If I Were the New Guy at Turkey Camp Part I

I wrote a piece back in the early fall giving advice to the New Guy at Deer Camp. At least one fellow, Remnar found it to be good stuff, so I figured I’d try and compose one for Turkey Camp. In this first installment, I’ll deal with the shooting system (gun, load, sight, and choke)

The Gun, The Choke, and The Load

Let’s get the gun out of the way. I’m going to say upfront that the gun is the least of your worries. I started with Dad’s 12 GA Winchester Model 12 trap gun, and high-brass 2 ¾ #4 lead loads. I’m also going to say that better than 80% of the gobblers I’ve shot would have been a high-percentage chip shot for Dad’s Model 12.

Since then, I’ve hunted them with a wide variety of shotguns: 12, 16, and 20 Gauge. I have never shot a turkey with anything more than lead. I have never shot a turkey with anything more than a 3-inch 12 Gauge. I have never found lead 3-inchers to be anything but the right medicine. I’ve pretty well stuck to #4 birdshot. However, I’d be the first to say anything in that general neighborhood will get the work done.

The action is not all that important. However, let me give you a run-down on my general opinions.

Auto: A lot of guys shoot an expensive semi-auto. I shot a Remington 1100 for years and never found it wanting. It is still my general-purpose all-around shotgun. My suggestion here is that semi-auto is not necessary. I’ve gone the last 20 years with a pump and not found it wanting. Semi-autos weigh more, they’re harder to maintain, and they’re more than you need.

Single-Shot: If you want light and you want simple, a single-shot is great. I’ve hunted with one. However, I’ll be the first to tell you that recoil is magnified due to the lightweight. It also lacks the ability to pull off a second shot. I have not needed one often, but when I did, I needed it in a hurry.

Bolt-Action: If you really want to know, I’d be quite happy with one of the old Mossberg bolt-actions from back in the Tire Store days. I bought a 20 GA for Angus for his Yute gun, and he blew away several birds with it. I like the simplicity. I like the 3 round capacity– all you need. The reason I don’t have a bolt gun for my turkey killer is that those old Tire Store guns did not have quite the strength. There have been bolt failures. I thought about getting a Marlin Goose Gun and modifying it for turkey, but honestly, it’s not the most practical.

SXS and O/U: This has the advantage of being able to use two different chokes. However, you’ve got the problem of the extra barrel’s weight. That may be a plus with a heavy-recoiling load, but I’ve shied away for the added expense, and the fact that you need to know how those barrels register. They converge at a certain range. One barrel is almost always a little off from the other. These are tools for instinctive shooting. Turkey is an aimed exercise. I also question the value. You’re paying a premium for that second barrel.

Pump Action: I prefer a pump action for turkey. For several reasons:

Cheap. You get the most gun for the money
Capacity and Speed of reloading. 3 shot capacity is all that’s required. It is easy to cycle the action if it is needed.
Easy to modify. I’ve helped several friends take rat-bag Mossies and Remmies and turn them into ideal turkey guns with the addition of a new barrel and the right choke. Most of the other choices are far harder to modify
This is a gun that’s going to get dinged up and muddy. I put my Mossberg 500 through stuff I would never do with the heirloom shotguns in my collection.

Gauge
I’ve got experience with a bunch of turkey guns. I settled on a 12 Gauge Pump with a 3-inch chamber. As I said, I could have shot nearly all my turkeys in the past 40 years with a 2 ¾ load. However, 3-inch is about as big as I want to go. 10 Gauge? 12 GA 3.5”? I’m not a masochist. You do not need to punish yourself. My 3 inch shells have worked out to 40 yards and beyond. I’ve actually knocked down a gobbler at 80 yards, but it was a mistake.

Choke and Load
As I said previously, I shoot a 3-inch #4 lead load out of Carlson’s Dead Coyote choke. They don’t make my load anymore (3” 2oz Federal) but I’ve got boxes of it to last me a few more years. I like the Federal Flite-Control wad, but I know everyone makes a good load. You see no ads on this site; I’m not trying to sell you anything. I’m just giving you 40 years’ worth of experience.

The important things to remember:

The only reason I shoot a $1.50 load is because I can’t find $.50 loads anymore. The only thing you’ll do with a $12/round load is make the turkeys laugh louder at you behind your back. Stick with lead and spend the difference on extra ammo.

Start cheap and work up. When you find a load and choke that works, buy a case of the ammo and don’t worry about. it. I know guys who spend $200 a year on “Sighting-in” The truth is, they’re just suffering from cabin fever and want to get outside.
Lead works. Heavier than lead works as well, but it really does nothing but lighten your wallet.
I have missed more turkeys at close range because my load was too tight than the turkeys I’ve lost from having a pattern that was too open at far distance. If there is a case to be made for double-barrelled shotguns it is that you can have different chokes and different loads. Most of the turkeys I’ve taken could have been done with a #6 low-brass squirrel load out of a Modified choke inside 20 yards.
12 GA gives you a range of options. 20 Gauge full-house 3” loads are roughly equivalent to a 12 GA 2 ¾ turkey load. However, you can dial up or down with a 12 GA. The Ammo for 16 GA is ridiculously expensive and somewhat limited. If I feel the need to go to a .410, I’m probably too old to be turkey hunting.
When I got started, you took the gun you had, put a Dixie cup on a stick at 20 yards and took a shot. If you put 2 pellets in the Dixie cup, you knew you could kill a turkey. If you wanted to push it, you kept backing up until you stopped being able to put 2 pellets in the Dixie Cup. That was your working limit. I was able to get to 40 yards with Dad’s Model 12. I did not feel handicapped with a 16 GA Model 12 that only had a 30-yard range. The 20 GA was only good out to 30 yards, but that was with lead loads. I know you can go further with the non-lead loads nowadays, but you pay through the nose.

Slings: Make sure you have a sling on your shotgun. You’ll thank me later– probably when you’re trying to schlep a 20 lb bird out on your back.

Camo: I sprayed mine with Krylon Fusion, and it’s been since 2009, and there have been no problems. Camo finishes get scratched up over time. With spray-jobs, who cares.
Read this:

Bubba Paints His Turkey Gun

Having gone through all that, I will say that I have never, repeat NEVER had a situation where the gob busted me just because I didn’t have camo on my gun. It is not necessary, but if you are going to have a dedicated gun, spray jobs are a good insurance policy.

Sights:

I’ve shot with a 1.5-4.5X variable scope on my turkey gun for 20 seasons. I’ve got old, middle-aged eyes and the dots were getting fuzzy. I’ve been tempted to put a red-dot or some sort of other sight on mine over the years, but I can’t get past the idea of the battery running out at the wrong time.

My sons have glue-on fiber-optic sights on their shotguns, and they do fine with them.

If I could, would I prefer not having a scope? I like having it, because I can set it at 2.5 power and get a good bead on the gob. If the sight picture in the scope is cool. I know where the pattern is going. When I shot with beads only, I was always guessing. Turkey hunting is not like wingshooting. It is a cold-blooded, calculated, aimed shot. If you’re on your side or on your belly, or leaning over a log, the load is going somewhere, but you are making a calculated guess on where. With a scope (or red dot, or reflex sight or whatever) you know everything is aligned. My sons’ glue-on sights do a pretty good job of that as well.

This pretty well covers my thoughts on the gun-related issues for a first-time turkey hunter. I’ll cook up another installment soon, talking about the rest of the gear