new to the game

[irishff727]

Hello all Irish here, my real name is John. I live in southern Florida and this will be my first season going after gobblers. I have hunted for other game in my histroy including deer, hog amd even the occasional tree rat. This small game season why going after tree rats I have been noticing a ton of turkeys. And I mean a ton, came through a brush clearing at one spot and there must have been 20 to 30 turkeys just hanging out. So after my small game season of seeing a ton of birds I have decided to give it a chance. I recently picked up a Winchester 1300 for a sweet deal and I figured that I would make this gun my turkey gun. My other shotguns are tuned up for either waterfowl or hog hunting and don't want to tune them for turkeys and have to retune them for their purpose. The gun came with a tru glow turkey choke. The barrel was all shiney with some rust spots but the wood stock was prestine so I duracoated the barrel and reciever matte black to kill some of the shiney ness. Took the gun out with some remington turkey loads and started my patterning process. i seem to be getting great groups with this setup. But then again I am not truly sure of what is a tight pattern for turkey hunting. I ranged out at 10 yrds, 20 yrds and 30 yards. Not sure if i should be attempting to "reach out and touch em" any farther. But at ten yards i would say the majority of my shot it dead on with the head and neck region with point of aim being slightly below mid neck line. 20 yards i tried to keep them point of aim around the same and obivously lost some shot density but @ 30 it seems to be really spread out say less than half of my shot was in the vital zone. i believe the shot was #6 3" magnum loads.

So onto my question after a brief history of what I have done so far.
Anyone else using a 1300 for turkey hunting?
If so any choke brands that you have found that work out better than the tru glow?
And ammo that in your exp patterns better than the Rem. Would like to try to avoid buying 10 different boxes to only find one that works well.
I read the cover up section on tips and tricks and I have a v shaped pvc frame covered with netting that I normally shove odds and ends into depending on the area I am hunting. and i usually "prep" it the day before a hunt. So do you guys recommend ground blinds or no? i figure the more i am concealed the better.

Calls, I have purchased a beginner pack of diaphram mouth calls from bully calls based on a recommendation from a buddy. figured 3 calls for 15 bucks wasn't a bad way to start out. Was also thinking about picking up a box call and possibly a slate all from the same company.

been watching some you tube videos on calling for clucks, cuts, purs and other various sounds.

turkey vest? is it neccessary?

So I know this is a long post but figured i would get some of my question out right off the bat, thanks ahead of time for any info you guys have to offer up.

John

[Skeeterbait]

Well lets see what I can answer for you.  Turkey targets are fun to shoot at but most of us prefer to look at the number of pellets in a 10 inch circle at the center of your pattern.  Basically any distance where you can get 100 or more pellets in that 10 inch circle you can confidently shoot at a turkey at that distance.  Once you move beyond that distance though you then know what the limit of your equipment is.  It is of course important that you can center that pattern on your target also. If the gun does not center that pattern on the target then at a minimum look into rib mounted adjustable sights like magnum gobble dots or move on to some form of optic, many prefer a reflex sight.

Once you find the maximum range your gun will put 100 or more pellets in a 10 inch circle then decide if that is far enough.  Most of us want to be able to cleanly kill at 40 yards.  If your not happy with the maximum range you are getting then you start considering changing chokes or shells or both.  Moving from lead to Winchester Xtended Range, Hevi Shot or other heaver than lead shot will give you instant tighter groups but at a higher cost.  And/or you can try different chokes.  Lots of good chokes out there, Indian Creek, Jelly Head, Pure Gold, The Sum Toy, and others that may shoot tighter than your Tru Glo.

Blinds are a personal choice dictated by your hunting preferences and the type of area you hunt.  In woods I think they are totally unnecessary, In fields maybe.  If you want to set up and wait they are fine.  If you want to be mobile and go find a cooperative tom then they are not needed.  Concealment is important but not near as important as being still.  I prefer 3D camo.  So basically I am wearing my blind.  But decent camo and sit still is good enough.  Cover your hands and face too.

Learning a diaphram is good, For sure get a box, probably the easiest to learn on.  A slate takes a bit more practice like the diaphram.  Even a quality push pin yelper can kill toms.

Is a vest necessary?  Well your probably going to get tired of carrying your stuff in your pockets and having to unload your pockets when you get home every day.  You need something to carry your equipment in, be it a vest, fanny pack, back pack or what ever.  Most turkey hunters find a simple vest to be the easiest and most convienant.  The game bag is handy for carrying extra clothes or carrying the clothes you shed as the day gets warmer.  It is easy to get to your equipment while sitting on the ground in a vest.  A pad attached to the vest can help sit more still and insulate you from wet ground.

[mikejd]

Welcome aboard. This is a great place to hang out. The knowledge on this site will have you a pro in no time. Lol. As for your new quest for turkeys that will no doubt be a full blown addiction by the end of this season.
Lets get to a fee of your questions.
I have many different turkey guns but I must say my favorite is my 1300. Not that its a better gun then the others but because it just is. I have become so comfortable with it that its an extention of my arm. I have tried dozens of chokes and round combos through it that I can narrow your search. I have found the Indian creek black diamond to pattern the best. I am shooting Hevi shot mag blends at this time but shot lead for many years with Winchester HV's shooting the best hands down. There are some great custom chokes out there with some of the makers right on this site. I will say I have not actually tried any of these yet but I am sure they will be great performers as well.
Anyway I would begin with the IC if you can. And probably want to begin with lead.
I also recommend first deep cleaning your barrel. It is an easy project and will make your gun perform much better. I believe there is a sticky that has a great tutorial on how to do it. After that go out and play with it. I would shoot out to 40yds max so you know what The gun is capable.
I hope this helps.
Good luck with your gun and your new found passion.

[irishff727]

Deep cleaning?? Gonna have to look for that

insert witty saying here

[BrowningGuy88]

I have a Winny 1300 from the 80's - the NWTF edition. For 20 years it killed birds with Winchester XX Mag 3" 2 ounce #6's in lead with the Factory X-Full choke. When my granddad passed it over to me, I put a XXX-Full Comp-n-Choke in it and ran the same Winchester lead loads. I killed quite a few birds with it.

Then last year I bought a box of NITRO's (not Remington') in 4x5x7 shot and shot them through a Jellyhead choke and wow what a difference!

That said, after those NITRO's run out I will screw the CNC back in and shoot Winchester lead out of it for those nostalgia hunts.

Point being - Winchester Lead and any good choke should put you in the 40 yard kill range. I would start with a Pure Gold or Indian Creek and Winchester High Velocity 3" 1.75 ounce #6's.

[TrackeySauresRex]

 

Welcome aboard. This is a great place to hang out. The knowledge on this site will have you a pro in no time. Lol. As for your new quest for turkeys that will no doubt be a full blown addiction by the end of this season. 

You pick the right place too learn about turkey!
One tip I can give you is just keep it simple. A box,slate or glass. And a couple of mouth calls will get you going. And like Skeeter said, push pins are great and easy to learn.
As far as the calls, you can look at the custom section. You will get a great sounding call that will last a long time. It  all depends what you want to spend. Mouth calls,the thinner the latex the easier to blow. Hooks is one of the favorites here on O.G.
  To me a vest is a must, something with a good seat attached. You want to be comfortable for a long sit (just in case). You will be surprised how fast you will fill it up. 
You can use the search engine about you gun,choke and ammo. Also the cleaning sticky for optimum performance.
When my son was younger I used a small H.S fold up blind,they do work. It helped conceal his movement and break up our outline. I don't think you'll need one if your still.

[irishff727]

Thanks for all the info guys. Liking what I am hearing so far as it has lead me to believe a lot of my gut feelings have been correct. Definately gonna give some of the Winchester ammo a chance... If I can find it. Lately the only stuff around me has been hevi shot. Which is a lil rich for my blood but maybe I will just have to bite the bullet if I wanna kill some birds

insert witty saying here

[BrowningGuy88]

Thanks for all the info guys. Liking what I am hearing so far as it has lead me to believe a lot of my gut feelings have been correct. Definately gonna give some of the Winchester ammo a chance... If I can find it. Lately the only stuff around me has been hevi shot. Which is a lil rich for my blood but maybe I will just have to bite the bullet if I wanna kill some birds

insert witty saying here

On here most of us are chasing numbers to some extent. You don't have to turn 300 pellets in a 10" circle at 40 yards to kill a bird. It sure is fun though...

If you can't or don't want to pary for Hevi 13 shells, then by all means shoot lead. Just find the yardage that your pattern falls below 100 pellets in a 10" circle and that is your max range.

[irishff727]

Is the hevi 13 really that good? I mean I plan on going out this weekend and actually counting my shots inside of a ten inch circle. But I guess the best bet is to at least pick up a box and see what happens. Worst case I get to hear the gun go boom

insert witty saying here

[Skeeterbait]

You will see a significant difference in Hevi Shot or Winchester Xtended Range over your lead loads.  Stick with 6 or 7 shot.  Larger pellets are not needed and only reduce the number of pellets in the shell.

[ryanva88]

Welcome!

I dont know how much great advice I can give but I do think I can give some simple tips...

Be sure to keep up on the movement of your birds. They change their pattern from season to season and change their roosting location based on weather, hunting pressure or for no dang reason at all but to just get you worked up. Listen for them in the morning and evening in the weeks leading up until season and each night and morning move sightly closer to where you believe they roost. Dont get to close, just enough so that you can pinpoint them without them seeing you.

Ever seen Jarassic Park? "Dont move! They cant see you if you dont move." Turkeys are like a small dinosaur and their eyesight is based on movement. They are also possibly Gods most paranoid creature. You may be familiar with that moment when a deer smells or sees you. they often seem curious, giving a bob of the head or a stomp of the foot. they want to know what you are...Not a turkey. they are paranoid and finicky. Most times if they think something is up...they are gone.

As far as calling...the perfect hunt in my opinion is the one where you out smart the bird and set up on him where you expect he will fly down...He hits the ground and with a little luck, bingo. home for breakfast. This however wont happen often even with perfect scouting. Thats why we have calls...

Lets say now that you need to call. If you are calling he knows you are there. He just thinks you are a hen. And your job is to act like a hen. The biggest mistake we can make is to call too much. If you call and he interrupts your call (cuts you off) that is a very good thing. It means he hears you. But that does not mean he will come running. You are trying yo defy the laws of nature here...In the wild the hens go to the toms...you are trying to bring the gobbler to you. He is simply gobbling back to your call to tell you where he is. He wants YOU to come to HIM. This presents you with a decision. Go to him or make him come to you.

Now some people do just that. They "run and gun" trying to get close to the bird. This is high risk high reward. To be good at this method you must be able to accurately tell where that turkey is. If you get to close and spook him, hes gone. If you can cut your between him and you, then call again. He will probably be excited to hear you are on your way and more willing to come over and see you.

If you choose to stay put, remember that he has this turkey still knows you are there. If he keeps gobbling back let him know your still interested. However if the woods go silent, its probably best you do the same. A gobbler with a hen will mate with that hen first before he comes looking for you. You may sit hours under a tree not hearing a gobble since early morning. But he remembered you were there and come 10:00 he comes looking for you. Sometimes if you are calling to him steadily in the early morning then go suddenly silent, It will drive him crazy that you don't answer and he will come to investigate. Overall the more time you spend in the woods hunting these birds the more you will learn!

Also I hunt Ohio and West Virginia birds. Never once have I hunted a Florida turkey. Many techniques translate but some wont. Trial and error is the best teacher.

Concerning Ammo,

Hevi weight loads pattern very well and pack more punch than lead. They also cost more $$$

From what I have seen in patterning, Nitro Co. is an elite turkey laod.  It will give you great results with a number of turkey chokes. But the downside of this ammo is that is very expensive. works out to about 7-8 bucks per shell. Hevi-Shot, Hevi 13 turkey loads have also proven to pattern very well. Hevi Shot loads allow you to shoot smaller shot sizes and increase the "swarm size" of your pattern

Many people will give various opinions of what a good pattern is. 100 shots in a 10 inch circle at 40 yards is a good minimum goal to set. Below is a nice guideline

I would set a goal for your pattern...
If you choose to shoot lead loads, (#5's) it is a reasonable goal to get 100-150 hits in 10@40
If you choose to shoot Hevi 13 (#6's ,7's or blends), it is reasonable goal to get 200 shots in 10@40
If you choose to shoot Nitro Co. Ammunition (#6, &'s or blends) it is a reasonable goal to get 250+ hits 10@40

Chokes are tough to predict...all guns like different choke load combos so experimenting is the only fool proof way to get the best pattern possible. Once you are satisfied that you have a killing pattern at your preferred shooting distance, call it good! Dont drive yourself nuts perfecting your pattern in year one. Buy a choke or two each year and each year try a new ammo. Its easier on the wallet and you are bound to do nothing but improve the pattern each year.

Hopefully this book i just wrote helps get you started. Take all advice with a grain of salt but dont completely disregard anything! Every hunter likes to think they have figured it out but only you can learn what works for you through experience! Good Luck this spring!

[ryanva88]

And I should add...If you like to tinker with guns, polishing your turkey barrel can be a great way to increase your pattern...

http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,182.0.html