It’s been over 20 years since the lat time I went turkey hunting and gave my shotgun to my boy back then. Well, this year I going to give it another go because I just retired. I do have a few shotguns for upland birds, what is a good type of shotgun to use for turkeys? I understand opinions will very and be somewhat different, but I have no idea really because it’s been so many years. What should I look for, and what should I avoid?

Thanks,

Jerry

My 2010 bow hunt turkey: This was an awesome hunt because this was the first time calling a gobbler in on my own. I set out before daylight & set up with my decoys in an area with no action so I decided to go to a whole different area and hike way back into a deep swampy woods where I know a lot of turkeys roost. Got way back in there and about got lost it was so thick. Then I thought I heard a gobble way off on the next farm over so I sat real quiet for a minute and heard him again, just barely, so I made the absolute loudest 3 cluck call I could make and he responded! I quickly moved to an area where there was a little bit of a clearing so I could set-up my decoys in it and then I backed off and to the side to sit at the base of a big double trunk tree. Over the next 10 minutes it was me clucking with a few key keys here and there and him closing the distance gobbling every time I called. When he got probably inside 100 yards, he started circling me to my left and got quiet, so I stayed quiet for a couple minutes and then let out a couple real soft clucks and he gobbled big time from about 50 yards away, further to my left and in some really thick stuff, so I swung the gun around and strained to see anything. Then I saw him in bits and pieces from about 45 yards out and at 35 yards he appeared between a couple trees and I smoked him! I was using my 870 Remington 12 ga and a Remington 3”mag, 5 shot, Express turkey load. He had a fat 9.5 in beard, 3/4 in plus spurs, a big fat snoodle and he weighed in at 22 lbs.

Here’s the video from right after I got him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pDLznYjvWY

My opening day Turkey fan and told the taxidermist to leave the white striped tail feather visible, as that is how I always recognized him on trail camera and before I shot.He said he had never seen stripes that pronounced before on the tail feathers. He also has the fullest beard out of any tom I’ve killed.

Here is some pictures (9.25 inch beard. 23 Pounds 1 Inch spurs) of my biggest Spring gobbler yet.[/IMG]

I went out and set up two of my trail cameras for the last couple of weeks hoping to catch some turkeys going through (at least what I thought were) strut zones and feeding areas, and having absolutely zero luck getting toms or even jakes.

Now when it comes to hens, I am getting lots and lot’s of photos, but not a single tom or jake in two weeks of running the cameras. One camera I had in a bottom where we see a lot of turkeys late morning/early afternoon, the other on a small open area located in a hardwoods area where we have seen lots of strutters in the past. Both locations are producing hen photos, but no male birds. Is there anything different I can do as far as setups to find a male bird, or is it just luck and me not having any of it? It’s a little late in the season now to get help with this, but for next year maybe someone can shed some light on this.