Getting ready for Turkey season

[roundball]

Miserable cold, rain/freezing-rain/sleet/snow gave us a break for the first time since Christmas and I got up to the range yesterday to blow the cobwebs out of the 28ga Early Virgina.
Pretty rusty from lack of shooting and the first handful of shots were kind of wobbly...but by the time I worked through 30 of Eddie May's .520"s from my normal sitting/hunting position, I was getting myself dialed back in. Weather permitting I'll be going at least once a week until Turkey opens mid April-ish.
Been a tremendous amount of clear cutting done on both sides of the country road where I turkey hunt...100 acres on one side that cleared right up to the edge of the woodlot / greenfield I like to hunt...and two blocks...like 50 and 30 acres on the other side of the road...no idea what effect it'll have on the resident flock that I saw a couple times during deer season but I'll soon find out.
Anybody going after them with black powder this spring?

 

[ny griz]

:thumbsup: Yep.Griz

 

[sb 54 cal.]

Can't wait using 54 smooth rifle :grin:

 

[George]

I suppose I will, although I've been sort of out of the habit for several years.

Are you practicing with round balls in your 28 ga. because you plan to use that for turkeys? I notice both you and pappy237 seem to indicate using smaller bores for them. Kentucky does not allow rifles of an sort or any shotgun smaller than 20 gauge for turkeys. Too bad, I'd sure like to be able to try head shots with my .40.

Spence

 

[roundball]

Are you practicing with round balls in your 28 ga. because you plan to use that for turkeys?

Kentucky does not allow rifles of an sort or any shotgun smaller than 20 gauge for turkeys.

In the interest of trying things like the settlers did, I also wanted to take a long beard with a PRB but we can’t use ”˜rifles’ for turkey in NC...(I'm sure the thinking was high power deer hunting type rifles). But the only smoothbore restriction here is nothing larger than a 10ga...with no criteria about pellet size, etc.
Contacted the NC-WRC and asked them to verify that since there were no regs about the size or number of pellets used in a shotgun, did that mean that a slug would be legal out of a shotgun...and in the same vein, a single ball out of a smoothbore muzzleloader.
The answer was yes, there are no smoothbore related restrictions other than nothing larger than a 10ga can be used. I used Email to contact them so I could print off / laminate their reply and have it in my hunting vest in case I'm checked by a GW.

So I’ll be using a PRB in the TVM .54cal(28ga) Early Virginia smooth rifle...hunting my same little patch of private / posted land, same type of 20-40yd shot in thick woods. Shooting on the horizontal at 20-24 inches above the ground from a seated position I won't miss a turkey's body at that range, and given all the above there won't be any danger to anyone else.
I've studied shot placement diagrams (vitals on a turkey are a lot higher than you'd think).
Going to use the same load I use for deer hunting because that's how the sights are set.
( 90grns Goex 3F, .022” Oxyoke precut / prelubed patch, .520” ball )

 

[George]

Going to use the same load I use for deer hunting because that's how the sights are set.
( 90grns Goex 3F, .022” Oxyoke precut / prelubed patch, .520” ball )

:haha: The line by Rooster Cogburn to La Boeuf in True Grit after he shot the turkey with his buffalo gun pops in my head.... "Too much gun!"

We have the same "nothing bigger than 10 gauge" restriction, but they also throw in a shot size limit, nothing larger than #4 shot.

Spence

 

[roundball]

Would much prefer my .40cal 'rifle' but can't use it...however I can still achieve my main goal of using a PRB like they did though.
And if I'm lucky enough to tag one that'll let me check it off he list, then switch back to shot loads and try to tag one with 28ga that way.

 

[George]

Now that is what I'd really like to do, take one with my old original 28 ga. smooth rifle. I've done some patterning to see if it might be possible, but I never found a combination which I'd be real confident with. If I could get him so close I could almost reach out and touch him, maybe.

You are right about the vitals, they are not where most people would guess. Pretty much straight above the thigh from the side, pretty low from the back. I found the archery sites had excellent diagrams showing it from all angles.

Good luck, that will be a good one if you can pull it off.

Spence

 

[roundball]

Now that is what I'd really like to do, take one with my old original 28 ga. smooth rifle. I've done some patterning to see if it might be possible, but I never found a combination which I'd be real confident with.

Don't know what you've tried, but I went with the old saying:
"Load powder, more lead, shoots far, kills dead"

60grn measure of Goex 3F
Circle Fly 1/2" lubed cushion wad
Circle Fly OS card on top of cushion
100grn measure of hard #6s
Circle Fly OS card

Typical pattern of my 42" 28ga Cyl.Bore on a 3.5" tuna can at 25yds...should be fine for a head & neck shot:

 

[Dave Marsh]

I'll be out there May 1st with my 20 gauge flintlock fowler. We see 20 to 30 hens every day so come mating season you know where the gobblers will be. Two days ago I saw 10 gobblers in a bachelor group all with beards 8+ inches. Hopefully it will be a good season if we don't warm up real early again like last year.

 

[George]

Yeah, that looks good. I may have to make another run at it.

Spence

 

[roundball]

We see 20 to 30 hens every day so come mating season you know where the gobblers will be. Two days ago I saw 10 gobblers in a bachelor group all with beards 8+ inches.

Sounds like you're covered up with birds there...I only managed to locate one and get him in my sights (20ga) last spring

 

[Spikebuck]

I drew this year for our 3rd season in MN which runs from April 27 thru May 1. Unlike some of you lucky hunters, we only get five days and one gobbler. Well, if you want to hunt the last 1/2 of the season you can have the whole thing (about a month) with bow. The last couple seasons for gun are also 7 days, but those are pretty tough hunting.

I will be using my new 12 GA Pedersoli double. Now that small game is over here, I can focus on continuing my load work-up. Plenty of time yet.

I had 13 longbeards by the house at my deer feeder the other day, but I'm not hunting this zone. "The Land" is full of turkeys anyway, so potential for getting one should be pretty good for me there.

 

[majg1234]

well maybe the HC/PC police won't catch this but I've got some cameras out in a several areas.Two of the cameras have produced pix on more than one occasion of over 20 birds :grin: :grin: The area where my grandson got his 1st one and the area where Miz Maureen(the 20sb)got a bird are hot again :shocked2: :thumbsup: so yep I'll be out again.This time may use the TC New Englander...but on another note the 20SB does work!!!

 

[David Grout]

This will be my first time out hunting for turkeys and I plan to use my 11 bore double. Here in Washington we are restricted to 10 bore or smaller. #4 shot or smaller. I have worked up a load of 90 grains 2F and 1 3/8 oz. # 5 shot. Patterns well at 25 to 30 yards on the patterning board. I have just acquired permission to hunt on just under 200 acres of timber and plowed fields. Plan to make several scouting trips before season opens. Saw about 80 turkeys on the property next to this one last week. Almost can't wait for the season to start.



Two Shot

 

[bigbore442001]

It sounds like you have a good hunting load. Hunting turkey can be fun but tough at the same time.

The shooting part isn't as difficult as the calling in part.

Our turkey season here in Massachusetts will not open up until the last monday in April. Due to a glitch in the calendar this year it is somewhat late. I suspect that the majority of mating will have been done.

 

[roundball]

The shooting part isn't as difficult as the calling in part.

Yes, I became impressed with the fact that turkeys are game that seem tailor made for my Flintlock hunting...fairly slow moving, almost stationary at the moment of truth...the real challenge always is:
1) Locating them
2) Getting them to respond to a call
3) Getting them in range
4) Getting the sights on them without being busted

 

[Rat Trapper]

Earlier this year saw a flock of 125 turkeys on my farm. Now that the weather has gotten worse and they seem to have moved to some house with a feeder. Not seeing may on my farm currently, but they will be there come turkey season. Don't have a ML shotgun, and can not use PRB here in Wisconsin for turkeys. Guess I'll have to use the old Remington 10 ga again.

 

[Renegade Dan]

This will be my very first Turkey hunt, I am really excited. I will be using my 62 cal smoothbore.

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[wattlebuster]

Good looking gun. Whats the specs if ya dont mind?