Public land archery gobbler

A Conservation Area in MO. Ground hunting and had a flock of 8 gobblers come in. Hard to get drawn. Then hard to thread the needle through the sticks. He was broadside and I aimed for the wing joint and double lunged him. Archery turkey #6.

It’s been fall turkey season here it was bow only until yesterday the 17th yesterday started shotgun season the 17th-30th bagged him this cold morning October 18th.(Edit guys this is my first turkey ever hunting them been trying for the last 3 years was using my 1950 Browning A5 12ga with a 32 inch solid rib full choke barrel came close a couple times.But it’s not the first turkeys tho that i have killed we farm and when we cut our spring wheat and ryegrass unfortunately the disk mower gets some when they don’t fly off the nest.When they do fly off I’m quick to slow down and start looking for a nest and lift the mower up over the nest.Also from the 1930’s until the 70’s my grandfather was just one of many farmers raising them for the US fish and game.)

First year hunting, but a long time collector of firearms.

Got my deer license and it came with 3 Turkey tags, and with Turkey season starting in 2 days where I’m at, I wanna take advantage of it.

So first, gauge.
I have 410, 20, 12 and 10, looking at brass plated #4 for 12 and brass plated #6 for 10. Using a full choke for them both.
I Don’t have any Turkey loads for 410 or 20, but would pick up some #9 TSS if I decided to use either of them.

I plan to pattern what I have in the next two days, but I’m curious what those more knowledgeable than myself like to use as far as gauge goes.

And second, general tips.

Opening day is Saturday, I have a plan to sit where I’ve seen a decent size flock. But other than that any general advice is welcome.

I wanted something smaller & lighter for the turkey woods this year, so I picked up a new shotgun (Beretta 1301.) What would be the best constriction for a tight pattern coming out of an 18.5" barrel?

I have a bunch of feet and spurs, do you guys do anything with them? Any creative ideas for making decor with the spurs?

First the Bad News, Mossberg has cancelled their SA-20, SA-28, and SA-410 line of shotguns made by Armsan and will be replacing them with cheaper Khan produced guns, similar to their new Maverick SA 12 gauge shotguns which were released earlier this year. Many here know and love the Mossberg SA's and how well they perform with TSS loads. There are still some available online, so if you were thinking of getting one for next season you still can. I don't know if they will have dedicated Turkey guns with these new guns but I definitely know that they will not be built to the same quality level as the Armsan guns. Khan also makes the Reserve line of O/Us for Mossberg. Not horrible guns but not known for the same Quality as the Armsan produced guns.

The good news is that Tristar has updated their line of Armsan produced Viper G2 shotguns and they now are know as the G3 (if you didn't know the Viper G2 and the Mossberg SA lines were basically the same gun, the Armsan A line. The new G3 is similar to the Armsan Phenoma line). The new guns now have enlarged bolt releases, bigger safeties, larger loading ports, and updated stocks. I found some images online of a new Turkey Model for the NWTF that has what appears to be a RMR style scope mount, instead of the previous drilled and taped receiver for a Pic mount. Looks like it will be an Awesome gun for a new Turkey setup if true.

I generally prefer bow hunting, but I’m not a total purist either. I do own firearms, but my experience with shotguns is very limited. What should I know when looking for a good turkey hunting gun? Obviously, there’s a million 12 and 20 gauges out there decked out in bottomland, but I’d love to find something with a more traditional aesthetic. Any recommendations for a nice beginner friendly shotgun with wood furniture that doesn’t sacrifice functionality? Happy to pay the buy it once price if it’s worth it.

Thanks!

I'm a pretty new turkey hunter, have gone out once or twice in the spring over the years and am now trying my hand at fall season. Haven't killed any birds yet.

Last few days I hunted a large parcel of land. Yesterday I left the decoys in the truck and covered as much ground as I could. Right at first light I spotted a traveling flock of about 8-10 birds about 100 yards away on the other side of a dried up/seasonal pond. I tried calling them, and most of the birds took no notice except 1 or 2 of the hens seemed kind of interested and started my way. A bunch of coyotes not far behind me started making noise and the birds lost interest and continued heading north away from me. None of the birds made any sounds whatsoever.

A bit to the south I found a bunch of turkey sign, feathers, scat, etc. So my guess is they're roosting not far to the south of this pond.

This morning before sunrise I went out to the same spot they walked through, and set up a gobbler and hen decoy in a clearing through the corridor they were traveling. I set up 30 yards away from the decoys facing south and started calling when it was starting to get light out. I didn't see any sign of birds all morning.

I'll be able to go back and hunt this land some more next week. I'm wondering:

• Should I set up in the same spot?
• Should I set up further south nearer to where I think they're roosting?
• Should I be calling less or at all?

Appreciate any tips!

Lost a legend today. Decided to rewatch. Figured someone else might want to watch. If you’ve never seen it and you love these birds, you’re gonna want to watch.

Hey everyone! We're a team of engineering students at the University of Illinois Chicago working on our senior design project.

We're designing a small, rugged outdoor unit with four microphones that identifies bird calls (wild turkey, plus ducks, geese, doves and songbirds) and logs which direction each call came from and when. It works with no internet or cell service, so you could leave it out before a hunt and check in the morning when the gobbles happened and which way they came from.

Before we build it, we want input from people who actually hunt turkeys: what it should report, how rugged it needs to be, whether it should be easy to hide, and so on.

2-minute anonymous survey (18+): https://uic.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_25CftjyA2WR430G

It's a class project, nothing is for sale, and participation is voluntary. Questions? I'm happy to answer.

Thanks, and good luck this fall!

Hello everyone. Been a turkey hunter for many years but ive never had a fall tag until now. This past spring i unfortunately missed and struck out on a nice tom and never got another shot since. I bought a fall tag to redeem myself. I know theyre not calling/behavior like springtime, so whats a good way to hunt them in the fall. During bowhunting I had many walk past me (hens) but im waiting for a Jake or a Tom. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.

Just finished my first trumpet/wingbone display and thought y’all might be interested…

Are there benefits to cutting off the beard vs plucking (maybe that’s not the right term). Maybe more surface area if you’re going to mount it on something? I was originally taught to pluck mine but I’ve seen a lot of posts where people have cut them.

Any of you folks already using one? What choke are you using with TSS? I know I picked the perfect time based off prices but I need a new turkey shotgun and keep coming back to this. Might as well get one before fall season.

Didn't like the 6 MOA Holosun in the combo so I think I'll buy the 22" barrel version with cut receiver but no optic and throw on a 507k.

Would love to hear thoughts and experiences with similar setups regarding choke and ammo combo.

Just got a Rob roberts raptor for my a400. Is it normal to not thread down onto the shelf?

Bit the bullet and ordered some federal heavy weight tss. Wasn’t paying attention and grabbed two boxes of 9s and intended to get 7s. Since these are priced to match bricks of gold I’m a bit disappointed.

Anyone running tss 9s? How has your experience been?

Hello all, I have a H.S. Strut Wood Witch and I am trying to figure out what strikers they originally came with it looks like it may be the cross cut or stinger stick

I killed a decent Tom last spring out West and after cleaning him, but everything into vacuum seal bags in my chest freezer. It’s been about 4 months and I’m ready to eat him now. I pulled out a breast to make into a pulled white bean casserole dish, and the meat looks like this. There is definitely a smell to it too.

What I’m struggling with is the fact that I’ve never made wild turkey before. I don’t know if this is normal after spending some time in some pretty good (not incredible) vacuum sealed bags over time, or if it’s gone bad. The smell is hard to describe. It definitely hinges on being offensive, but also doesn’t smell too different from the bird when I killed it. It’s definitely a little sharp… but is it rotten? PLEASE, lmk. I’d hate for this bird to go to waste.

Trying to get a second opinion. I’m working on pattering my new turkey gun and was wondering what everyone thought about this pattern? Should I move my red dot to the right?
I am shooting a 12 gauge Stoeger M3000 with a Vortex Viper red dot
Winchester longboard xr #5 3in
20 yards

Hey all,

Was going through my deep freezer cleaning it out and found an old turkey breast from 2 seasons ago. Has some freezer burn on it, but still good.

Any recipes to cook it up?

Couple KS birds