Since most of us seem to have our first successful turkey hunt etched into our memories, what type of gun, load, choke, and distance was your first turkey taken at? For the old time veterans, use your best recollection ;)
My first bird was taken in 1996 with an old Remington model 11, fixed full choke, Winchester Upland Heavy Game load (1-1/4oz of #6's at 1330 fps muzzle velocity) and at 45 yards.
I will never forget that bird coming in with 2 of his buddies, one shot put him down, while his buddies decided to peck and spur him for about a minute after the shot.
My first was in 1985 with a model 67 Springfield pump. That gun is still in my cabinet..The shells were winchester # 6's..not sure of the load.
Model 1300 Winchester. Modified fixed choke. I2ga. Handload. 1986 or so..
I killed my first turkey with a 20 gauge 870 express. It was my first gun. The summer of my twelfth birthday I painted every building on my parents place to pay for it. The shell was a Remington 3" nitro mag #4. I used the factory modified choke and shot the bird at over 50 yards.(It seemed possible to an excited 12 year old.) The hand to spur/wing combat that followed killed the bird! A hunt and shot I will never forget or repeat!!
2005
870 Express
Undertaker Choke Tube .665 I believe
3" Remington Nitro #4s
Come a long way since then
I killed my first bird in 1996 with a Mossberg Maverick 88 with a 24" pipe and flush Xfull choke. Gave him a taste of Fed 3" #4's at 30 yards.
Mossberg 835 with Ulti-mag full choke, Remington Nitros #5 3.5" @ 15 yards. It was a jake. Him and a buddy was walking in to my decoy setup and bam. When the shot it him it picked him up off the ground and threw him back. I was jacked up, LOL!
i was 13-14 years old. mossberg 500 with a imp cyl. choke tube shooting remington heavy dove load #6's. killed him at 8 yards and still my biggest bird to date
H&R single shot .410 3" who knows what shot. Didn't matter at 10 yards. I was 10.
Benelli Nova 12ga, factory full choke, 3" Win Supreme HV #5s... two of 'em, the first for the wing, the second tagged his head at 15yds
1988 , Remington 1100 2 3/4 inch gun , no camo , fixed full choke and winchester 6 shot turkey load. Calle him in my self and is one of my biggest birds to date.
In 1990 or 91, used a Browning A5 with a full choke barrel. Ammo was Federal #4, 2 3/4" Magnum shells. The bird had 10.5" beard and 1" spurs.
I called up two gobblers that came within 30 yds. of me. I took aim at the lead bird and let him have it.
I used a Preston Pittman double reed diaphram to call them up with and was wearing woodland camo fatigues.
Turkey hunting and hunting gear have really changed since then.
Well last year in late fall in the snow with my Mossey835 UTL Mag with A Carlson's .690 choke and HM 3 inch Mag Blends. Memorable hunt and a needed time away from it all. :gobble: :fud: :newmascot:
1994, 5 years old. Shooting an old Savage 949C single shot 20 with fixed full choke camo taped and 3" Winchester #6's. Grandpa called in 12 jakes and one walked by under 15 steps (don't remember exact) and I smoked him. The next came 7 years later and I have been on a murderous 2-5 per year streak since until this year and I haven't killed one.
Daman
Browning A-5 with a 28" full fixed choke. I shot him at about 5 steps in self-defense. He wanted some lovin and it was not going to be with me!
Spring 1978 using a H&R Topper/single 28" fixed FULL 12ga. 2 3/4" handloads #4 lead, homemade slate and peg caller and a small wingbone.I set up on the side of a loggin road on top of a large white oak stump that was about 4' off the ground and got lucky and called that gobbler down a hollow to 20/25 yards and laid the hammer down on him!My first spring turkey hunt and I have been hooked on spring turkey hunt'in and turkey call make'in ever since!!
Quote from: S.C.C on April 28, 2011, 07:45:39 PM
Spring 1978 using a H&R Topper/single 28" fixed FULL 12ga. 2 3/4" handloads #4 lead, homemade slate and peg caller and a small wingbone.I set up on the side of a loggin road on top of a large white oak stump that was about 4' of the ground and got lucky and called that gobbler down a hollow to 20/25 yards and laid the hammer down on him!My first spring turkey hunt and I have been hooked on spring turkey hunt'in and turkey call make'in ever since!!
Now that's a memorable hunt!
I used a .410 (not sure of the brand, it was borrowed) shooting 3" #6 lead loads in the spring of 1995. Dad called in 2 jakes and I rolled one of them. I was 7 at the time and have been hunting them hard ever since.
Remington 1187 shooting remington nitro mags a 15 lb jake I've been hOoked since
First bird in 1979. Killed him with a HR 10 gauge with 36 inch barrel, Remington #4's. Thing weighed like 9 pounds! Sold it and went to a 12 from then on.
1996, I was ten years old at the time. The gun was a Remington youth model 870 20 gauge. The shell I was using was a 3 inch winchester number 5 shot. I had missed two birds already that year and I finally connected on the third one.
A fixed modified choked 20 gauge Mossberg shooting Winchester #5's. I actually killed 3 birds with this exact setup, the first being a hen in the fall of 1999.
16 gauge Belgian Browning Auto 5 using a Remington 2 3/4" #4 lead improved cylinder 30 yards . killed second bird the next day,
Pause------
Quote from: Basser69 on April 28, 2011, 05:39:16 PMHe wanted some lovin and it was not going to be with me!
:TooFunny: :TooFunny: :TooFunny:
1987 with a moss.500 12ga fixed full with home rolled 2 3/4in 1 1/4 oz 7 1/2's. That was my first season I could hunt. I think it was a hen that fall dont remember now lol.
1995 and it was with a Steven's Model 94 single shot w/ Federal Premium 2 3/4" #6's. Only killed one turkey w/ it but still have it and hopefully will take it out this fall turkey season to hunt with it some more.
870 super mag, factory xfull extended turkey choke .687, rem nitro 3" 1.7/8oz 5's, the gun had a max range of 30yds killed one turkey with it the first time i ever stepped in the turkey woods, it probably put 25 in the 10" at 40yds lol
I have been hunting turkey 6 years. My first bird was killed with a Charles Daly Maxi Mag Auto. He had 8 inch beard weighed 21 lb. I should have kept the gun. But that's another story.
Remington 870 Express 21" barrel, Hastings .665 and the old O.D. Green hull Remington 2oz 4x6 @ about 18-20yds.
I went with a guy and we got out of the truck with this bird hammering away in the dark. I had never heard one gobble in the dark. We start walking and we are walking away from the bird. I was a little confused, but who was I to argue with the man. We make a big circle and sit down basically right under the bird. Dude yelps three times, I yelp three times and hear WHOOF! I look up and here he comes gliding through the trees.
HOLY STINKBAIT he's gonna land on me!
Of course he didn't, he hit the ground and blew up instantly in full strut and walks away to my right. I have no shot and he looks like a giant turkey top spinning around. I get shifted to the right and here he comes back to my left, frig. He is going round and round our decoys as I shift back to the left. Right about the time I draw down on him he flys into the air.
AHHHHH, he's leaving!!
He's not, he lands and goes all ninja on our jake decoy. After the whipping is over back to strut and become a turkey top, round and round and round. Right about the time I go to shoot straight back up in the air, hi ya! on the jake decoy again. I was about to passout from hyperventialtion. I somehow got out a whistle and he ran his head up and gave me the old evil eye, so I blew the top of his head off.
16lbs, 9.5" beard, 7/8" spurs
1981 or 82 Remington 1100 3inch 30 full choke worked all darn summer to earn enough money to buy it.Hunted with my next door neighbor we went 25 straight morning before we heard a turkey ,he called it up for me shot it with win super xx mag. 6's never forget it .
Oh the Maxi Mag had Federal Premium #6's choked by Star Dot choke. Dropped him at 40 yards.
original remington 870 wingmaster, 3 inch federals 4 shot.
870 Rem. with a rifle sighted 18 1/2" barrel with a hastings non ported 660 tube.
my dads old 16 gauge single shot with low brass 8 shot.i was shaking so bad i almost could not get the hammer back :lol:
Killed my first gobbler in the spring of '99. My dad hunted about everything but turkeys, and I had been begging him to just take me and I would try and call one myself. Called that turkey up the last weekend of missouri spring season and killed it with an H&R single barrel 12with 28 inch barrel and fixed full choke. Used winchester super-x 1 7/8 oz 6's. Killed the turkey at 46 steps, but the real kicker is I just patterned this gun two days ago and it puts about 5 shot in the kill zone at 30 yards with 5's or 6's. But number 4's it shoots really well. So i'm taking it to kill my second missouri bird with, one of those just because deals!!
P.S. that first tom is my biggest to date at 22.5 lbs, and there are 15 more
beards hanging by his and i'm only 25 years old hunting in a state with a two bird limit.
Just killed my first turkey three seasons ago; used a 12 gauge Mossberg 535, Primos Titewad choke, and Federal FliteControl 3" shell loaded with 1-3/4 oz. of #6 buffered lead shot.
Remington 870 Wingmaster. Sometime in the late 70's. Hunted with a full choke barrel and 5's and 6's. Eventually had the gun customized..21 in barrel, Hastings .665, polished barrel, lengthened forcing cone. Aimpoint first... now Tru glo adjustable sights. Still killing turkeys with it today..Fed HW 7's and Hevi 13 6's are the poison in it today. Everytime i kill a turkey with it i think about my ole dad and all the mornings he drug me out of bed to go after the wild turkey. First turkey was 11 3/4 in beard and a 5.5 in beard and 1 1/4 spurs. Big turkey for the south. Thats when the obsession began..
1974 I killed one with a 16ga. single shot with a full choke. My dad purchased the gun at a local Western Auto hardware store. My grandson now has the gun. The turkey was one of my better ones 21 lbs. 11 in. beard and 1 1/4 in. spurs. Called him up with an old Lynch box call. I didnt have a clue what I was doing but turkeys back then seemed alot easier to call.
Mossberg 500, 28" barrel, Mossberg X-Full flush choke. I've since changed to a 20" barrel with the same choke, one shot = one turkey for the last 27 in a row.
The gun was a Remington 870 SPST with an Extra Full RemChoke shooting Remington Premier Turkey Loads in #4 shot. The distance was around 20 yards. The year was 1993. I still use the same gun today with a few modifications.
The same Mossberg 835 ultimag that I still use 18 years later.
I wonder if anybody else used on of these?
model 1901 Winchester lever action 10 gauge
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b136/eripp/guns0008.jpg)
I wonder if I should hold on to it for sentimental reasons or sell it. I need to make room in my gun cabinet.
I shot my first turkey (in the fall) with a Mossy 500 I bought in high school...back in the '80's. If I remember correctly, I used the factory flush XFull tube, single bead, and a Win XX 3-2-6 (might have been a 3-1 7/8-6...it was a red shell, anyway). I yanked it out of the closet a few years ago, slapped an Undertaker and a set of Truglo sites on it (clearance from Walmart for $13), grabbed some old XX 3-2-6's, and she still worked just fine (see pic)... :)
(BTW, my first spring bird was taken with a Mossy 835, factory XFull tube, double beads, and a Remington 3.5-2.25-6.)
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b209/stinkpickle/050307oldgun.jpg)
I believe in the fall of 91' using a borrowed mossy 500 3" federal (pre f.c.) lol..#4's....oh that first bird....good times :you_rock:
1984...took a nice, big spring jake in the mountains with the old man. Used an old Stevens pump 12 gauge with a fixed modified choke and 3" Remington Nitro Magnum lead 4's. I can still feel the pain in my shoulder from the hard butt plate! I still have the gun and wouldn't trade it for a million bucks.
1187 SP with a Rino 660 choke..busted his head for em
Remington 870 2 3/4", equipped with a Lyman adjustable choke screwed down to full, WW 2 3/4" magnum #6. Took a public land jake. Still have the gun. Put on a saddle mount, opened the choke to IC, sighted in with rifle slugs and it also took my first deer.
1968 with a 22 rifle
Rem 870 express 12 gauge with a modified choke I think and an 18" barrel, I borrowed from my brother. Using Remington 2 3/4" shells shooting 1 1/8 oz of #6. Killed him at 27 yds.
Now I shoot an 835 with a 20" barrel, IC .710 choke, and TSS 2 oz #8.
1978 in Prince George County Virginia
12ga H&R® Mdl 058 28" MOD fixed choke barrel
Winchester® Super-X® 3" Mag 1 5/8oz of #4Pb
Shot at approx 35 yds
A Sharp Stick.
I used a Mossberg 500 that my Dad gave me for Christmas when I was 12.
The first turkey I shot was in the fall of 1978 using a Mossberg 500 with a fixed full choke barrel with a bead in the front. I used a High Brass 2 3/4 in Winchester #6 shot.
The first turkey I shot was in the fall of 1978 using a Mossberg 500 with a fixed full choke barrel with a bead in the front. I used a High Brass 2 3/4 in Winchester XX #6 shot.
Remington 870
A 2 3/4 Remington 1100 20 gauge with Winchester xx magnum #6 shot at 32 yards in 1980
Remington 1100...12ga...2 3/4"...28"modified barrel...#6 shot winchester XX back in1980.
Remington 870 and some kind of 18 dollar turkey choke with federal #5 copper plated shot. Bird was probably 55 yards. Like someone else said, it looked plenty close enough for an excited 15 year old, and I learned from that hunt to step on the head rather than grab it when they still have some life left.
Ithaca Model 37 with Remington #6 lead in 1988 in Allegany County, Md. Bird had 1.25-inch spurs.
ive been hunting for 5 years on game land and haven't killed one yet but i would much rather turkey hunt that deer hunt already. ive killed 8 deer including a 155 inch 10 point
870 12 ga.30" barrel full choke in 1983.
Rem. 870 28in barrel factory turkey choke with Win (Red) XX Shell.
First ever was a hen shot while grouse hunting in Virginia. First Gobbler was during muzzleloader season about 15 years ago. First spring gobbler was in Texas in 1994 and it was shot with a 1187 SP.
Quote from: cgarner1 on May 08, 2011, 08:32:38 PM
ive been hunting for 5 years on game land and haven't killed one yet but i would much rather turkey hunt that deer hunt already. ive killed 8 deer including a 155 inch 10 point
Hang in there, it took me five years for the first one and i was hunting private ground with many gobblers. When you get it, it will be worth it. For many of us, no other sport compares.
Okay, this is one of those "best recollection" ones. I killed my first turkey on my Uncle's lease in LA (Lower Alabama) in 1966 at the age of 14. The gun was a break action Revelation (Western Auto brand) 12 ga. with a 30" full choke barrel. I got it for Christmas that past winter and it was a pretty big gun for a kid my size. The shell was a 2 3/4" "High Brass" load of #4s. I had an old box call of some sort. I don't remember the brand but it had a leather thong run through the handle to keep it quiet.
I told the old man that lived on the lease and ran the dogs for us during deer season that I wanted to kill a turkey. He grinned and said: "Well boy, I wouldn't tell the other fellas about it, but if you'll walk down the the logging road past the cabin about 200 yards, there's another log road that turns off to the left. You just turn down that road and walk about 50 yards and a big tom will be there." Being young and full of hope I did just that. When I got just about to the spot he told me about, sure enough this big tom goes running down the road in front of me. I pull the gun up and fired at him zigzagging down the road. At the shot he took off flying and climbed above the tree tops and started to disappear. Just before he got out of sight he turned around and started flying back toward me. By the time he got back above me I had another shell in that old goose gun and as he went over me I let him have one straight up. He crashed into the woods stone dead. We ate him for supper that night at the cabin. He had a long beard and spurs long enough to gouge my hand on the walk back to the cabin but no mention was made of measuring anything. Talk about a proud turkey hunter......
A Remington 870 Express with Winchester 3" 5's. 28" barrel and...shoot, what's the choke that Wal Mart sold and now everyone wants one and they're no longer made? ???
Old Timer's ain't for sissies! :help:
I had to borrow someone else's gun because my brand new 870 Supermagnum's safety was LOCKED and the key was back in the truck. Very embarrassing. :angry9:
It was 1994 my first season hunting turkeys. I had just bought my first friction call the nite before. (May 1st opening day NY)
call was a quaker boy slate on 1 side glass on the other. I had roosted a couple of birds the nite before and snuck in to about 50yds in
the morning i watched my bird fly down the opposite way. I thought all was gone so I began calling wouldn't you know i called in 5 toms
and 1 jake. I remember hearing how hard it was to get one of these things so the jake gave me the first good shot and thats all she
wrote 16lbs 3" beard. All with my Rem 870 black synthetic stock. Hooked for life.
I got my first gobbler with my fathers benelli super 90. have no idea what i was using for shells and choke, but when i shot him and he flipped over on to hin face, I shot him again..... just because. he wasnt moving and i wish i could remember what i was thinking, but i shot him again. double tap baby
Winchester model 12 2 3/4 12 ga. 30" fixed full shooting high brass #6 shot, spring of 1972. 9" beard 7/8"spurs and 17 pounds.
Quote from: drenalinld on May 10, 2011, 10:35:15 PM
Quote from: cgarner1 on May 08, 2011, 08:32:38 PM
ive been hunting for 5 years on game land and haven't killed one yet but i would much rather turkey hunt that deer hunt already. ive killed 8 deer including a 155 inch 10 point
Hang in there, it took me five years for the first one and i was hunting private ground with many gobblers. When you get it, it will be worth it. For many of us, no other sport compares.
Yep. And about the time you think you got em figured out, they throw you a curve ball. That makes it even better. I still get a chuckle when someone says they got turkey hunting down cold. Just keep pluggin away.
First spring gobbler I called in and killed was in the late to middle 60's and killed it with a 22 at about 20yds. I know I killed some before that, but can't remember exactly. That was the first one I called in....never forget that one.
2002 stoeger condor o/u - federal 3 inch #6 - stardot choke - right around 40 yds
My first turkey was in 2000. I used a Remington 1100 that my papa gave me when I was younger. It was a 2 3/4 with a fixed full choke. I was shooting Winchester turkey shot. I think the bird was shot at about 35 yards.
i used a 870 wingmaster 3 inch.that was back in 1971. 25 lb bird shade over 12 inch beard.biggest bird i ever killed.i was a very happy 14 year old.
I have used my trusty old 500 for the last 20+ years. Primarily for Deer (20" brl w adjustable sights) and Pheasant (28" ventilated rib). Used the later barrel with the original Full Choke tube screwed in and Winchester 3" #5's this year on my first Turkey Hunt. She bagged a nice Gobbler for me. It's not pretty, but has put lots of meat in the freezer over the years.
I can remember it like it was yesterday .It was 1985 , I was using a Savage 24v , Hornet / 20 gauge . I was in Huntington County Pa . The load I was using was a 3 inch Federal 4x6 , it worked well out to 35 yards and the hornet shot well out to 75 yards with v open sights . The tom fell to the Federal 4x6 and It was a beautiful fall day . I can remember being very excited , I was just as excited a couple day ago when another Tom fell to the roar from my Mossberg 20 gauge .
870 with winn supreme #4's.