Turkey hunting season is in full swing across North America and hunters are taking to the field after these quirky birds. Most hunters are using standard Remington 870s, Mossberg 500s and other common field shotguns as their weapon of choice. However, there are some steps you can take to find the perfect turkey shotgun for dropping shifty gobblers. Here are some upgrades and adaptations to optimize your set up for strutting toms this spring.
Chokes
Candidly, many a turkey has met its demise at the end of a standard full choke. However, for hunters looking at extending their range, specialized turkey chokes offer a distinct advantage. These specialized turkey chokes are significantly tighter than a standard full choke. This enables tighter patterns out at 30 and 40 yards where many gobblers are taken.
There are a ton of turkey-specific chokes on the market and finding the right one is a balance of budget, shotshell, and your shotgun’s preference. For a more affordable option, I’ve used the Primos’ Jellyhead choke and have had great performance. Carlson’s and Indian Creek also have great options. Each choke/shotgun/load combination is unique so make sure to test your combination on paper before taking it out into the turkey woods.
Barrel Length
Another characteristic of a perfect turkey shotgun is a shorter than standard barrel length. Unlike rifles, shotguns don’t bleed velocity when going from a 28″ barrel down to a 22″ or a 24″ barrel. The primary detriment of shorter shotgun barrels is their handling when wing shooting. Since turkeys are hunted on the ground, wing shooting characteristics are not relevant. Going to a shorter barrel allows a handier more compact package. A quality choke will ensure your patterns remain tight, as it is the choke and not the barrel length that effects shot pattern.
For the run and gun turkey hunter a 26″ or a 28″ turkey barrel is not a huge detriment. However, when hunting from a cramped ground blind, sometimes the shorter barrel is easier to maneuver without spooking the bird. Your preferred hunt style will largely determine whether it’s worth chasing down a shorter barrel for your turkey iron.
Sights
Next, having a great pattern is only as useful as your ability to put it where you want it to go. Nowadays, there a a few different sighting arrangements to consider when building the perfect turkey shotgun. The plain brass bead is the oldest, the cheapest, and the hardest to use. A common upgrade is a fiber optic front sight that is easily seen in low light. However, this is not the best option available today to the dedicated turkey hunter.
The optimal turkey sight is a red dot sight of some type. This allows for precise aiming at common hunting distances. Unlike a scope, red dot sights don’t have a set eye relief. This is important as turkeys are often shot from contorted positions where proper eye relief is not always possible. While some worry about relying on electronics, modern red dots are reliable, durable, and can handle the recoil of a 12 gauge shotgun.
Ammunition
Finally, the last important component is the shotshell itself. Turkey loads are some of the heaviest shotgun loads on the market, with 3 inch 12 gauge offerings often pushing 2 oz of shot in a single shell. In addition to sheer size, turkey loads can employee technical wads, mixed shot sizes, and other technical advancements. By far the most significant advancement over the past several decades is the use of tungsten shot pellets. This new style of shot has revolutionized effective turkey hunting distances.
Tungsten is significantly denser than lead. This means that with tungsten shot you are able to drop down in shot size from a #5 or #6 lead shot to a #9 TSS and still maintain adequate penetration. While terminal performance maintains the same, the number of pellets in a shell does not. #9 TSS has an order of magnitude more pellets per shotshell than traditional lead loadings. This means denser patterns and a higher likelihood of a pellet finding the central nervous system for a clean kill. Tungsten shot provides a real advantage, increasing ethical hunting ranges on turkeys.
The downside of tungsten is that it is expensive. If TSS is too costly, Outdoor Life has done an extensive review of testing on commonly available turkey loads. Their top lead load is the Winchester Long Beard XR. In my experience, this load has also outperformed other lead loads.
Closing Thoughts
Do you need a designated turkey shotgun to go and harvest a bird this year? The answer is a resounding ‘No’. However, for those looking to eke out the most performance possible, the considerations above will help you extend your range in the turkey woods this year. So when that tom hangs up at 50 yards, you’ll be glad you have the perfect tool for the job.