40 yard turkey

[Jwamja]

TSS #9 is very lethal and effective. It’s designed to kill at distance and maximize the number of pellets that will hit the vitals of a turkeys head/neck. Ultimately, it comes down to what you prefer as a caller and hunter. A good medium to consider are Hevi-Shot loads. They are typically a blend of different metals and pellet sizes. I have killed birds anywhere from 4 yards out to 62 yards with these shells. They pattern great and minimize the risk of having a pattern that’s too tight like you’re mentioning.

 

[eamyrick]

I just switched over to TSS. Like someone mentioned earlier, I’m trying to kill ‘em not taking them to the movies. Everyone has their thing. I don’t use decoys. Have killed my last 5 with a slate call and 20 gauge/lead but sometimes when I can only get out 4-5 days a year I’d like to touch some feathers on the last evening.

I found an older Winchester 1300 and shoot the factory extra-full. With Apex TSS, the pattern is super even at 25-50. The limiting factor for me is alignment of a bead past 45 or so.

 

[cuttiebrownbow]

I really like that 30-40 yard range to shoot birds. If you end up with pellets in your turkey’s breast that is unacceptable to me.

A pellet ripped body is the result I’ve seen from super long shots - that typically occur with tss.

Hell I get less pellets in the body with a skeet tube on upland birds than some turkeys I see that get posted.

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[S.Clancy]

I've always just shot lead or steel and killed birds to 50. I've only crippled one bird, and that was from a shot I prob shouldn't have taken and my gun jammed after the first one so I couldn't get a follow up. I killed 3 last year, max was prob 50 ish. I pattern my gun to 60, but have never shot that far. Our season starts Saturday, hope to dust one of them buggers

 

[Hnthrdr]

If it's a western guy, it's probably because they don't care. We are over run with turkeys. There's a half million people in spokane and the damn things have taken over every park and most yards. If they'd let us kill them with air rifles, 22's, flame throwers and poison....it would happen here.

They're essentially lice here.

Tasty lice, live trap some and let ‘em go in Co.
finding a mountain bird is like finding a needle and a haystack most days. Going to test out the new .410 w/ tss this year. It was putting 110 pellets in 10-in at 40 yards

 

[Swamppirate]

I just switched over to TSS. Like someone mentioned earlier, I’m trying to kill ‘em not taking them to the movies. Everyone has their thing. I don’t use decoys. Have killed my last 5 with a slate call and 20 gauge/lead but sometimes when I can only get out 4-5 days a year I’d like to touch some feathers on the last evening.

I found an older Winchester 1300 and shoot the factory extra-full. With Apex TSS, the pattern is super even at 25-50. The limiting factor for me is alignment of a bead past 45 or so.

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Consider a red dot. I use a Burris Fastfire on my little 20.

 

[eamyrick]

Consider a red dot. I use a Burris Fastfire on my little 20.

Hell with a red dot and an Indian Creek .660 this sucker wouldn’t be fair. Where I hunt 40 seems pretty far. I was using Longbeard out of a 20 gauge o/u forever but never felt great past 35 which is sometimes where they decide to do Turkey nonsense.

 

[Codychapman93]

Birds in our area seem to be scared of Tom decoys, and very rarely decoy


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[WCB]

For the guys saying shooting Turkeys long range or the "new shells/TSS craze" is an issue and basically saying they are un-needed or over kill....So are #4,5, and 6 traditional Turkey loads. 30 yards and in Turkeys will die just the same with a #7 or #7.5 lead trap load properly patterned. People act like these thinks are mystical armor plated unicorns.

This is really the same argument of guys not wanting anyone to shoot beyond 200 yards for deer or archery guys vs rifle guys etc. There are plenty of Turkeys wounded within 40 yards and closer. I would more than likely put the increased wounding on poor shot choice not attributed to distance exactly but attributed to not properly patterning the gun and not practicing at those distances. Main thing I hear is "what choke is best I don't want to have to pattern those TSS because they are too expensive". That is not the fault of TSS....that is the fault of lazy ass hunters.

 

[Honyock]

IMHO, if you want to improve your accuracy, which can also increase your effective distance, put a red dot on it and practice. You shoot a turkey gun like a rifle and not a bird gun. I've killed several at 45 yards with Winchester XR Longbeard and a red dot on the 870. I think the problem with the TSS at 60+ yards and shooting deer at 400+ yards is that most people don't practice at those distances. If you've practiced at that distance with the same ammo you will use hunting and are proficient at that distance, go for it. Just because your new scope has higher magnification and hash marks for 400, 500, etc, doesn't mean you should be shooting at a deer at that distance when you've never practiced at more than 200.

 

[j_volt]

I am in the minority, but I am not a fan of red dots... I am rough on gear and hate having another thing to fail.

I have shot 3 birds so far this spring at 42, 45, and 20. I agree that long shots at turkeys are a little like kissing your cousin, but I get much more titillated from situations like the bird I called in to 45 on Saturday compared to fanning one to 10 yards.

I try to not shoot past 50, but I have put my #9 TSS on paper to 80, and there are not any turkey head sized holes in the pattern.

 

[Turkeytider]

I know that my gun and load will shoot further, but if I can`t get him inside of 40 yards he`ll be talking to the hens the next morning. I have a mortal fear of crippling one of those magnificent birds, it would ruin my entire season. I don`t want him to know what hit him. I owe him that.

 

[Limbhanger]

I know shotguns will pattern well enough to go beyond 40 yds but what happens when you have a bird at 20 yds and your pattern in no bigger than 2" in dia ?
I guess my question is Would you want to have a really tight pattern at 50 yds to show off and limit yourself on close quarters shots or have a pattern that will get the job done out to 40 yds with little chance of a miss or wounding an bird ?

I agree, most want to blow out the 10 ring at 40 yards, which I never understood?

I made the switch to TSS with a 20 gauge a few years ago, and just shoot factory Federals. All I know every turkey target I have shot are all dead birds at 40.

But nowadays most will say the Federals are junk, because they want to blow out the 10 ring. As Apex, Foxtrot and others probably are better loads? But why switch when the Federals work out to max range of 40 and still have a decent pattern at 20, whereas the better loads will be even tighter at 20?, makes no sense to me, unless their true intentions are to shoot 50-60 yards?

 

[actionshooter]

This really surprises me... I never really paid attention to everyone else's range... I'm shooting #4 Fed premium turkey out of an old 870 and last year killed one at 57yds last year and this year have already taken one at 52yds.... doesn't seem odd to me... never had a problem, pattern and practice...

 

[Fowl Play]

My personal belief, the advent of red dots and TSS has resulted in LESS wounded birds and more birds in the beds of trucks. The percentage making reckless shots is going to remain constant no matter what round they have in the gun. For everyone else, a higher performing round and site system just adds forgiveness.

I know so many good turkey hunters who look down upon the "youngins" with the $10 turkey rounds and fancy red dots on their guns, but I guarantee you, the guy running that new fangled system will wound way fewer birds over his hunting career keeping his shots under 60 yards, than the experienced hunter running a single bead, lead, and "keeping it under 40" will. Merely sighting in a red dot likely already makes you more responsible than 75% of turkey hunters who think their lead #5's are good to 40 yards, but have never patterned their gun.

 

[Honyock]

My personal belief, the advent of red dots and TSS has resulted in LESS wounded birds and more birds in the beds of trucks. The percentage making reckless shots is going to remain constant no matter what round they have in the gun. For everyone else, a higher performing round and site system just adds forgiveness.

I know so many good turkey hunters who look down upon the "youngins" with the $10 turkey rounds and fancy red dots on their guns, but I guarantee you, the guy running that new fangled system will wound way fewer birds over his hunting career keeping his shots under 60 yards, than the experienced hunter running a single bead, lead, and "keeping it under 40" will. Merely sighting in a red dot likely already makes you more responsible than 75% of turkey hunters who think their lead #5's are good to 40 yards, but have never patterned their gun.

When they get older, they will learn to appreciate a red dot. I have old man eyes and the red dot on the turkey gun and an illuminated reticle on a scope makes a big difference to me. Also makes shooting the little bastards easier when you are trying to twist around because they never come the way you're set up.