What to Do if You Want to Hunt Turkeys
Day 4: The Best Guns for Turkey Hunting
Editor’s Note: Turkeys don’t have teeth. There’s no report record of a bird charging a man and eating him. Neither do turkeys have supersonic hearing which allows them to detect a fly lighting on an oak leaf at 200-yards. Turkeys can’t see through large oak trees. But many newcomers to the sport may believe some of these myths because of the hype associated with hunting Meleagris gallopavo. I have heard a sportsman say, “I’d really like to get into turkey hunting, but I can’t call.” Or, “I’m afraid I’ll move and spook the bird.” Or, “Maybe that old gobbler is smarter than I am.” All of these ideas are nonsense.
  The turkey-hunting beginner needs to be effective at up to 40 yards. Although I don’t think a novice should take a shot at 40 yards, one of the biggest problems that the beginner faces is being able to judge distances accurately. Most hunters who see a turkey standing tall at 40-yards will swear that the bird’s at 20 to 25 yards when they shoot. Unless they have a shotgun with an added punch, they may miss their birds. So, I recommend a 12 gauge 3 inch magnum, which should have the knockdown power to topple a tom at more than 30 yards.
  When choosing shells, I let the gun pick the shot size that I’ll use. I shoot No. 4s and No. 6s at distances from 10 to 40 yards at a turkey head pattern. Whichever shot patterns best at 10, 20 and 40 yards in the gun I’m shooting is the shot that I choose for that particular gun. Each gun will pattern various shot sizes differently. I also shoot a full choke, hoping to hold a tighter pattern.
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About the Author
John Phillips, winner of the 2012 Homer Circle Fishing Award for outstanding fishing writer by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), the 2008 Crossbow Communicator of the year and the 2007 Legendary Communicator chosen for induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, is a freelance writer (over 6,000 magazine articles for about 100 magazines and several thousand newspaper columns published), magazine editor, photographer for print media as well as industry catalogues (over 25,000 photos published), lecturer, outdoor consultant, marketing consultant, book author and daily internet content provider with an overview of the outdoors. Click here for more information and a list of all the books available from John E. Phillips.
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