Are You Sticking with Lead Next Season, or Jumping to HTL?

[chatterbox]

I vacillate on this topic all the time.
However, this time I must confess I'm jumping on the HTL train. My new 835 shoots the 3.5 shells very well, so I'm gonna get some 3.5-2.25-6 Hevi-13 to feed her.
I like the ability to smash a gobblers head if they won't budge from 50 or so yards. I cannot do the same with Pb.
I can think of at least two occasions that I could've shot had I had the HTL. I just wouldn't pull the trigger with the lead.

[LBSS]

I think if I handloaded I could get the desired results with premium Nickel plated pb loads but I dnt at the moment so im going to try the hevi6s

[3" 870 Shell Shucker]

I normally load up HTL when I go to the woods, but I must confess that I'm still buying Lead Turkey Loads whenever I find a deal.  I have a stockpile of:

PMC 3" 2 ounce 4's
WIN 3" 1.75 ounce 5's
PMC 3" 2 ounce 6's
REM 3" 1.875 ounce 4x6's
3" 1.875 ounce 4x6x7.5's I rigged up myself

I have a lifetime supply.

[Spring Creek Calls]

I use both. I do believe my kill ratio is better with lead, just because I know I'm not Superman while shooting them and let the "long shots" pass.

[WildTigerTrout]

I have some HTL but have a lifetime supply of lead so will more the likely still use the old fashioned lead. Never had a problem killing them with lead.

[Kylongspur88]

I carry both now. No need for me to burn a $5 shell in the woods here when you are lucky to get 35 yards.

[DKA]

Have used lead from day 1 and intend to stick with lead until something better that what is available now.

[jtg88]

I'm sticking with HTL due to having a good stock pile.  If the prices of Hevi keep rising, when I run out, I'll be going back to straight lead.

[surehuntsalot]

I have enough lead loads to last me the rest of my years on this earth,and my son,and grandson

[trkehunr93]

I made the jump to Hevi in '06 and haven't looked back but now that I am needing to restock I cannot justify the price anymore and ran across 11 boxes of Win. Supreme HV 3.5" #6's and 4 boxes of Win. Supreme HV 3.5" #5's for $8.00 a box and grabbed them all up, that is $0.80 a shell versus's $3.19 a shell for Hevi 3.5" after the mail in rebate.  I killed alot with lead before '06 and I figure I can do just as good with it once I run out of my stock of Hevi-13 I have now.

[MossRem]

LEAD ONLY DO YOUR JOB AS A CALLER AND GET THEM IN CLOSE

I agree with that. Lead for me, again this year. I want the turkey to be close enough where I can know for sure that he's a gobbler and where I know my shot column can deck the bird with no chance of escape. If other hunters want to hunt further out than 35 yards, that's their choice. I want to hunt my turkeys "old school" the way my grandfather and great-grandfather did: up close and personal.
Lead shot works fine for that, just like it did for Charlie Elliott, Archibald Rutledge, and all the other classic old-time turkey hunters.

[dawei]

LEAD ONLY DO YOUR JOB AS A CALLER AND GET THEM IN CLOSE

I agree with that. Lead for me, again this year. I want the turkey to be close enough where I can know for sure that he's a gobbler and where I know my shot column can deck the bird with no chance of escape. If other hunters want to hunt further out than 35 yards, that's their choice. I want to hunt my turkeys "old school" the way my grandfather and great-grandfather did: up close and personal.
Lead shot works fine for that, just like it did for Charlie Elliott, Archibald Rutledge, and all the other classic old-time turkey hunters.

100% Spot On!

[WildTigerTrout]

LEAD ONLY DO YOUR JOB AS A CALLER AND GET THEM IN CLOSE

I agree with that. Lead for me, again this year. I want the turkey to be close enough where I can know for sure that he's a gobbler and where I know my shot column can deck the bird with no chance of escape. If other hunters want to hunt further out than 35 yards, that's their choice. I want to hunt my turkeys "old school" the way my grandfather and great-grandfather did: up close and personal.
Lead shot works fine for that, just like it did for Charlie Elliott, Archibald Rutledge, and all the other classic old-time turkey hunters.

100% Spot On!

+1. Sometimes I wonder how we ever killed turkeys before HTL came about

[BrowningGuy88]

I jumped big on the HTL train. Wasn't going to, but I found some deals and put off buying the SX3 at least until next year so I am running the 20 again this year.

As far as calling them in, I have killed 29 toms and only shot 4 over 40 steps. Just because people run HTL doesn't mean they shoot at unethical distances - some do, but not all. I do not intend to change anything I am doing as far as hunting other than shooting more dense patterns with a harder shot.

[MossRem]

If I sounded scornful about hunters who use HTL, I never meant to. What I said in my post was that if people wanted to shoot turkeys past 35 yartds, that's their choice. I was not out to insult anyone or their ethics in shooting turkeys.
I don't find anything unethical about a hunter taking a 40 or 50 yard or more shot if they can pull it off and don't wound turkeys. I just said that this type of hunting is not my "cup of tea".
I don't want to take chances, shooting a hen, as I said. Having the turkey in chose enough means there's little doubt that I'll make that mistake.