AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: David R. Pennington on April 10, 2016, 03:26:23 PM
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A lot of talk this time of year about shot loads and patterns for turkey. Any one hiunting turkey with rifles and patched round balls? Rifles are legal for turkey in WV. I am thinking about taking my .40 this year if I get a chance at a spring gobbler. Any input on best shot placement for turkey with rifle?
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Here in Pa. only shotguns in the spring, I built a half stock out of cherry with a Colerain 38" turkey barrel which works really good, but in the fall you can use rifles. I take my 40 cal. Tenn. out (people laugh) but I have a good time. Just got to pick your shot.
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I know that Gary Tingler on here shot a turkey last year with his Woodbury .40 caliber.
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Illegal in Iowa...probably most other states as well. I would think any squirrel rifle would be ideal for the task.
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I'd think most any aiming point that would work with a bow would work with a rifle, depending on whether the bird was facing you, walking away, broadside, etc.
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I have taken four with ML rifles. 3-40s and 1-58. All but one of the 40s were within 25 yds. Head and neck shots at that range.
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Illegal in Iowa...probably most other states as well. I would think any squirrel rifle would be ideal for the task.
Not legal in TN, another law I don't understand. I think I'll hitup the assembly(state legis. body) with a M/L exception for the rule, roundball only ;D .
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There is always the good ole Texas heart shot...... ::) ;D
Dave
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Not legal in TN, another law I don't understand. I think I'll hitup the assembly(state legis. body) with a M/L exception for the rule, roundball only ;D .
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I'm with you brother, it doesn't make sense to me. I would love to be able to take one with my .32 Crockett.......robin ???
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Legal in my part of Texas but not in areas where state is trying to expand their range. Base of wing has worked for bow w Snuffer heads, wife's .243, 22 LR and .40 flint.
TC
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Illegal in Iowa...probably most other states as well. I would think any squirrel rifle would be ideal for the task.
Not legal in TN, another law I don't understand. I think I'll hitup the assembly(state legis. body) with a M/L exception for the rule, roundball only ;D .
Not legal in KY either.
-Ron
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Reason for no rifles in Michigan. Is because most hunters are in camo. Rifles can shoot a long ways. Which means if your shooting across a small field. You could hit an unseen Hunter in the wood lot. That was the explanation from the DNR. An yes there's opinions both ways. Safety is there main concern.
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Reason for no rifles in Michigan. Is because most hunters are in camo. Rifles can shoot a long ways. Which means if your shooting across a small field. You could hit an unseen Hunter in the wood lot. That was the explanation from the DNR. An yes there's opinions both ways. Safety is there main concern.
Very sound reasoning in my opinion! The fun in turkey hunting is trying to call them in close, no need for a rifle if you do that.
~Tony
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It is because hunters shoot hunters! Since regulation in Va of no turkeys during deer rifle season mistaken hunter being shot is really rare. Adrenalin does unfortunate things to mankind. I have killed turkeys with my .45 and little damage to bird, except it killed them. Turkeys are legal Thanksgiving day but not rest of deer season. I know of one old curmudgeon that killed Toms every Spring with a shot gun using a slug - he always shot off the Tom' s HEAD!!!!!!!
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I can see the safety view point. Too many hunters shoot at sound and movement without first identifying their targets and what may be beyond. So focused for the trophy without much thought of pass through or errant shots.
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Safety is a good reason alright but we trust our fellow hunters to hunt safely when doing other types of hunting, preaching to the choir here but we all need to identify our targets before we shoot.
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In Colorado, not legal in spring but legal in the fall.
I have always intended to pursue them in the fall with a .45 but there is so much other hunting going on that I just never get to it.
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Legal here in Pennsylvania in the fall season.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi964.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fae128%2Fdbowman62%2Faccutrements%2F018-2.jpg&hash=5d225dcadefcb3b2d7adc455e8d3dc83346215f9) (http://s964.photobucket.com/user/dbowman62/media/accutrements/018-2.jpg.html)
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Here in B.C. turkeys firearms are smoothbores or rimfires. For me that includes ML rifles, but I've never heard of anyone charged - yet.
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Hello fellow Mt ER. I have used my .40 for turkey here in WV. Used 25grs. 3F .395 ball w/pillow tick patch and shot them thru the wing butts. DRT Also have used my .50 same results just more powder. Go take it and have a good time. Dan.
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With the way the new generation of dedicated turkey guns with the Hevi-Shot and tight chokes pattern they might as well use rifles.
From all I have read on rifle hunting for turkeys I do not believe that there will be much expansion of rifle seasons. Too much opposition from hunters.
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Not legal in TN, another law I don't understand. I think I'll hitup the assembly(state legis. body) with a M/L exception for the rule, roundball only ;D .
I'm with you brother, it doesn't make sense to me. I would love to be able to take one with my .32 Crockett.......robin ???
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I am with you guys...
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Not legal in TN, another law I don't understand. I think I'll hitup the assembly(state legis. body) with a M/L exception for the rule, roundball only ;D .
I'm with you brother, it doesn't make sense to me. I would love to be able to take one with my .32 Crockett.......robin ???
As long as it's me doing the shooting I'm good with turks and rifles. I just worry about the judgement and ability of other people in the field and me not getting shot! Seems like it's bad enough with shotguns here in Iowa, there is a story every year where someone gets shot because he was down range of another shooter and was unseen.
I'd still like to see rifle legalized though. Maybe nothing bigger than a .22 LR for cartridge and nothing bigger than a .40 for ML.
I am with you guys...
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Here in Maryland no rifles in spring or late winter season, but yes in the fall season in the three western counties (mountains). When they added the winter season a couple years ago I talked to the turkey biologist at the various meetings and tried to get small caliber muzzleloaders added for that (3 days in late January) but couldn't get them to budge. Woulda been fun, but oh well...
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I've shot several fall turkey with rifles. Aim right at top of wing joint, and you will drop the turkey, in it's tracks. In straight on shots aim just below the base of the neck. The breast on a wild turkey lays low, much lower than people think. You will not blood shot a turkey, like other animals. I've taken several with .50 cal. Not my first choice, but the season used to run in conjunction with early muzzle loading. I prefer a .36 caliber. round ball. Spring gobbler is traditional shotgun, but in Va. a pistol or rifle is legal.
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I've shot several fall turkey with rifles. Aim right at top of wing joint, and you will drop the turkey, in it's tracks. In straight on shots aim just below the base of the neck. The breast on a wild turkey lays low, much lower than people think. You will not blood shot a turkey, like other animals. I've taken several with .50 cal. Not my first choice, but the season used to run in conjunction with early muzzle loading. I prefer a .36 caliber. round ball. Spring gobbler is traditional shotgun, but in Va. a pistol or rifle is legal.
I have taken many this way with my Jim Hash .45 flint rifle
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I don't have any small caliber flintlock rifles......yet. I have .36 cap lock, and have been wondering how hard it would be to convert to flintlock. It was built buy some unknown, but has nice wood and Douglas barrel, with a DGW lock. I don't think putting in the touch hole would be a problem, but getting the lock in the mortise might be difficult. Would make a great little turkey gun.
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Here in California the only rifles you can hunt turkeys with is air rifles. They originally had to be .20 cal. Or larger, but I was told they are allowing the .177s now. So who wants to build a Lewis and Clark air gun to hunt turkeys with?
Hungry Horse
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Yes, in Virginia rifles and pistols are legal so I'd just use whatever I hunted deer with for the fall turkey season. In the spring it would be one of my small game rifles or maybe a smoothbore.
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Well, I just moved back to Indiana, after a 30 year hiatus, and Indiana doesn't allow rifles to hunt turkeys either. You must use a shotgun, 10ga, 12ga, or 20ga, CF or muzzleloader, loaded with 4, 5, 6, or 7 1/2 shot, or any combination of shot sizes. Or you can use a bow or crossbow......robin ???
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Hunting regs are often written to protect the rest of us from the dumbest among us. And there's plenty of that going around.
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turkeys with rifles!!! I never hunt anything that is going to hunt me back, especially when armed with a rifle!!! ;D ;D ;D
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Other than economy, why a tendency toward a small bore rife? Every little bit of diameter increase would seem to increase your odds if you are taking head/neck shot?
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Other than economy, why a tendency toward a small bore rife? Every little bit of diameter increase would seem to increase your odds if you are taking head/neck shot?
Because a smaller size ball creates less bloodshot meat and most will aim at the wing joint to insure a quick kill. A turkey's head moves too much for an accurate shot......robin :)
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Gotcha.....thank you. I have always wanted to try a rifle here for PA's fall hunt. Interesting thread.
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Other than economy, why a tendency toward a small bore rife? Every little bit of diameter increase would seem to increase your odds if you are taking head/neck shot?
I('d love to shoot a turkey with my little .36- or even the .50. I'd not think my old girl, 14 bore would be needed.
Here in BC - smoothbores are noted for these birds along with any rim fire. I suppose one could argue to a judge, that a flint lock is a rim fire after all, igniting the charge at it's outer edge. While it is not the original rim fire, the rock lock possibly the longest lived rim fire of modern design, being 500 years or more years in age, spanning from about the 16th or 16th century to present, after all, they are still made, aren't they.
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In Pennsylvania one could use a flint rifle in the Fall/winter for Almost everything That walks on the ground, plus a bonus deer season in Jan. For flintlock. The flint rifle makes a lot of sense here for a one gun hunter.
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I have killed several turkeys with 50 cal. black powder rifles.
The shot of choice is broadside,aim right behind the leg,half way up.
Dead immediately, minimal meat loss.
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turkeys with rifles!!! I never hunt anything that is going to hunt me back, especially when armed with a rifle!!! ;D ;D ;D
Well..........do you believe in the right to keep and arm bears?
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Daryl - in BC the actual Hunting Regulation prohibits the use of centre fire cartridge rifles. Therefore muzzleloaders are legal.
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Spring turkey with a muzzle loading rifle is legal in Georgia, and the only way I've ever hunted them. As far as load goes, shoot what you shoot best. Ideally I dream of Thomas coming straight at me, and aim at the top of the "v"in the breast, where above that is neck. Never seems to work out that way. But I would rather miss cleanly than have a bird full of pellets or shot. I would suggest snap shooting off hand. I'm sure you'll be in some kind of blind so practice that way. Then practice some more. They rarely stay still for long. But Thomas can be as stupid as a buck when he thinks a hens around. Just triple check the regs for where you're hunting. The DNR is serious as a stroke when it comes to turkey in Ga. You can loose everything and have to buy it back at their auction. Seen it done over an honest mistake. You never can tell when you've harvested one with a microchip in it's wing, but they can. Good luck!
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I had a dozen or more big toms sweeping the ground with their beards (and drinking from a puddle) on a lane below me last deer season opener. Every now and then one would cast a "suspicious eye" up my way-a solid 15 yards away. I made dozens of pics. Probably "put sights" on 'em a time or two as well. You gotta move slow and easy-with the orange on and all. I was on the ground. Eventually they figured out I was "up to no good" and meandered away several minutes later, (but I could have circled back onto them-were there motivation.)
The Fall season for turkeys (in OCTOBER) had passed, and my rifle isn't a "legal arm", so I just made the pics and waited on a Buck.
This year we get 2 whole weeks in October for Fall Turkey, and I've never eaten/taken any (I fish in Spring) and REALLY want to get some of these birds into the larder. They're so thick and obnoxious in all three areas/counties I hunt. At deer camp, you have to be really careful to keep the turkey "goo" off your boots. They roost nearby and "litter" the cabin area grazing around each day.
I'm not interested in shotguns.
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Tks Jim- I suspect a game warden looking to make a name for him or her self might lay a charge - what would happen in court could be anybody's guess unless there is case law already.
The BC regulations do specify shotgun or rimfire, seems to me. Omitting to mention ML's might sway the judge to a guilty verdict if it has a rifled barrel. Of course arguing you use a multi-ball load would then put you back into the shotgun category.
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Here's a fall PA bird with a rifle.
(https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi268.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fjj8%2Fbragosta%2Fflintturkey003.jpg&hash=2a045f510fe2df0559458d7a8a1c91eaf45eae98)
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Here in Oklahoma it's shotguns only in the spring. In the Fall, rifles are legal, .36 cal minimum for muzzleloaders.