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- Sep 26, 2012
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This year I really want to challenge myself in skill vs technology. I decided to do 100% primitive this year. I had @ColonialRifleSmith aka Rick Baker build me a 20 gauge trade gun for turkey season.
I set out yesterday on the season opener. My buddy thought I was crazy for using the trade gun having numerous high dollar modern guns in the safe. None the less I know the area well and know where they roost typically. I set out well before dark slipped into the pinch point and waited. Soon the owls started hooting and there were 4 gobblers sounding off about 100 yards away on neighbors property. We communicated back and forth for 20 minutes before they flew down. Once on the ground they became silent. I purred and clucked ever so often as I could still see them working up the ridge away from me. The big boss Tom was strutting his stuff and trying to scare the other males away from hens. About that time off to my left I caught 2 doe feeding my way. They came to with 10 yards on me, but never seen me due to being hidden between a large tree and a large rock that hide me. I was limited on my movement and ability to call due to deer in my lap. Up on the ridge the boss Tom was still doing his love dance, then ended up going after another of his buddies who tried to shake his stuff for the ladies. The defeated gobbler had had enough and came down the ridge right to the decoys gobbling his head off. He got to within range but I couldn’t move because the deer were on top of me. Finally the Tom went behind a tree giving me time to shoulder the smoothbore. Once he stepped out he was at 12 yards full strut and I eased back on the trigger. The silence breaks in a thunderous roar. I can’t see anything from the smoke cloud but can hear him flopping. I jump up run over and there he was. It was a memory I won’t soon forget. My first flintlock primitive turkey. My buddy that that thought i was crazy was a believer now and thought it was awesome.
I'd like to thank a few people. @ColonialRifleSmith for building me the gun to my exact specs on a short time line and getting it to me before the season to develop a load. @Skychief for the basis of the starting point for the settle on load using his loading method which is famous. Also the @blackpowdermaniacshooter for all his videos that got me wanting to own a smoothbore. And heck everyone on here that motivated me and who's information I learned from.
I set out yesterday on the season opener. My buddy thought I was crazy for using the trade gun having numerous high dollar modern guns in the safe. None the less I know the area well and know where they roost typically. I set out well before dark slipped into the pinch point and waited. Soon the owls started hooting and there were 4 gobblers sounding off about 100 yards away on neighbors property. We communicated back and forth for 20 minutes before they flew down. Once on the ground they became silent. I purred and clucked ever so often as I could still see them working up the ridge away from me. The big boss Tom was strutting his stuff and trying to scare the other males away from hens. About that time off to my left I caught 2 doe feeding my way. They came to with 10 yards on me, but never seen me due to being hidden between a large tree and a large rock that hide me. I was limited on my movement and ability to call due to deer in my lap. Up on the ridge the boss Tom was still doing his love dance, then ended up going after another of his buddies who tried to shake his stuff for the ladies. The defeated gobbler had had enough and came down the ridge right to the decoys gobbling his head off. He got to within range but I couldn’t move because the deer were on top of me. Finally the Tom went behind a tree giving me time to shoulder the smoothbore. Once he stepped out he was at 12 yards full strut and I eased back on the trigger. The silence breaks in a thunderous roar. I can’t see anything from the smoke cloud but can hear him flopping. I jump up run over and there he was. It was a memory I won’t soon forget. My first flintlock primitive turkey. My buddy that that thought i was crazy was a believer now and thought it was awesome.
I'd like to thank a few people. @ColonialRifleSmith for building me the gun to my exact specs on a short time line and getting it to me before the season to develop a load. @Skychief for the basis of the starting point for the settle on load using his loading method which is famous. Also the @blackpowdermaniacshooter for all his videos that got me wanting to own a smoothbore. And heck everyone on here that motivated me and who's information I learned from.
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