.32 cal muzzy for turkey

[Loyalist Dave]

Many of us live in states where a single projectile is not allowed. I do remember member Roundball posting about using a rifle on turkey, so you might try searching his posts, which would be years ago. I think he may have used a 40 though.

Yeah I think it was a .40

My state is odd... the fall turkey season allows for rifles but the Spring season, no..., shot only

LD

 

[rocullen]

Yeah I think it was a .40

My state is odd... the fall turkey season allows for rifles but the Spring season, no..., shot only

LD

same as Texas,, at least in some areas.:
Firearms

Game animals and non-migratory game birds may be hunted with any legal firearm, except:

• Rimfire Ammunition (of any caliber) may NOT be used to hunt white-tailed deer, mule deer, desert bighorn sheep, or pronghorn.
• Fully Automatic Firearms
• Shotguns are the only legal firearm that may be used during spring Eastern turkey season.
• Magazine Capacity (number of shells/cartridges allowed): there are no restrictions on the number of shells or cartridges a legal firearm may hold when hunting game animals or game birds (except migratory game birds, see Legal Shotgun).
• Muzzleloaders: muzzleloader deer seasons are restricted to muzzleloading firearms only: any firearm designed such that a bullet/ projectile, and powder can be loaded only through the muzzle (as opposed to breech-loading firearms). A cap and ball firearm in which the powder and ball are loaded into a cylinder is not a muzzleloader.
• Suppressors (aka “silencers”): may be used to take any wildlife resource; however, all federal, state and local laws continue to apply.

 

[Jim K]

This ought to answer your question:
https://www.traditionalmlhunting.com/ml-small-bore-rifles.html
Keep reading. Turkeys are included

Thanks for that. It was very interesting. My squirrel gun is the .32 Cherokee. What he said was interesting about low powder amounts. I thought I read somewhere the patent breech held 13 grains and that was the minimum to use. I use 20. Body shots on squirrels don’t blow them up either. No experience using it on turkeys though.

 

[Sidney Smith]

A .40 cal round ball in the body (through the wing) will punch a hole in the bird and not ruin any meat.
I like the idea of a head shot on a turkey and have shot many paper targets but a live birds head never, ever is still enough for a shot. The base of the neck where it gets wide is a better target if standing still, moving aim for the top of the wing.
here in PA they just banned all rifles in the fall season and only shotgun or bow in the spring.

Not true. Only rimfire and centerfire rifles are no longer allowed.. Muzzleloading rifles and muzzleloading handguns are still legal to use on PA fall turkeys.

 

[Christophero]

I've normally used 20 grains in my Cherokee, as well. 15 grains works well. 10 grains not so much. Great little rifle. Need to get it out more often.

" Thanks for that. It was very interesting. My squirrel gun is the .32 Cherokee. What he said was interesting about low powder amounts. I thought I read somewhere the patent breech held 13 grains and that was the minimum to use. I use 20. Body shots on squirrels don’t blow them up either. No experience using it on turkeys though."

 

[Dutch7]

Not true. Only rimfire and centerfire rifles are no longer allowed.. Muzzleloading rifles and muzzleloading handguns are still legal to use on PA fall turkeys.

We have had quite the discussion and I won't argue with you, One section I read says no single projectile ammo (aka roundball) the next section says ML rifles and handguns with single projectiles are permitted and elsewhere I read the single projectile rule is only in a few WMU... I really don't know what to think
We will see how it is really worded with the 2022 regs. If you have something more definitive please share it.
thanks

 

[mtsage]

Montana just last month, Dec 2021, passed law that allows air rifles in .177 or .22 cal to hunt turkeys in the fall of 2022 as well as grouse. There are some restrictions with ft/lbs and speed with each cal. Sounds like fun.

 

[Goshawk]

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/32cal-crockett-vs-turkey.51807/

 

[cynthialee]

we have to use shot only for turkey here in Washington

I am jealous.

 

[Sidney Smith]

We have had quite the discussion and I won't argue with you, One section I read says no single projectile ammo (aka roundball) the next section says ML rifles and handguns with single projectiles are permitted and elsewhere I read the single projectile rule is only in a few WMU... I really don't know what to think
We will see how it is really worded with the 2022 regs. If you have something more definitive please share it.
thanks

I took it straight from the regs. It's interpretation I guess. The assumption is the shooter is using single projectiles in those muzzleloaders. The wordage regarding no single projectile ammo is meant to convey no modern rifle usage, not round balls. And I would argue that with any game warden. For if not the case, the regs would not say muzzleloading rifles and handguns in the legal arms section of the rules.

 

[rocullen]

2021-22 BIG GAME SEASONS
WILD TURKEY (Male or Female): WMU 2B (Shotgun, bow and arrow only) – Oct. 30-Nov. 19 and Nov. 24-26; WMUs 1A, 1B, 4A, 4B, 4D and 4E – Oct. 30-Nov. 6; WMUs 2A, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D and 4C – Oct. 30-Nov. 13; WMUs 2C, 2D and 2E – Oct. 30-Nov. 13 and Nov. 24-26; WMU 5B (Shotgun, bow and arrow only) – Nov. 2-4; WMUs 5A, 5C and 5D – CLOSED TO FALL TURKEY HUNTING. Rifles and handguns are restricted statewide, except muzzleloading.

taken from Pennsylvania digest.

 

[CapPopper]

Hardest part of shooting any bird with a rifle (if you want to eat it) is the fact the head never stops moving. I suggest most accurate load and aim for the base of the neck just below where the feathers start...... Break the spine or major arteries and they are out and that area has the least movement in any bird you'll find outside of the body itself.

 

[Dutch7]

Another person wrote the PGC - see below for the question and response - It is very unclear and contradictory and it needs to be clarified "in writing - in the booklet". What is written above is clear - they are allowed, from the PGC email, not allowed...

Here was my question to PGC comments and their answer.

There is some confusion in the digest about the changes to legal arms for the fall turkey season. Is a muzzle loading rifle legal with a patched round ball?

good afternoon.
Single projectile ammunition is not legal in the fall turkey season.

Thanks for checking
jh@pgc.

 

[waksupi]

Head shot yes, body shot, no.

 

[hanshi]

Often it's difficult to impossible to understand hunting regulations. One state I lived in required a minimum of .45 caliber muzzleloaders. Then it went on to state a deer-legal caliber had to be larger than a .22LR. So either a .40 is not permitted or maybe it is permitted; what does one do?

 

[rocullen]

Another person wrote the PGC - see below for the question and response - It is very unclear and contradictory and it needs to be clarified "in writing - in the booklet". What is written above is clear - they are allowed, from the PGC email, not allowed...

Here was my question to PGC comments and their answer.

There is some confusion in the digest about the changes to legal arms for the fall turkey season. Is a muzzle loading rifle legal with a patched round ball?

good afternoon.
Single projectile ammunition is not legal in the fall turkey season.

Thanks for checking
jh@pgc.

People have been lawyered to incompetence.
They will not answer a question "yes" or "no" most times.
They'll pick a phrase out of the "guide" and that will be their answer.
Well, those Phrases are why you emailed or talked to them....ambiguity.
I recently went thru this on Texas Muzzle loader season.
All special late season hunts specify spikes and does.
No where in the regs does it really specify what is legal during muzzle loader season as it is a late season.
Then the WMA's specifically say during muzzleloader that spikes and does only. You have to buy a special permit to hunt the WMAs.
The TPW agent said regular branch antlered bucks were legal in Muzzle loader season.
So, that leaves people who paid a premium with just spikes and does in the WMAs and regular non permittee able to hunt/shoot 10 point bucks. Makes no sense.

Like an old saying where I used to work: We make widgets, not sense!

 

[Sidney Smith]

2021-22 BIG GAME SEASONS
WILD TURKEY (Male or Female): WMU 2B (Shotgun, bow and arrow only) – Oct. 30-Nov. 19 and Nov. 24-26; WMUs 1A, 1B, 4A, 4B, 4D and 4E – Oct. 30-Nov. 6; WMUs 2A, 2F, 2G, 2H, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D and 4C – Oct. 30-Nov. 13; WMUs 2C, 2D and 2E – Oct. 30-Nov. 13 and Nov. 24-26; WMU 5B (Shotgun, bow and arrow only) – Nov. 2-4; WMUs 5A, 5C and 5D – CLOSED TO FALL TURKEY HUNTING. Rifles and handguns are restricted statewide, except muzzleloading.

taken from Pennsylvania digest.

The above was taken from media.pa.gov. that is a media outlet service and not the actual hunting digest.

 

[Sidney Smith]

Directly from the PGC web page:

 

[Tradbow]

I shot turkeys for years with my longbows and recurves. I always tried to shoot them thru the hip joint. A turkey with no leg’s isn’t going anywhere. A turkey can’t fly without a jumpstart from it’s legs. With a rifle I’d prefer a head shot first then a hip joint shot. With a smooth bore head/neck area only with a shot change.