes. Theoretically, No. 7 tungsten should penetrate about as well as lead No. 6. That Kent load is slow at 1000 fps, but carried an amazing 2.5 ounces of No. 7 tungsten pellets! It looked great on a target, and that week the Franchi, same choke with Kent No. 7, accounted for the heaviest Rio Grande gobbler I’ve ever taken.

Donna Boddington and Fred Eichler with a beautiful Merriam’s gobbler. Donna had a Red Ring “red-dot” sight on her 20-gauge Krieghoff. Since turkeys are taken by precise aiming, open sights or red-dots make a lot of sense on turkey guns.

WHAT ABOUT SIGHTS?

Since we aim at turkeys, sights are obviously good…to a point. The shot is rarely perfectly static, so it’s a mistake to get fixated on precision; you’re still working with a pattern, not a single projectile.

I had a red-dot sight on that Krieghoff 20-gauge for a while, and both Donna and I shot turkeys with it. Awesome! My Mossberg has a rudimentary rear sight on the rib, in conjunction with the fiber-optic front bead. Also wonderful, but if you use sights, don’t forget to check zero!

Just once, I put a low-power magnifying scope on a turkey gun. Seemed amazing, but there is a tunnel-vision effect to riflescopes. I shot a great gobbler, the big red head almost glowing through the scope. When I went to recover, there was another equally great gobbler stone-dead in thigh-high grass 10 yards farther! Two-bird area, so not a train smash, but definitely not my intention. Through the scope, with reduced peripheral vision, I never saw the bird behind mine. Open sights and red dots, good idea because turkey hunting is about shot placement…but that’s the only time I used a magnifying riflescope for turkeys!

Turkey Time!

Let me be perfectly clear: I am not an expert turkey hunter! No way am I going to give you calling tips or turkey hunting tips. I bumble along, and fortunately we have a lot of turkeys to hunt these days.

Strutting Turkey in the field — With the head tucked down this is a normal presentation when a gobbler is strutting, but this is a poor shot; better to wait a few seconds until the head and neck are extended!

So, important admissions made, I’m pretty good at shooting turkeys if and when I get a chance. Over the years—and I can go back about 50 years—I’ve hunted all the varieties, and I’ve hunted turkeys in a lot of places. My opinions have shifted over time, and may shift again. In part this is because, as turkey hunting has exploded, our turkey guns and turkey loads keep getting better.

Today I am convinced of three things: To anchor turkeys consistently you need good chokes, you need good shells, and sights are a really great idea.
Continue reading “Turkey Time!”