Been wondering about hunting turkey with a 22 ?
I have an OLD scoped Marlin and I can shoot the heads off matches with it.
That's all I ever used squirrel hunting and hit em in the eye or just behind it...I hate biting into shot.
Worth a try? Or stay with the shot gun?
The first question you need to ask yourself is "is it legal"? I thought South Dakota was the only state that allowed rifles to be used for turkey hunting.
In West Virginia they are legal.
Firearms and bows legal for hunting
wild turkey:
Wild turkey may be hunted with rifles, handguns, muzzleloaders,
shotguns, or bows (see exception for Youth Spring Gobbler Season
on page 33).
Even if legal, I'd stick to the scattergun as my primary weapon. If it was legal down here I think would try it maybe once just to say I did. There are a few guys on here that use pellet guns and I think that would be a real challenge.
In Pennsylvania it is legal in most of the state to hunt with rifles for fall turkey. There is no regulations on how big of a rifle you can use and I don't really agree with that. The main reason is because there are guys bow hunting deer when fall turkey is in .I know I wouldn't like someone shooting a highpower at a turkey from a few hundred yards away when I'm in a tree on the edge of a field.now if you want to use your .22 (not a highpower) you would have to get fairly close ( shotgun range), I say go for it if legal in your state.
I personally would stay with a shotgun even if the 22 were legal. But if its legal and something you feel you want to do then try it.
They are legal here in WV but i wish they were made illegal everywhere!! I know way too many people, including a few people very close to me that have been shot and killed with a 22 rifle here while turkey hunting. My opinion on them is, its WAY too thick in the spring to be shooting a turkey with a 22 rifle, and alot of people take too long of shots or try and sneak in on calling and shoot at movement or sound. If a guy is sneaking in on you with a shotgun you can wave him or holler him off before he gets in range, a guy sneaking in with a rifle is in range and you probably dont even see him, way too dangerous in my opinion and i for one will never ever do it. but to each his own.
scares me to even think of a rifle in the spring turkey woods
sure was glad when they outlawed them here
First, I do not like the idea of turkey hunting with any type of rifle, however, I feel that if you are proficient enough to shoot a turkey in the head with a 22 it would be a unique way of taking a bird. I say go for it.
I agree with the folks who say to stick with the shotgun. I have hunted South Dakota twice and didn't even consider carrying a rifle with me even though it was legal.
I won't knock ya if you can hit one in the head with a .22 and want to give it a try. I would probably shoot one with my .17 if it were legal here in Missouri just to say I did it.
BTW, did Texas outlaw rifles since I last hunted down there?
Quote from: surehuntsalot on August 17, 2012, 04:47:32 PM
scares me to even think of a rifle in the spring turkey woods
sure was glad when they outlawed them here
Me too. Especially on public land.
I say got for it ,,One of my favorite guns for fall turkey is 223 over 12
To each his own but I will stick to my scatter gun where he is close enough to watch his snood bounce around every time he shakes his head. :icon_thumright:
Sniping turkeys from a long range with centerfires or magnum rimfires is something I think should not be allowed. I understand the argument that a standard 22 rimfire limits the range to more that of a shotgun but the problem is that 22 bullet carrys a lot of energy at a much further distance than a #6 pellet. Combine that with the fact that turkey shots are generally parallel to the ground and the chance of hitting another hunter greatly increases. We shouldn't stalk turkeys but we often move on a bird. You can never predict when a gobbling turkey has called in another hunter.
I'm firmly in the camp that says hunt turkeys with shotguns, never with rifles. That being said, I'm also in the camp that says that if it's legal, it's legal and you should make your own moral and ethical choices. If TClark is that good of a shot with a .22 and is comfortable in this choice, I see no problem with it, but my personal code dictates that I use bow or shotgun.
They just banned use of rim-fire rifles on Florida WMA's 2 years ago
This thread is a lot more civilized than the same subject a while back....... :icon_thumright: