| Author | Message | ||
| Anonymous |
Okay, I evidently need to re-learn when to shoot and when not to shoot. I am evidently not willing to shoot unless the situation is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! Can any of you please help me to realize what I can/can not shoot through? | ||
| GN |
Sooner or later, Everybody who shoots at many turkeys will miss, OR the pattern will not kill the bird eevn tho you may not have missed with your aim. If you want a perfect shot, you would not take any shot that required you to shoot through anything at all(no twig, leaves, etc). I can tell you I have seen birds shot at in an open field at 25 yds, roll over, and get up and run fly off, and that was with a very good shot on the other end of the gun. I think you have to make up your mind on every shot...I just try not to get desperate and take ones that are really "iffy" , Ihope. Sometimes that is hard to rememeber. especialy if you have had a tough year. My rule 1 for any shot(if you are worried about the sting of a miss), is do not try to shoot a walking or running bird, as they are clearly the easier ones to miss. Having said all of that..if the bird is under 20 yds, and you can clearly see his head and neck extended...anything pencil sized(twigs) or smaller csingle stem stuff should not abort a k illing pattern, unless you are shooting through a grove of pencil sized stuff...also, the closer the twigs are to him, the less chance of an aborted pattern...if the twigs are close to your gun muzzle your may ruin the whole pattern. Big stuffclose to the bird is a realpattern blower.When I was much younger I took a shot at a bird that was at 30 yds...I did not even see(or realize I was looking through) a 2 inch dogwood about 5-1`0 feet in front of the bird, and when I shot, the bird just turned and ran away, I did not touch him , and the dogwood had 150 pellets in it(I knmow this becasue I took my knife and cut dow n the tree and took the shot up tree-section home with me as a reminder of what a stupid shot looks like(still have it).... All of this is a crap shoot though and if you want aperfect shot, do not shot through ahnything...my 2 cents. | ||
| Topcat |
If you are going to worry about the 'perfect'shot, there is no such thing. First you need to know what your gun will do. After that, take the best one you can get within that range and just concentrate on making it work. | ||
| Joe |
Several years ago I called in my first gobbler on a day so windy I almost left the woods before daylight. In fact, had we not been right on top of him, we'd never have heard him gobble from the roost. We sat up on him and I had done everything perfectly (so far). When he stopped gobbling, I knew he was on his way in. I put my glass call down and let out a few soft yelps on my mouth call and got ready. Next thing I knew, his head, then back, then whole body came into view as he topped the ridge I was on. Looking back on it, he was probably well within range and I could've taken the shot. But, I wanted a better shot, so I continued to track his approach with the bead on my shotgun. As he moved from right to left through a grove of oaks, it seemed everytime I drew a bead, he'd be behind the next tree. I was afraid of trying to stop him with a call for fear he'd stop behind one of the trees then be gone. Finally he walked behind a huge oak and I got ready...all he needed to do was pop out on the other side and it would be a perfect shot. Guess what....next thing I knew he was taking flight and that was that. My dad had quickly set up about 20 yards behind me that morning and didn't have much cover. He thinks that turkey might have busted him. It's hard to say what I should've done....had I shot earlier I might have risked crippling him or missing him all together. But I did chalk it up as a lesson learned...don't wait for everything to be PERFECT, but don't force it, and take THE FIRST opportunity you're given for a good, clean kill. I walked out of the woods that morning only slightly disappointed...I'd called in my first gobbler, I just didn't get to measure his beard and spurs. | ||
| shopson |
I know the capabilities of my gun and I take the first shot I can get. I won't shoot if I have obstructions in the way of the neck. I try to make my setup with obstructions in mind(although I know quick setups are gonna happen). Take your time and be patient for a good shot. | ||
| TP |
Given that I missed a bird this year...I won't offer too much advice. I did find out the bird I shot is doing well and back gobbling...so I feel much better. I tend to lose patience when a bird really starts looking (telescoping) when he's coming in. Don't let that cause you to take a bad shot. He's just looking for then hen. That's always been a weakness of mine. | ||
| Anonymous |
use a .223 55grFMJ with a 3-9x40mm leupold. Then worry bout if Mr.Tom goes anywhere  |