Turkey hunting questions

[ds2]

So my little brother is graduating and I will be flying out to San Antonio to witness. He asked if I would be interested in turkey hunting while I am there. I have hunted everything with feathers except Turkeys and have a question as to what choke to use. Will be shooting an O/U. Should I use an Xfull on first barrel and a full on 2nd? Full on first followed by a modified? Am I thinking too much, guys shoot these things with smoothebore .410's?
Will be hunting from ground blinds.

 

[phutch30]

Any choke will work but the more open the choke the closer the bird needs to be. I would suggest trying a full and extra full with the shell u choose and see if it patterns good. Most people who regularly turkey hunt use specialized "turkey chokes that are in the extra full an tighter range. If u keep your shots around 30-35 a full choke and some buffered turkey loads in 5 or 5 shot should work. Modified is likely to throw a pattern that is too open and I wouldn't use it past 25 yrds. An extr full/full combo would be worth trying. Its important to try a couple different loads through each choke. Some gun/chokes like 6 shot and some like 5 ect. If your gun will take 3" use them. Aim for the head and neck

 

[kansasdad]

Your second choke needs to be tighter, as second shots are generally farther.

I use extra full or "turkey" chokes on all my single tube shotguns. The confidence I have in my gun/shell/choke allows me to take birds out to 50plus yards.

As a reminder, the flip side of this choke tightness is close up shots have little room for error. 5-10 yard shots have a pattern the diameter of a golf ball to a baseball.

Keep your cheek down on the stock......no peeking!

Hi-viz sights either front bead only or front bead/mid barrel sights help newbs and old hands alike "AIM" the shotgun. (Unlike upland shotgun shooting where I'm pointing my gun, I intend to AIM at the first inch of turkey neck).

 

[Reeltime]

No need to over think it. Use your full or xfull and shoot a couple shells so you know what patterns best. Keep your shots under 30 and you're golden! Have fun.....it's very addicting.

 

[BigGameDIY]

Make sure you practice with your gun, I shot my first turkey right over its head and watched him flying away. I known to screw up every first animal, no kidding, that is my luck and I still remember every first animal miss or wounded but never found.

 

[ds2]

Thank you all for responding. I will put a full over extra full. Will hopefully be posting pics shortly. Thank all'yall.

 

[LopeHunter]

Do you have a range finder? If so, get several turkey outlines of the actual size neck and head then put at 50 yards. Shoot. Look for the pellets that hit the nick and head. You want 5 - 10 minimum. If you can't achieve that at 50 yards with either barrel's choke then try at 40 yards. Memorize if you are putting the bead on the top of the head or under the head or mid neck...you want to have confidence in your yardage, your shell and your aim.

Most of the turkeys I have killed are along the edges of fields and hardwoods so a 30 yard shot is possible if patient as the gobbler works around the area of the hen decoy. Soft putts and purrs once you see the gobbler or nothing. No need for yelps.

On the other hand, some gobblers "hang up" at around 100 yards and that is the game. If hunting public lands then the gobblers may come in silent or be silent the last 200 yards and take 20 minutes to close the gap. If on private, the gobblers may be gobbling every minute or so and never go quiet as trot towards you.

I would use a decoy and keep in mind a turkey's eyes move independent of each other and they can see 270 degrees so a pop up blind is a good idea. Do not drop two windows so one is in front and one behind you or your movement will be seen. Take a chair for inside the tent and call one in.

Alternatively, you can "run and gun" where you call and head for the gobbling sound. No tent, no chair, no decoy. You can cover a lot of ground this way and I tend to do this in the spring and in the autumn rely on the tent after pattern turkeys. No way to pattern a gobbler in the spring as they are moving around looking for hot hens so unless you roost a gobbler at sunset there is no way to guess where will be the next day.

Good luck.

 

[Idaho Wanderer]

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Good advice above. Id say keep it simple, federal 3" 2oz #5's if your gun will take them. Of all the expensive and fancy shells ive tried, these are solid performers for the money in most all guns ive tried them in. Patterning will tell the truth for your particular guns, but i would say they are a great place to start. Also play the odds on the barrel chokes...extra full for those longer shots and modified for when theyre in your lap. As kansasdad said, that pattern is near a slug at short ranges, why not open as quick as you can for those short shots. Aiming well will still be king, but always play the odds. Pattern board or paper is your friend.
Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[406LIFE]

I'd check the regs and see what min gauge is for a turkey. IMO a 410 is too small, doesn't deliver enough down range to effectively, and consistently kill a bird. If possible I would go up to a 20.

 

[1_pointer]

Shot material seems to matter. Lots of folks are switching to heavier than lead shot for turkeys as you can step down a size or two and get the flight/penetration of larger lead shot. I've heard rave reviews of Federal Heavyweight in #7 for both 12 and 20ga. I'll be giving it a try on Wednesday and Thursday if I can get a turkey to cooperate.

I'd go with Full and Xtra Full in your situation.

 

[charliebravo77]

If available in your gun's threading style, the Hevi-Choke Turkey and Hevi-13 3" shell combo is amazingly lethal. My first turkey was shot sitting offhand at 42 yards with that setup on my Benelli M2 and it left a trail of feather 10 yards behind the bird.