Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Long Range shots?

No. Not really.

Spring green-up........foliage......field edges.........

Nope. Not really. Then factor in these setups that'll kill to 70 yards and beyond. Stevie Wonder could stalk that close. I don't see the sport or accomplishment in it. But, maybe someone else does.

As an aside...... In my home state, stalking and bushwhacking aren't even legal spring methods. Rule book say that the bearded bird must be "called to the hunter's location".

That works. Our experience and preferences differ.

Good to go…
👍

At the end of the day, they're just another bird to me. No more or less deserving of respect or a quick death than anything else. Whether deer, turkey, woodchuck or coyote makes no diffrence to me. They're all just out there trying to survive. I don't like to make anything suffer.

The excitement of turkey hunting to me is the art of calling a gobbler to my setup. There's nothing like that up close and personal spittin" and drummin" while they dance around struttin', add to that a few gobbles, nothing like it. My shots average 25 yds.. 870 Remmy, Indian Creek choke tube, 3 in #5 Longbeard shells

65 yds 835 3 1/2 Winchester #6 ext range

I was in TX and was over the lip of a rise between two fields. The birds came in and I dropped one at about 5 yards. I shot another one that I thought was about 40 but when I went to pick it up, I thought "man that is a long 40 yards". I walked it off and it was about 57 yards. Both birds were killed with a 20 gauge and #9 TSS shot. Both went down stone dead, but if I had known that the one bird was that far off, I would never have pulled the trigger.
That is the longest shot I have ever taken and even though I killed it clean, I still wish I had never taken that shot. I had patterned my gun and knew it shot very tight at 40 but that is as far as I have shot so I have know idea how it does at longer distances.
At the end of the day you have to live with yourself and if you feel good making longer shots. I know that my gun will kill longer than 40 yards but I don't want to shoot them that far. I would say that most of the birds I kill are around 25 yards and I am very happy with that. I feel that my pattern has opened up enough to give me a little wiggle room if I am off just a hair on my hold. Much past 35 yards, I always wonder if I can get him in a little tighter.

Do you feel stalking to within 40 yards of a turkey doesn’t take skill?

Personally, I don’t call them much anymore. When they’re lovesick they’re about as challenging to call in as a drunk is to a bar. Easy, though I still do it sometimes.

I get MUCH more satisfaction out of stalking/belly crawling up to feeding birds and getting them killed than I do calling them to me.

To the OP, if I remember correctly my longest (via shotgun anyway) was about 60 yards with my BPS 10 gauge and some random factory turkey load with I believe lead #6 shot. Full choke, but not a special ‘turkey’ choke. It straight up rocked his world.

I called him into maybe 10 yards but he came in behind me. Once I realized he was there, he took off running. I stood up, spun 180 degrees and let him have it as he sprinted away.

Boom. Big ‘ol Idaho tom.[/quote]

Truth. I'm all for getting the job done. Turkey hunting vs turkey killing. I like to eat them to much to play with my food. Not near as ate up with it at this point in my life. Same goes for "reaping" whatever you wanna call it. So I'm a bad guy because I crawl out into a field and fan a gobbler in that has no interest in my calling? BTW it doesn't always work.. but when it does its a blast. If you wanna sit in the bushes and call for hrs that's cool too. If its legal I'm all for it.

Don't judge, its not something I normally would do.

Beretta xtrema2, xxx compnchoke, 3 1/2 tss 7

Several years back we played with this one turkey on and off all season, last weekend, still with a hen, she comes out and starts taking him away from us as usual. Ive been pretty successful calling to hens and that usually gets the job done but she wasnt having any of it. He's in a field pretty as can be at what I estimated 60 yards. Been pretty impressed with the tss so felt good about it with my setup. Had a buddy with me and I decided to try it. Joked disappeared in the grass when I shot, didn't even flop. 78 yards. After the kill I walked off to the side looking from where I was sitting to where I shot the turkey, looked like a long rifle shot. Eyes played tricks on me that day.

Yep. Good to go !!

Well-stated. Well-played.

Great pics !!! Congrats !!!

Great bird and nice gun. The 3" #5 LB round is great. I have a bunch of boxes of 3 1/2" #5 LBs and wish I could just trade them for 3". 3" is perfect. 3 1/2" isn't needed and is a recoil bruiser.

This thread is just a turkey hunter dick measuring contest, get out there and hunt, have shot turkeys from 6 to 75 yards, sometimes they come in sometimes they don't. Know the capabilities of your shotgun, do your best and the instant you are confidant of a killing shot, kill him! Don't bitch cause someone else shoots 41 yards. Especialy after you admit you have shot them farther but didn't know it. Is it more fun shooting one at 39 yards than it is at 41.
You have to admit though, those longer shots are taken at extremely cautious gobblers, they take much more finesse on the call and thee suspense is indescribable, those 2 YO's that run over ya are exciting, but everybody knows those 4 YO's do not just run too the call on average,, at least not here in wv.

Exactly what MY post was NOT.

Sometimes they come in. You won. Sometimes they don't. Don't still try to "win". Respect the bird. Respect the sport. Let him walk. Kill him tomorrow or the day after.

Yes it was, no matter how you spin it, you will not shoot one beyond 40 yards, yet you admitted to shooting one at 66 by mistake, were you still trying to win as you say at 66? calling BS

Well, I won't be killing anything tomorrow. It's supposed to be 16 degrees with the wind chill and I am just not feeling up to that. I'll try and go next Saturday. If not, then I'll have two tags to try and fill in the spring.

Please..........do me AND yourself a favor.

Go back and re-read this discussion.

Same here, several high dollar dedicated 12ga turkey guns, have become safe queens. Been handloading and rocking the 20 w TSS the last 12 years.

That statement is in quotation marks. It is a generic statement I used to illustrate what we've heard turkey shooters say a dozen times or more to help justify a slop shot. The "turkey shooter's crutch".

Re-reading it, myself, I can see where you may have misunderstood my context. I'll word subsequent stuff better.

One of them at my kid's house. 😂😂😂

Crazy, ain't it ?? The 20 gauge I'm shooting now cost almost 10X less than the 3 1/2" 12 gauge semi it replaced.

I shot a turkey with a benelli super black Eagle with 3 inch Winchester longbeard xr. It flattened it at 59 yards I love the Winchester Ammo.