Tight Patterns - Something To Think About

[RemingtonRules]

Remember when dialing in your gun turkeys do not always stand still for the shot.  Often times they can be moving.  If your gun is tight this can be a challenge to hit your target. 

I remember one bird that just appeared following a hen through the woods at my 3 O'clock.  Bad angle for a right handed shooter.  I had to switch to left handed. Ended up missing that bird trying to track him left handed and him not stopping due to being locked in with his hen. 

Everything does not play out like the pattern board sets it up to be. 

Good luck this season.

[TnTurk]

 

[appalachianstruttstopper]

Similar reasons have made me start shooting more of an open choke. Even 80 to 100 in a 10" circle is what I shoot for in a turkey gun now. I couldn't tell you how many turkeys I have missed at 12 to 25 yds with a 3.5 12ga over the years.

I actually take my sons 870 youth 20 ga more than my new MBurg 535 tactical turkey.

99% of the turkeys I have killed and missed over the years I could have killed with my grandfather 410 full choke pump.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

If you can't kill him with a 6" pattern at 15 yards, you need to stop worrying about criticizing tight chokes and start spending more time at the patterning board.

In the scenario you just illustrated, simply letting the bird walk away when he materialized at a bad angle and resetting up on him would've been a better option instead of forcing the situation. You can't hunt a spooked turkey.... You can maneuver on one after he's casually left you.

From your post, I'd say your judgement was more of a problem than your choke

[Gobble!]

If you can't kill him with a 6" pattern at 15 yards, you need to stop worrying about criticizing tight chokes and start spending more time at the patterning board.

In the scenario you just illustrated, simply letting the bird walk away when he materialized at a bad angle and resetting up on him would've been a better option instead of forcing the situation. You can't hunt a spooked turkey.... You can maneuver on one after he's casually left you.

From your post, I'd say your judgement was more of a problem than your choke

[Gooserbat]

Remember when dialing in your gun turkeys do not always stand still for the shot.  Often times they can be moving.  If your gun is tight this can be a challenge to hit your target. 

I remember one bird that just appeared following a hen through the woods at my 3 O'clock.  Bad angle for a right handed shooter.  I had to switch to left handed. Ended up missing that bird trying to track him left handed and him not stopping due to being locked in with his hen. 

Everything does not play out like the pattern board sets it up to be. 

Good luck this season.

If you can't kill him with a 6" pattern at 15 yards, you need to stop worrying about criticizing tight chokes and start spending more time at the patterning board.

In the scenario you just illustrated, simply letting the bird walk away when he materialized at a bad angle and resetting up on him would've been a better option instead of forcing the situation. You can't hunt a spooked turkey.... You can maneuver on one after he's casually left you.

From your post, I'd say your judgement was more of a problem than your choke

Two very valid points here but common sense in the heat of the moment and woodsmanship are the trump cards.

[VA_Birdhunter]

Remember when dialing in your gun turkeys do not always stand still for the shot.  Often times they can be moving.  If your gun is tight this can be a challenge to hit your target. 

I remember one bird that just appeared following a hen through the woods at my 3 O'clock.  Bad angle for a right handed shooter.  I had to switch to left handed. Ended up missing that bird trying to track him left handed and him not stopping due to being locked in with his hen. 

Everything does not play out like the pattern board sets it up to be. 

Good luck this season.

If you can't kill him with a 6" pattern at 15 yards, you need to stop worrying about criticizing tight chokes and start spending more time at the patterning board.

In the scenario you just illustrated, simply letting the bird walk away when he materialized at a bad angle and resetting up on him would've been a better option instead of forcing the situation. You can't hunt a spooked turkey.... You can maneuver on one after he's casually left you.

From your post, I'd say your judgement was more of a problem than your choke

Two very valid points here but common sense in the heat of the moment and woodsmanship are the trump cards.

I agree with all three of these post!  I'll also add its good to pattern how you shot in the woods in my opinion.  I always pattern from a seated position shooting off my knee.  But I take it as an opportunity to better prepare myself for the position I'll be shooting in the woods!

We must all remember as die hard turkey hunters were the keepers of the flock...I believe God has truly blessed us to allow us to hunt and chase such an awesome game animal/bird and we should always strive to use our best judgement when pulling the trigger on one.   They are animals yes....but I believe they deserve our best and respect...hope that don't sound weird.  But its how I view it.  Some of the very best hunts I ever had was leaving the woods with only my shotgun propped on my shoulder!

God Bless

[darron]

With these tighter chokes I always aim a little lower vs higher. My father, who is very old school, aims for the "eye." This caused him to miss a gobbler this fall at a mere 10 yards with my 20ga ssx combo. Anymore I aim lower....just above the beard where the skin meets the feather. This gives me a little room for error. 

[bamagtrdude]

We must all remember as die hard turkey hunters were the keepers of the flock...I believe God has truly blessed us to allow us to hunt and chase such an awesome game animal/bird and we should always strive to use our best judgement when pulling the trigger on one.   They are animals yes....but I believe they deserve our best and respect...hope that don't sound weird.  But its how I view it.  Some of the very best hunts I ever had was leaving the woods with only my shotgun propped on my shoulder!
God Bless

When sacrifices were offered in the OT, were they done with dull knives??  Nope.  Not weird at all, man - amen!

[Vabirddog]

I agree w/ the OP. I said the same in another thread. I want the LARGEST lethal pattern at the ranges that I shoot. (<40yds)  This increases your margin for error no matter the cause.  I agree tighter isn't always better,  pattern density beyond lethal is wasted.

[Gooserbat]

With these tighter chokes I always aim a little lower vs higher. My father, who is very old school, aims for the "eye." This caused him to miss a gobbler this fall at a mere 10 yards with my 20ga ssx combo. Anymore I aim lower....just above the beard where the skin meets the feather. This gives me a little room for error.

Yeah I've missed a lot more aiming at their head than  the top of the feathers.

[darn2ten]

With these tighter chokes I always aim a little lower vs higher. My father, who is very old school, aims for the "eye." This caused him to miss a gobbler this fall at a mere 10 yards with my 20ga ssx combo. Anymore I aim lower....just above the beard where the skin meets the feather. This gives me a little room for error.

Yeah I've missed a lot more aiming at their head than  the top of the feathers.

True that! I always aim just under their waddles.

[RemingtonRules]

If you can't kill him with a 6" pattern at 15 yards, you need to stop worrying about criticizing tight chokes and start spending more time at the patterning board.

In the scenario you just illustrated, simply letting the bird walk away when he materialized at a bad angle and resetting up on him would've been a better option instead of forcing the situation. You can't hunt a spooked turkey.... You can maneuver on one after he's casually left you.

From your post, I'd say your judgement was more of a problem than your choke

Life must be easy for you as it seems you have all the answers.  I was offering other things to consider than the most pellets in a circle, not criticising.

If I waited on turkeys to pose and give me the perfect angle I would still be waiting on the first one.  Sometimes things happen fast, sometimes slow, sometimes the unexpected.  You need to adapt to be successful or as you point out know when to fold. 

I can give you more details of the hunt which I think will change your jump to conclusions answer if you want to pm me.  Your first wrong assumptions was the yardage and how much time I spend shooting.

[longbeards]

Shoot 2 or 3 boxes of low brass though your gun the weeks leading up to season,,practice on empty beer cans hung from trees by string, from 5 yards to 40 yards and you will hit some of those birds you are missing!!

Best
Longbeards

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

If you can't kill him with a 6" pattern at 15 yards, you need to stop worrying about criticizing tight chokes and start spending more time at the patterning board.

In the scenario you just illustrated, simply letting the bird walk away when he materialized at a bad angle and resetting up on him would've been a better option instead of forcing the situation. You can't hunt a spooked turkey.... You can maneuver on one after he's casually left you.

From your post, I'd say your judgement was more of a problem than your choke

Life must be easy for you as it seems you have all the answers.  I was offering other things to consider than the most pellets in a circle, not criticising.

If I waited on turkeys to pose and give me the perfect angle I would still be waiting on the first one.  Sometimes things happen fast, sometimes slow, sometimes the unexpected.  You need to adapt to be successful or as you point out know when to fold. 

I can give you more details of the hunt which I think will change your jump to conclusions answer if you want to pm me.  Your first wrong assumptions was the yardage and how much time I spend shooting.

I can appreciate the perspective on chokes but we disagree fundamentally. Ill take a clean miss with an ultra-tight pattern over crippling with a 20-30" pattern any day.

I also don't feel the need to force a situation in the woods.  If the shot opportunity isn't there or a high risk of spooking the bird exists while attempting to force it, I let them walk away.

Can't tell you how many I've killed 45 minutes after circling and re-setting from the first encounter when the angle a bird showed up at required too much motion to get on.

Ill probably watch 20 birds die this spring and none of them will be "posing or standing at the perfect angle." The difference between a novice/intermediate hunter and a guy who hunts a lot is the absence of poor decision making. Every kill doesn't have to happen on the immediate set-up.

No one is perfect and we all make occasional mistakes, but the guys who kill the most birds year in and year out are the guys who make the smartest decisions and fewest mistakes. Here's a fact for you: switching the gun from one shoulder to another with multiple birds in range, let alone multiple birds at point blank range is a low percentage move 100% of the time. (Kinda like wearing sex panther)

You set yourself up for failure when you decided to make that move... And once again, I standby my initial post.....

Goodluck this spring.