I took Nell for a Walk This Afternoon...

[GobblerKnob]

What an awesome afternoon in the fall woods! The PA fall turkey season opened Saturday. My two sons and I got into them but didn't fire a shot. This afternon, after work, I went back in to the same woodlot and ran into about 30 of them. I got a good bust and a short while later, this little gobbler and several of his flock mates came to see what all the commotion was about. I let them get to about 15 yards before I fired. He dropped in his tracks and never knew what hit him. I aimed for where the legs join the body and that's where I hit him.
I was using 50 grains of 3F and a patched roundball in .45. Just another example of why I love this gun so! Gotta go find the brass tacks!
As a sidenote, someone started a thread about naming their rifles. I named mine Nell because my wife's initials are NLL. I love this rifle almost as much as I love her! ::Rick

 

[bob1961]

very well done....now that i'm on a roll winning things and after i get that .45 from slowpoke i'll be ready next year....but once again very good on your harvast of a mighty fine gobbler :master: :master:....................bob

 

[roundball]

Way to go GK...great photos too!

 

[Huntinfool]

Congrats on a beautiful bird. Great photos also!

Chuck :redthumb:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Good deal! Traditional hunting at it's finest. :thumbsup:

New York still thinks a turkey has to be full of shot to be officially dead.

 

[Keith]

Nice job. :thumbsup: I've wanted to hunt turkey with a muzzleloading rifle, but can't here. Can you tell those of us from outside PA a little about how you go about it with a rifle. What is your range? Do you always aim so low? (I kinda thought you would aim for the wing buts.)

 

[Slowpoke]

If I'm wrong, please don't yell at me... (no one ever has but I don't want anyone to start eace

But this looks like a hen to me, am I wrong?

Reguardless, that's a fine bird. Thanksgiving is right around the corner !!!

SP

 

[GobblerKnob]

This hunt was a success even without the bird. It was just one of those fall days that lulls you into thinking that winter is still many months away. I'm still torn, after all these years, which season I like best; spring or fall.
To answer your question, Keith, I generally aim for where the neck joins the body, but the wingbutt is a good palce, too. My decision to aim where the legs joins the body was because this bird presented a broadside shot. Sometimes, shooting them through the wing butt will give some unneccesary meat damage. I lost little with this shot and he was inclined to stay right there.
I like to let them come as close as they will before I shoot. I guess that's my mentality because of my prefernce to hunt turkeys with a shotgun. In PA, you must wear/display orange while hunting them in the fall, and many times, the birds will hang up on the fringe of good shotgun range, so I will take this gun if I know I'll be hunting pressured birds. I don't hunt them with a modern rifle.
The bird is, indeed, a gobbler. There are several ways you can tell. If you look closely at the photos, you'll note that the feathers are rimmed in black. This is a telltale identifyer. Hen feathers are tipped in light brown, almost chestnut in color.
Another way is coloration of the head. A gobbler's head and neck will range in color from white, to blue, to red, to anywhere in between. A hen's head will be bluish gray. Looking at these pics again, I can see how a person might think it was a hen.
Lastly, the stubby, 3" beard jutting out from this bird's chest is a dead giveaway, although, not always because hens can sport beards as well.
Rick

 

[Keith]

The tail feathers sticking up in the center of the fan indicate it is a jake. Tom's have all the feathers the same length.

 

[Huntinfool]

Hey Rick,

I got a good idea for ya here's something to do with those short stubby beards that ain't quite up to trophy status!

That's a deer antler tip with a little knot in it for character.

Chuck :redthumb:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Toms also have spurs, and when displaying have a little white dome on their heads.

Any bearded turkey, like an antlered doe, is apt to be a hurtin turkey come tom season.

 

[GobblerKnob]

That is a good idea, HuntinFool! How durable is it? I've used bear hair but it seems a little too supple for my likes. A turkey beard would have the right consistency, but I'd be afraid that it would be too brittle.
Rick

 

[Huntinfool]

Hey Rick,

I've used the one pictured for a couple years. Of course I don't use it that much, but I've been pleasantly surprized at how good it's held up. Give it a try I'd say some beards may be better than others depending on the health and size of the bird.
:results:

Chuck

 

[KyFlintlock]

Wow, that is great! I wish we could use the flintlock rifle in Ky too...I have a .32 I would love to try and crease his forehead with.

Congrats on your hunt and those are some great pics.
Wess

 

[Randal Zartman]

Rick, I guess that will answer Coalkickin's question. You got to go find a brass tack, I thought that was for the deer ::. How do you keep track of the deer vs. the turkey tacks. Would it be the shape, cloved vs. the peace sign? :haha:
Congratulations. Now onto that buck. Good Luck and shoot straight.
Zman

 

[GobblerKnob]

I have two different tacks. One is a polished, domed tack that I use for deer. The other is figured and subdued. I use them to represent the turkeys.
Rick