Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting The Mighty Little 20ga Does It Again

In the Mauston, WI area. Took 5 mornings to get a tom in front of me, I can't remember the last time I saw so many hens on the property. Would have toms working and then hens would show up and off they'd go. 5th morning was beautiful weather. Set up in an area where we had been hearing, and seeing, a lot of turkey activity. As light began to enter the woods, I was hopeful to hear turkey tree talk. Nothing! Around 6AM, I did some tree yelps and was rewarded with a hen busting off roost near me, putting as she flew away. As she flew away putting, I let loose with some louder, aggressive, calling to try and cover her putting. A gobble echoed out of the valley in front of me and not that far away either. The next gobble I heard was past me, the tom was going down the valley, not coming up to the top where I was. I let loose some more aggressive calling and the next gobble was right below me, he had turned around. Then another gobble as he crested the rise in front of me and went into a full strut. As he came out of the strut and gobbled again, I put the red dot on him and touched it off and down he went. I use Federal TSS 20ga 3" with 1-1/2oz of #9's and good thing too, because he was about 100 yards away. Okay, okay, would you believe 30? I've been very fortunate to be hunting this game rich property (almost 300 acres) for over 30 years and have a ton of memories here!





The 20ga is a Remington 870 youth model that I replaced the hardwood stock set with a Houge stock set, 21" barrel, replaced every spring with Wolff springs, an aluminum follower and a Volquartsen Exact Edge extractor. I milled the receiver to accept the Burris red dot.

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Congrats, Nice Bird and Gun.

Very nice! Congrats, Dean!

Very cool. Congrats!

Great write up and a beautiful bird!!! Congrats!

Awesome story, congratulations

Nice bird, Dean!

You might have pushed me over the 20-gauge-edge.
Maybe…😀

Congrads, nice Tom!

Very nice hunt, bird, and gun. (I have the urge to buy / build a new shotgun right now and that pic didn't help)

Well done!


Okie John

On a side note, my good friend and the property owner, used the Mossberg 835 I recently picked up and got a nice tom with it too.

Congratulations

Congrats on a nice bird. Great story and nice gun

Nice work. Those 20s are deadly for sure.

Nice grab on the Benelli Dan!

Headed up to my place in NE WI tomorrow morning. We'll see how receptive the birds still are.

I was bouncing back and forth about ordering a 24” barrel for 1 of my 870s when that came up. Love my Benellis so should be a nice add to the safe. It will see more time shooting coyotes and foxes than gobblers though.

Good luck. Looking for my last MD bird for the season tomorrow and have just the frustrating 1 to hunt. Just over a week left here and 1 tag to go. Tagged out Va and got a good 1 here 1st week.

Have to love the 20ga, have a safe full of dedicated 12ga guns that will never hunt gobblers again. We switch prob 13 years ago, when I started loading the TSS.

Great bird .
Still have 2 weeks here in Pa, kind of running out of gas, been after em since April 10th.

Hate to admit it, I run out of gas a lot easier than I used to. My mpg's have really gone down! Lol!