New Late Turkey Season

[don hepler]

New late turkey season in Virginia. Turkey season extended, Jan.11 to 25. Problem is, there's not much in the woods for them to eat. Most of the turkeys are coming out into the fields. Up coming week, showing good weather. 36 Seneca, ready to go.

 

[roundball]

Yeah, food sources would be an issue...and maybe a tad early for mating.
Surprised at the rifle...that's not shotgun only?

 

[PeteDavis]

Howdy Hadden

I am in Rockbridge. We have scads of birds this year. I wonder about a .50, loaded down to 60 grains. Any idea about that? I'd like to get a small caliber MUZ some day.

PD

 

[don hepler]

In Virginia, you can use a rifle. In the fall, you walk and scout, and can shoot hens or gobblers. If you like walking, and you can see and hear, you can get turkeys at 50-60 yards, without doing any calling. In the spring, shotguns, are the traditional method. However, rifles are permitted, even in spring. Spring, hunting is more about calling, fall more about stalking. Old timers used small rifle calibers, in the fall.

 

[don hepler]

The thing about turkeys, they don't get blood shot like a deer. The breast on a wild turkey, sets lower than most people think. I've shot turkeys, right through the wing, and never touched the breast. Not much eating on the back, anyway. Skin out the breast, and take the drum sticks, let the critters enjoy the rest. Cook in a crock pot. I've shot gobbles head on, with large caliber rifles, shoot right at the beard, and went right over the breast.

A light load in 50 cal. will do the job. A turkey is light skined, and thin bone, so ball won't expand, like it would on a deer.

 

[roundball]

No rifles allowed for Turkey here in NC.

However, the only smoothbore regulation is that nothing larger than 10ga can be used...no regs on size of shot, number of pellets, etc, etc.

So I wrote (emailed) our NC-Wildlife Dept. for clarification and got a written (Email) confirmation back (laminated and in my vest) that there is no restriction on what I can shoot out of a smoothbore.

Since I want to take one with a PRB like the settlers did, I hunted my 28ga Early Virgina last spring, but never got a Tom in my sights...will try again this April/May.

 

[don hepler]

In Virginia, you can use rifles, shotguns, air rifles, bows, crossbows and pistols for hunting turkeys. Shotguns used for spring gobbler hunting, can not have shot size larger than #2.

There are areas of the state that have special regulations, and restrict certain firearms. But most of those are in flat land, highly populated areas.