Jive Turkey: Taking Down Tough Toms
Jive Turkey: Taking Down Tough Toms
Like all hunting, turkey hunting offers unique challenges. The challenges inherent to turkey hunting trump traditional game hunting in many ways. The characteristics of these birds provide additional challenges to the hunter. A successful hunt will be determined by many factors but like all hunts cannot be achieved without the proper weapon, and a good gun should match the game.
Shotguns are by far the most common, and perhaps most effective weapon employed in turkey hunting. Many companies like Mossberg, Ithaca, Browning etc. make shotguns specially designed with wild turkey hunters in mind. Every aspect of a choice turkey hunting shotgun reflects a different element of the turkey hunt. Some factors reflect the environment the turkey calls home. Others reflect the hunter's and manufacturer's respect for the game.
Turkeys are unlike common game birds. They are bigger and tougher than common waterfowl or woodland game birds. Naturally, hunting turkeys deserves special consideration above and beyond these lesser fowl. It is not uncommon for a turkey to shrug off a solid hit to retreat to the woods and roost another day. Since a successful hunt requires a body to bring back, power is of the utmost importance in taking down a tom. Standard turkey hunting loads are magnum shotgun loads and can be found in either 3” or the “supermag” 3.5” varieties. The increased load will pack the power necessary to stop a tom in its tracks. The direct power of the shell, however, is also dependent on the gauge of the gun.. If the hunter can handle the weight and recoil, then a 10 gauge may be preferred for its obvious power advantage over other gauges. The 12 gauge, which is standard among all types of shotgun hunting, is a more than adequate choice. Women and junior hunters, or any one who is extra sensitive to recoil may wish to use a 20 gauge.
Gauge selection brings to mind a couple other important factors to turkey hunting strategy. One of which is weight. Turkey hunting often involves a good deal of walking through the woods and other potentially dense terrain and thus a heavier gun will be a greater burden on the hunter. The other important variable limitation imposed by shotgun gauge is maximum effective range. Turkeys are naturally skittish and defensive. A close shot will be necessary but the birds may be unwilling to get too close. The bigger the gauge, the more liberal the hunter can be with their distance to their target. A 20 gauge will naturally force a hunter to be closer to the bird than a 12, and a 10 gauge can offer slight distance advantages.
Taking the characteristics of the wild turkey into consideration, factors like finish and barrel length are also important. The keen eyesight of a turkey makes it perceptible to out of place colors, forms, and the sudden, suspicious movements of the turkey hunter. Because of their eyesight and suspicious nature, many new turkey guns come in camouflage finishes such as mossy oak or real tree. And since turkey hunting will mean traversing potentially dense, woodland habitats, the longer barrels of traditional bird guns may prove to be cumbersome. The added length offers no ballistic advantages at the desired range and may causes issues of weight and maneuverability. Many experienced turkey hunters prefer a shotgun in the 20-24” barrel length range. These are typically lighter and easier to move around the brush which will also help limit movement that might spook a trophy tom.
Given the close range and toughness of the bird, spread pattern is important. Unlike most forms of shotgun hunting, turkey hunting involves a considerable deal of accuracy. For this, most turkey guns utilize super full choke tubes for extra dense spread patterns needed to pack the full punch of the magnum load in the smallest area possible. Given the smaller size of the spread and the toughness of the bird, placing an accurate shot will be paramount. A quality scope may be desirable to place those accurate shots at the turkey's head or neck.
The final consideration, and one of least importance, is the action of your turkey gun. Whatever is most comfortable to the hunter is the best choice as in all form s of hunting. Semi-auto shotguns do tend to be heavier and thus more cumbersome to lug around, but that weight can absorb recoil. Plus, the lack of necessity to work an action means noise reduction between shots if back-up opportunity is presented and necessary.
Now that you know the important factors in choosing your most functional turkey gun it is vital to go out and purchase one. The wise wild turkey hunter will naturally seek out http://www.proturkeyhunting.com to satisfy their turkey hunting needs.