Thank you for the comments and guidelines in your post. I was becoming concerned that this site/turkey gun section was more about promoting long range shooting than about cleanly harvesting the wild turkey within reasonable distances and promoting a positive image of turkey hunting. Its all about respect for the wild turkey and the sport. Promoting long range shooting is one of the more detrimental elements that is growing within our sport and sends the wrong message to young hunters.
Thank you for your comments on personal responsibility and i now have a completely different respect for this site as i hope others do as well. There are a number of members on here with 30-50 years of turkey hunting experience and much can be learned from them if folks will listen to what they are saying and show a little bit of respect for those who have been at this as long as allot of people on here have been alive.
:thanks:
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Very well said.
Thanks,
Clark
Thank you for the supportive words.
Not wanting to attempt to impress opinion but I have observed peoples posts over time and seen what their {ever growing} expectations are for how far they are willing to shoot at a gobbler - Some of this is made with the best of intentions because every turkey hunter wants to achieve solid kills - With that being said , there has been a flood of less than realistic information , or exaggerated opinions dispersed , and the side effect is crippled game , and a negative public image of the sport
I cant say anything more or better than what I posted to that thread , for those of you who have not read it it is a sticky on the top of the forum
Best post on this forum to date!
This season there have been a pile of 'dropped the hammer at 50 plus yards, I know I hit it, but it ran/flew away, oh well I'll go after another one tomorrow' posts.
Turkey hunting is about the experience of the woods, matching skills with hundreds of thousands of years of instinct retained by our quarry. I have an old friend that still hunts turks with a side by side with fixed I/C on both sides. He won't take more than a 25 yard shot. Guess what? He has mastered his skills because he has had to...
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Like I've always said....shoot him at 25 yards and if something goes wrong he's still within range....shot him at forty or fifty and something goes wrong,your next shot and he's out of range.
Better to become a turkey caller and not just turkey a shooter.anyone can take long shots.
Here's a little remark from another site where I get bashed quit often for my Son or myself passing on long shots.I know what his gun can do on the pattern board and what mine will do at 55 yards.......I do not know what it would do to a gobbler even at 45 yards and I'm not willing to chance or find out.
There is always tommorrow.
"Having a gun that can roll them at 55 yards and passing on a 46 yard longbeard seems strange. I see you mention doing this all the time. Either way you guys sure killed a lot of birds this year looks like a helluva season"
thanks OG. very well said.
I posted a mishap to show what could happen not thinking about public image. (feeding the anti's).
I am with 2ounce6s on this one. I can't reliably keep it all together much over 35 consistently in the field. On the pattern board I can put enough in the head and kneck of a target at 50 to kill him with either of my T-guns, but I tried what was mentioned here before this year. I ran a mile as hard as I could a couple weeks back, flopped down by a designated tree where my 870 was laying, pulled up - centered turkey target and fired at 38 taped yards.
Needless to say, I would have lost that bird but it would have been crippled. I put only 2 pellets in the head/neck. Now about 120-125 hit what would have been the breast or wing depending on how he was standing. Next year, I will limit all shots to 35 yards with the 20 and 40 yards with the 12 no matter what. I have posted here before about my near 50 yard kills with my 20 and lead, but I realize now that was luck.
And OG, I too thank you for the sticky. Also a thank you to the guys here who have posted the killer 60 yard patterns, but don't shoot past 40.... We all should be careful about public image when it comes to our hunting rights!
I do reccomend, if you think your kill yardage is XX yards, go run a mile or so and get your heart good and pumping and flop down and shoot a target. You will still put your YY pellets in a 10" circle, but I would imagine that 10 will not be perfectly centered.
Daman
The main thing is to know your equipment and the ammo or lot you are using and know how it will consistently shoot in the conditions you are shooting in. Obviously paper and turkeys aren't the same, but a general concensus or conclusion can be drawed from shooting on paper and taking it to the turkey woods or fields. I always tell people to use common sense. If the wind is blowing 40mph or so, obviously there is a big concern that on farther shots that you probably may not even hit the intended vitals on a bird. Again common sense plays a big role. Nobody on here can know for sure what a swirling wind of 40mph will do to their pattern and evn where thier pattern may hit on longer shots. I too think a lot of folks try shooting too far with what they got. I know I try to keep my shots in my lethal limit of what I feel my guns will do and the conditions may alter that to even closer on some days.
I'm glad someone finally said something,I though this was turning into a still target forum,lol......
Quote from: 2ounce6s on May 23, 2011, 09:18:00 AM
Thanks for posting OG.
Biggest reason I have for holding for 40 and under is the loose nut behind the trigger.
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Agreed! My equipment could do much better if it was not fo this nut job behind it. LOL! Be ethical and as Tom Kelly stated we should treat turkeys with the respect they deserve.
I believe that a 15 yard pattern is just as important as a 40 yard. When hunting I want them as close as I can get them. Big numbers at 40 are great but too big hurts you up close. Good hunting everyone.
:happy0064: :thanks: to OLD Gobbler
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I agree. Some great points were made. Every weapon I own and hunt with is capable of being effective much farther than I feel comfortable shooting. A few years ago I came upon a deer hunter that wounded a deer with his new 12 ga slug gun, scoped, rifled barrel etc. etc. I stopped my hunt to help him find it, during which time he told me he wasn't sure how far the shot was, but it was "pretty far", and how he got 3" groups at 125 yrd at the range and so on. I finally found his deer 2 1/2 hours later. Still alive but Gut Shot. I personally feel it just is not a good habit to attempt shots at a weapon's effective maximum. Just my personal feeling. Thanks OG !!!
Well said, Shannon.
I had a senerio today where we had a group of jakes at what I estimated to be 40-45 yards.
I know the setup my son was shooting was to undergunned for the range. He's shooting a 20 ga rossi with 3" #6 flitecontrols.
Both he and I knew the range was just too far, and we ended up watching them walk off.
That is a far better feeling than wounding one and not finding it.
If you want to raise ethical hunters, you first have to be an ethical hunter.
Thank you Shannon. This is a great sticky for all to read and reflect upon.
I have had many many satisfying days of hunting this game without bringing it home that day. Another day of trying to out maneuver or out smart an old timer is well worth the lost sleep in exchange for the anticipation and new experiences.
Safety is foremost as this is an inherently dangerous sport . Cammo equipment and now loads capable of killing at 60+ yards should cause the shooter to be especially aware of the target and what may be behind it.
Very well taken words here.
Thanks