View Full Version : Turkey season rocks
craigepo
04-19-2010, 10:14
Here's a photo of a bird I killed on my farm this morning. 19.5 lbs, 10 inch beard, 1 inch spurs. Two-year old bird.
Buffalobob
04-21-2010, 04:39
Congratulations.
I went yesterday and tried but the only gobbler around was too far away. I'll give them another try on Friday.
craigepo
04-21-2010, 04:50
Good luck. I was in the prone, having crawled about 100 meters, had to shoot around a tree. Damn 3 1/2 inch mags about broke my nose.
You should come to Mo to turkey hunt sometime. a lot of birds. I heard 6 when I walked out my door.
The Reaper
04-21-2010, 05:46
I went yesterday and tried but the only gobbler around was too far away....
Never thought I would hear you say that.:D
TR
greenberetTFS
04-21-2010, 12:12
Never been turkey shooting in my life,but my redneck son in law does and last week in texas he had 4 of them and told me the only meat you can get from them is their breast,the rest isn't worth eating............... :rolleyes: True? :confused:
Big Teddy :munchin
craigepo
04-21-2010, 12:45
The breast on a wild turkey is fantastic. The rest of the bird is very tough, to the point of being inedible.
Team Sergeant
04-21-2010, 21:39
Good luck. I was in the prone, having crawled about 100 meters, had to shoot around a tree. Damn 3 1/2 inch mags about broke my nose.
You should come to Mo to turkey hunt sometime. a lot of birds. I heard 6 when I walked out my door.
LOL, you accomplished the mission and thats all that counts. Nice looking bird!
I just got back from a trip to Texas. Went hog hunting but got skunked. Shot up a lot of ammo at the dreaded tree-stump zombies, though. It was fun. The guys out there were talking about now being able to hunt turkey with .22's, least in Texas. The guy whose ranch we visited said there were a lot of turkeys around this year. I've never been turkey hunting and couldn't comment one way or the other. Is a .22 a suitable gun for a turkey hunt?
TrapLine
04-22-2010, 14:47
Excellent bird, and an equally nice shotgun, Your Honor.
craigepo
04-22-2010, 21:24
Is a .22 a suitable gun for a turkey hunt?
If you like the thought of pulling a head shot, at a target about 1/3 the size of a skoal can, that is constantly moving, at approx 50 yards.
Can't pull body shots on them with anything small, as they don't have enough blood to really bleed out.
Green Light
04-23-2010, 05:01
Sounds like fun. Good looking bird! I like a judge that shoots! :D
craigepo
04-23-2014, 10:53
We must have had a very good turkey hatch last year. Had a beautiful morning, heard 5 gobblers in one hollow, directly behind the house.
I tried to get a picture showing the dogwoods just coming into bloom, but my photography ability leaves a lot to be desired
x SF med
04-23-2014, 14:04
Here's a photo of a bird I killed on my farm this morning. 19.5 lbs, 10 inch beard, 1 inch spurs. Two-year old bird.
It's probably not going to be good by Thanksgiving unless you freeze it in one of those plastic bags with a net around it... y'know what I'm sayin?:munchin;)
craigepo
04-23-2014, 18:29
It's probably not going to be good by Thanksgiving unless you freeze it in one of those plastic bags with a net around it... y'know what I'm sayin?:munchin;)
All evidence will be gone by the weekend
x SF med
04-23-2014, 18:48
All evidence will be gone by the weekend
Your Honor, could you send me a sammich, at least?:D
Team Sergeant
04-23-2014, 19:22
We must have had a very good turkey hatch last year. Had a beautiful morning, heard 5 gobblers in one hollow, directly behind the house.
I tried to get a picture showing the dogwoods just coming into bloom, but my photography ability leaves a lot to be desired
I need to move out of Phoenix.......
I need to move out of Phoenix.......
Yep! But you don't have to move out of Arizona. ;) My wife is at a bird "listening" class tonight and turkey is on the menu. :D
Pat
craigepo
04-27-2015, 13:52
Popped this dude on the farm. 24 pounds, with 4 beards---an 11'' main beard, two small 8'' beards, and a small 5'' beard. Had 1 1/4 inch spurs, which makes him about 3 years old.
I put 3 1/2 inch mags in the Benelli. Shooting those things around a tree will take your head off. I've been punched by guys that didn't hit me as hard as that!
Team Sergeant
04-28-2015, 10:23
Very NICE!!!!!!!
Congratulations, that's definitely one for the books! Multi-bearded thunder chickens are hard to come by. Out of curiosity, did you call him in? Also, are you doing a full body mount?
craigepo
04-28-2015, 12:07
No taxidermy on this one. We cooked him the first evening, with some morel mushrooms.
I have one bird mounted, and he was a 25-pounder. That was a full body mount, gobbling on a limb.
This was actually the 2nd bird I hunted that day. 1st bird came in a little too far to my right, then I recognized him from coming up behind the house, so I let him go. This one I went to and spotted in the corner of a field by himself(so far the gobblers have been covered up with hens). I crawled a little, and when I called he came in and started gobbling and strutting.
Guymullins
04-28-2015, 13:29
Popped this dude on the farm. 24 pounds, with 4 beards---an 11'' main beard, two small 8'' beards, and a small 5'' beard. Had 1 1/4 inch spurs, which makes him about 3 years old.
I put 3 1/2 inch mags in the Benelli. Shooting those things around a tree will take your head off. I've been punched by guys that didn't hit me as hard as that!
What sized shot do you use for Turkey?
craigepo
04-28-2015, 21:27
I use a 12 gauge, wit 3 1/2" mags. I shoot #6 shot, as they seem to penetrate better than #4. In Missouri, #2 is the largest legal shot allowed.
I run this through an Indian Creek extra full choke tube. A head and neck shot up to 50 yards and they drop like a rock.
Personally, I enjoy the listening and calling as much as anything. With the right conditions, you can hear one of these gobblers at a half mile. Some of the most fun hunting I've ever done. If you're into dressing up like a hillbilly ninja and low crawling after a bird with a brain the size of a cherry tomato
Guymullins
04-29-2015, 05:02
I use a 12 gauge, wit 3 1/2" mags. I shoot #6 shot, as they seem to penetrate better than #4. In Missouri, #2 is the largest legal shot allowed.
I run this through an Indian Creek extra full choke tube. A head and neck shot up to 50 yards and they drop like a rock.
Personally, I enjoy the listening and calling as much as anything. With the right conditions, you can hear one of these gobblers at a half mile. Some of the most fun hunting I've ever done. If you're into dressing up like a hillbilly ninja and low crawling after a bird with a brain the size of a cherry tomato
That is a quite small shot size, but I suppose if you only take head shots, it is more than enough. Do you take shots while the birds fly? From my skydiving days, and the use of the word Turkey to describe someone who couldn't fly, I am not sure whether they fly or not. The 3 1/2 magnum cartridges are what we would use here for Spurwing and Egyptian geese. Huge tough birds, usually shot at long range.
miclo18d
04-29-2015, 05:27
Wild turkeys can fly short distances. I have seen them in the back 40 flying. They are shot on the ground though ( not sure if that is law or just by happenstance) Calling them is a beautiful art.
Wild turkeys can fly short distances. I have seen them in the back 40 flying. They are shot on the ground though ( not sure if that is law or just by happenstance) Calling them is a beautiful art.
Turkey calling can simultaneously be the most frustrating and the most rewarding thing. It is definitely a perishable skill.
Rob_Frey
04-30-2015, 17:58
Turkey calling can simultaneously be the most frustrating and the most rewarding thing. It is definitely a perishable skill.
That's for sure. I've had Turkeys gobbling back hard, but they won't come closer. One time it was a fence I didn't know was between us, and another time it was a tiny creek it wouldn't cross for an hour and a half.
craigepo
04-30-2015, 21:20
That is a quite small shot size, but I suppose if you only take head shots, it is more than enough. Do you take shots while the birds fly? From my skydiving days, and the use of the word Turkey to describe someone who couldn't fly, I am not sure whether they fly or not. The 3 1/2 magnum cartridges are what we would use here for Spurwing and Egyptian geese. Huge tough birds, usually shot at long range.
Turkeys are called in on the ground. They come in looking to mate. Often the males gobble and strut on their way in, which is a pretty neat sight.
Many states are shotgun-only for turkeys. Coming in on the ground, it's almost always a head and neck shot. Killing one flying is a trick, as they are so big it's almost impossible to get pellets through that breast. Pheasants are tough enough.
KJS 1389
11-15-2015, 09:38
Dang, Oklahoma turkeys must be the runts compared to the rest of the country. I think the largest I've shot since moving here was 13-14lbs. Excellent birds, gents.
Spring Turkey season opens next weekend in Tennessee. Just a reminder in case anyone forgot.
No Virus in the woods ;)
And Spring Turkey was (emphasis on WAS) open on Ft Campbell last weekend..... then this stupid plague shut down my Spring Turkey Season! Harrumph!
And Spring Turkey was (emphasis on WAS) open on Ft Campbell last weekend..... then this stupid plague shut down my Spring Turkey Season! Harrumph!
Just tell them that you getting groceries, that is allowed..;)
Ret10Echo
03-27-2020, 09:20
On Tuesday had a flock move by the place while I was having morning coffee. Tom's were in full display. Spring season still a month out but I've been hearing them down in the valley.