Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Fall Turkey, and rifles- your choice?

I have read Henry Davis personal hunting diary...very little in there about turkeys he killed the ones I recall he shot out of trees. The stories were mostly about deer he shot with blue whistlers....not sure but I figure it was a local name for buck shot.

After reading his personal hunting diary I looked at Henry Davis as more of a rich kid, lawyer, writer that wrote a book on turkey hunting.

The better turkey book "The Wild Turkey and Its Hunting" by Edward Avery McIlhenny, Charles L. Jordan. It was written 30 or 40 years prior to the Davis book not much doubt Davis leaned heavily on the Mcllhenny/Charles Jordan book for his information..

Henry Davis authored another Samworth book better than his turkey book it's titled "Hunting with a .22" great book and talks about and pictures some of his custom .22s.

A story that comes to mind is a Sunday afternoon ride that yielded 60+ hawks he shot...I recall it was 67 or 69 hawks shot out of his vehicle.

Henry Davis killed more hawks than DTT.

I think you might have another author.. He did hunt deer but not seriously from what he said in the turkey book..

On second thought, he did a lot of varmint shooting with the .22 hornet.. No doubt he was a wealthy man.. His discussion of shotguns for turkey indicated that...

Like I said I read Henry Davis's personal hunting diary....not very many Turkey kills in his diary.

To qualify the witness...

l also called and killed a Turkey with Henry Davis's personal hunting call...the man that owned the call and the diary paid $55,000.00 dollars for them both. He handed me the call and said "take it out and kill a turkey with it".
He also sent me a copy of Henry Davis's hunting diary.

I've studied Davis for 30+ years and read his book many times....not much you're going to tell me about Davis.

Several years ago before Art Carter of Sporting Classics magazine died I had a talk with him about guys that write hunting articles....what I took away from our talk was you dont have to be able to walk the walk to write about the walk....to quote him when I mentioned one well known turkey author...."he's a good writer"

Kinda like finding out there is no Santa Claus.

Couple of fall hunts in Wyoming I used a Win 43 in the 22 hornet. Thought it was a perfect set-up.

.36cal flintlock longrifle is pretty sporty.Could probably use my .54 with a light load.

I can see no one is telling you much. Good day..

Thats right....lmao!....Hb

I do believe I've had occasion to talk to this gentleman. He is a TREASURE to students of the sport !!!!

Not sure what you mean ?

I believe I have spoken to the gentleman who owns/owned the Henry Davis call.

The man that owned it when I hunted with it was Bill Jones.

My bad, then. I was thinking it was another fellow from Charlotte. Mr. Bill Jones must be an outstanding individual as well. Ain't just everybody would let you hunt with a call that valuable.

The fellow fron Charlotte bought the call from Jones

I have killed more Turkeys with a Remington 722 in .244 Remington than any other rifle. It’s not that I set out to use it but it just seemed to be in my hands when I saw Turkeys

10-4

Awesome deal that you got to hunt with it !!!!

Turkey hunting is about calling them in, getting them close. Shotgun is the way to go.

HB, says who..??? I don't like someone telling me how to hunt or what to use.. Just because you like something doesn't mean I have to.. These pricks from the Wild Turkey
Fed// seem to think they are God and their way is the only way.. I can tell you something, call a gobbler in to say 50 yards and TRY and get it with a rifle.. Plus if it is legal , still hunting is far more difficult than calling.. I get sick and tired of hearing how difficult it is to kill a turkey with a shotgun.. It is far easier than with a rifle...

That's true

Your point is very valid and well-taken. However............

To a man, ALL the guys (except one) I know who use(d) rifles to hunt turkeys............ set up, overlooking a field or a big wooded hillside and just jacked them as they fed, ala shooting a groundhog. Only thing involved there is the same skill it takes to shoot the groundhog and it seems a bit disrespectful to the turkey. But if that's what gives those guys a sense of accomplishment, then whatever. The OTHER guy used a .22LR to roost shoot his birds.

I just ain't a fan.