Hunting Turkeys with a Skeet Choke!!??

[Dr Juice]

Lesson learned, but I would still check the pattern since installing the turkey tube. Good luck.

[RutnNStrutn]

I wouldnt have tried it, much less posted my results on here.

This!!! ^^^
I definitely would not have tried it. If I made that mistake, which I can't ever see myself doing (too anal!! ), I would have gotten up and left the woods as soon as I realized. I would never have taken a 30 yard shot with a skeet choke in. Oh well, coyotes and bobcats gotta eat too.

[JLH]

I equate this to the bow hunters that screw on broadheads and think they will fly exactly like field points.....they then complain about bad blood trails and losing deer.


Sorry, but if you are a dedicated hunter, serious about it, you don't make mistakes like this.

best part is....he will never do it again.

[rjtaylor925]

I feel for you.  Last year I was invited to a really nice hunting club.  Drove 2 hours to get there to remember my chokes were back at home.  Had a strutter at 45 yards that I couldn't do anything about.

[jakesdad]

I feel for you.  Last year I was invited to a really nice hunting club.  Drove 2 hours to get there to remember my chokes were back at home.  Had a strutter at 45 yards that I couldn't do anything about.

I just don't understand how someone could do this ^^^.Maybe i'm just to anal about stuff but I always go over everything multiple times..........and I usually only hunt no more than 30 minutes from home. Ive learned to keep extras of things in my truck;everything from gloves,headnets,shells,bug spray,etc. as I have a few friends who seem to forget things on occasion.

[captin_hook]

I wouldnt have tried it, much less posted my results on here.

This!!! ^^^
I definitely would not have tried it. If I made that mistake, which I can't ever see myself doing (too anal!! ), I would have gotten up and left the woods as soon as I realized. I would never have taken a 30 yard shot with a skeet choke in. Oh well, coyotes and bobcats gotta eat too.

Same here

[mudhen]

Not the point, but unless a wing or leg is broken, the bird will probably survive...

[surehuntsalot]

As others have said, I know mistakes happen, but when it comes to your shotgun(the most important piece of equipment for turkey hunting) you check, double check and triple check

[darn2ten]

I guess what I don't understand is why your turkey choke wasn't in your shotgun and ready to go prior to turkey hunting? Even though I know what my gun does with certain loads, I still pattern a few just to make sure nothing has change every year before opening day. My gun has the right choke in it and ready to go with no guessing. Also this might help, every day I pick up my gun I reach up and make sure my choke is still tight. If you get into that habit, then you would have caught it before ever heading out.

[chadly]

I would ignore half of what is typed here.  I love this site but many are so high on themselves.  Things happen as does life.  Mistakes are made and lessons are learned.  How would we ever advance if we never made a boo boo?  With that said I would not admit my mistakes here either.  When my six year old and I hit the woods I patterned his gun with a full choke and improved cylinder.  He had been practicing for some time with another gun (no kick) but the same sights.  I found the improved cylinder better for his ability.  We passed on a few birds and took one at 25 yards.  I come to this site daily this time of year and I get bit discouraged at what some have to say.  Learn and move on. 

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

I have two shotguns designated for turkeys exclusively.  No choke swapping, no load swapping, and all zeroes are checked before the season and before I hunt in each state I travel to. 

To each their own but I've never found myself looking at a gun with the wrong choke in it.

[pmannat]

I would say the mistake happened not with the forgetfulness, but in knowing and taking the shot anyway. We all made mistakes, I'm not without my regrets. As soon i had realized, i would have cursed and then called it a day. Hunting ethically is a successful hunt.

Sent from my U8651T using Tapatalk 2

[RS]

I saw it happen to a fella who used to be in my hunt club.  He got a new Beretta Extrema, put a Burris fast fire and Rhino choke on it. Got it all dialed in on a work weekend in Feb. at our club then the same afternoon some of us went out try and jump up some rabbits so he put a Imp. Cyl. in it.  Come April and Turkey season he missed two gobblers the 1st week at less than 40 yds.  He was beside himself so we went to shoot it and check the sight.  Pattern was about 4-5 ft across at 40 yds then and only then did he notice that the gun didn't have the extended turkey choke on it, but the Imp Cyl. instead.

[pogo]

I've killed two with improved cylinder chokes so I know it can be done if your careful.  Back in the day, all I had was one shotgun and it was used primarily for dove hunting, no screw in chokes, just a fixed improved cylinder barrel - 2 3/4 inches.  I patterned it at 30 yards with a heavy load of 7.5s and knew it would pepper a turkey head with quite a few holes.  I hunted wooded areas, kept my shots closer than 30 yards.  My current gun doubles as a duck gun and a turkey gun, and once I looked down during a turkey hunt and realized that I had my extended modified choke in instead of the turkey choke.  I had actually patterned that choke with hevi 6s so I was not worried.  Killed a gobbler at 25 steps.

[Spitten and drummen]

I guess what I don't understand is why your turkey choke wasn't in your shotgun and ready to go prior to turkey hunting? Even though I know what my gun does with certain loads, I still pattern a few just to make sure nothing has change every year before opening day. My gun has the right choke in it and ready to go with no guessing. Also this might help, every day I pick up my gun I reach up and make sure my choke is still tight. If you get into that habit, then you would have caught it before ever heading out.

x2