Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting 22 rifle for turkeys

I watched a show on Bubbavision a couple weeks ago where an Amish dude, in white straw hat and powder blue shirt crept across an open field with a turkey fan in front of him( it didn't cover much...) and ground sluiced a gobbler with a shotgun from 3 yards.
Wily birds ,those.

Where is your proof for that statement? Full camo is not a prerequisite or requirement for turkey hunting.

I've shot a few with a 22 WMR but you do need to hit them right, just like any other game. Now the 22 hornet? That was made for turkey with the rifle. But yes we're talking rimfires. Personally I would not use the 22LR and I'm not a fan of the 17s but I'm sure they would work.

I love hunting turkeys in the fall with a rifle (in PA), have used 218 bee, 221 fireball, 256 Winchester, 7.62X39 and 222. Always use expanding bullets as fmj (what the old timers always recommended when I first started in the 70's) always produced less than satisfactory results unless the central nervous system was hit OR velocities were higher. Any of the rimfires would be problematic unless you hit the CNS....have seen more than a few turkeys that were not hit properly with rimfires get "lost".

PennDog

It's not that someone would mistake another hunter for a turkey, it's that they wouldn't see a camoed hunter in the background.

I never said that camo was required to be sucessful; it just improves the odds.

Regardless there is a very good chance that there will be hunters wearing full camo in the woods during turkey season, hence the safety regs.

Used a 22mag on turkeys, which is legal in WY.

Frankly, I would enjoy hunting turkeys with a Hornet (it'd give me a reason to get one !) or 22 mag but I wouldn't want anyone else doing it at the same time in the limited timber patches of Iowa. There are too many careless folk with quick trigger fingers out there-- even with shotguns there are several folks shot it seems every year.

But in SD or NE or other states where turkeys are often in the wide open spaces with few people I think it'd be a great rifle sport though I've not done it.

Natman,

My comment addressed the camo, because full camo is not required by law to wear it to hunt turkey. Therefore, it is not a reason to consider. What I should have said is I disagree with the assumption that shotguns somehow make it safer to engage in the activity. I am not trying to denigrate your position, but I feel strongly that there is no merit in your argument. I know what I say is not going to change your mind, and what you say won't change my mind, but I must continue. I have always had the choice to choose a rifle or shotgun for turkey and I don't want that to change.

So, I disagree with the statement that shotguns are safer than a rifle to hunt turkey. For example, shotguns are required in some counties in Virginia for deer hunting where the terrain is very flat. The concern is the bullet may travel too great a distance. Some of those counties allow use of a rifle for deer hunting if you are in a tree stand of a certain height. I will agree the effective killing range of a rifle is greater than that of a shotgun, but it does not make it safer to use when hunting. A rifleman needs to be concerned with his backstop since many bullets pass through a prey animal i.e. squirrel, rabbit, deer even if a lethal hit is made. My questions to you is, "Can you account for every pellet which leaves the muzzle of your shotgun on their way to their intended target?" Misuse of either can injure or kill someone.

I work for the Commonwealth of Virginia and I have a job where I do enforce regulations although not for VGIF. The one thing I have learned is such a law is usually in place for some other reason. Like another poster said previously the National Wild Turkey Federation has a foothold in some of these decisions in other locales and I agree that special interest groups like the NWTF sway politicians. I doubt it's really for safety although that may be what they publicly say. My guess is there is a monetary benefit to it in regards to equipment, access, memberships, limiting certain groups, etc.

I hope you don't feel like I am personally attacking you because I am not intending to do so. This argument comes up locally from those of us who hunt turkey. There are many people who hold your position and many who hold the position like mine. I guess I am throwing this out there for those who may not have formed an opinion yet or made up their mind and would like to see both sides. I guess the most important thing is we are both allowed to hunt turkey and enjoy doing so. Fall turkey starts here soon, so I wish you luck on your hunting adventures this fall.

The NWTF is what screwed it up around here in the spring season..

They are not doing any good for us as sportsman.

I'm not a member of the NTWF but they have put money into turkey habitat restoration in my neck of the Ozark's. I have personally seen the positive effects of that.

My state didn't need them:

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/turkey/history.asp

You can keep 'em.

Not sure I understand the context of the posted link, your comment and how it relates to my observation of the NWTF doing turkey habitat improvement work in the Ozarks?

Hubert: I have legally killed Wild Turkey's with not only the 22 L.R. but also with the 22 Magnum and the 17 HMR!
I use a base of the neck shot and have had nothing but one shot kills - with NO ruined/blood shot breast meat.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Even though camo isn't required by law, many hunters will be wearing it while turkey hunting, which makes them hard to see.



The deadly range of a shotgun is measured in yards. The deadly range of a high powered rifle is measured in miles. You need to account for your backstop in either case, but it's a LOT easier with a shotgun.



You're going to have to explain just how shotgun only hunting benefits someone enough to have them influence the regulations. The big shotgun manufacturers who might conceivably benefit (Winchester, Remington, Mossberg) also make rifles, so there's no benefit for them.



No personal attacks perceived on my end. Just a good old fashioned friendly disagreement as far as I'm concerned.

i thought you wore camo just to tell everyone you are a hunter. You know the person who wears camo as a fashion statement.

Such people may exist. I suspect that they are outnumbered by people who bad mouth camo because they are uncomfortable wearing anything other than their normal clothes.

Not that either of us fit in either group of course.

At any rate, for the purposes of this discussion the relevant point is that a significant number of hunters may well be wearing camo during turkey season and the regulations are written accordingly.

I wear camo for turkeys, usually. But i was in school when camo became a fad and have always just noticed how many people wear camo as everyday attire. I am a tight ass and wont pay the price of most hunting clothes to walk around town looking sloppy.

I wear camo - when I'm actually hunting. I don't own a camo garment that's worn otherwise.