Why? I mean I get it, but why?

[Planner]

So, I've been chasing these crazy birds for a little over a decade (got started later in life than some) and I'm obsessed like I imagine most of the rest of the hunters are on this board.... I buy more pot calls, decoys and "stuff" than I would need in a lifetime and would need a Sherpa just to get it all in the field. Heck, I even started teaching both my kids how to call turkeys even before they could read... We drive my wife crazy through the winter months as we practice calling and set up imaginary sets in the living room. But, I've never once... Not even for grins, patterned my shotgun. Not once. Don't get me wrong, I'm fascinated by science, physics, have studied more advanced mathematics than should even exist...But I have not a single care in the world how many BB's can hit in a 10" circle at 40 yards. Now, I'm totally setting myself up for this one by putting it writing but I've put the dirt nap on my share of birds and shall I say not nary a single one has taken a single step. Ok, I know what's next, and honestly maybe that will force me into the whole "pattern" your gun thing... But I guess I'm just not seeing it.. If I can shoulder my gun and hit a dove moving at 20 mph at forty yards- why do I need to get any more precise to hit a turkey's head standing a mere 25 yards standing still? Please convince me I need one more thing to obsess over!!! After all, it sound like fun, stocking up on some choke tubes and some more no. 5's... Or should I get 6's? Ugh.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wmn2]

Honestly, this is my first year hunting these birds, but I am absolutely fascinated by patterning. I went out the other day and did it for the first time and as soon as I left the range I was thinking about what I could do to make my patterns better. I got bit by the bug BAD. I've been buying calls and strikers, watching videos on turkey sounds, and in fact I bought 3 more strikers today. lol. I think patterning is just one more thing to hold me over and keep me excited until the season comes. Just like bowhunting deer. My bow shoots better than i ever could, but I'm always tinkering with it. Researching what i can do better, getting different arrows, trying different point weights, etc... it's just more of the obsession and cures cabin fever for me.

[Rick Howard]

Sounds like You've convinced yourself.  . It can be fun for sure.

Also sounds like you've been fortunate out of the gate with a combination that works.  You confirmed it on a turkeys head.  Most of us prefer to confirm on paper first.  Though it's entirely possible that you do not need to confirm, as you mentioned, it's much wiser to be sure that your combination is adequate first.  Especially considering that the loads and chokes most popular for turkey hunting are more prone to throw some erratic patterns compared to standard dove loads with a full or improved choke.  To assume otherwise is probably irresponsible. 

Your doing it backwards compared to most.  Wish you well and hope you do not enter the field with a new combination without testing it first. 

Sounds like I have

[Planner]

Thanks guys- great responses so far. RH- you've touched on something there with the loads and chokes most popular for turkey hunting are more prone to throw erratic patterns. Have you guys found that to be the case? I ask that sincerely because I've shot sporting clays since I was a kid (not competitively) and always tossed in a choke tube and some number 8's and was able to hit a decent number of clays. This translated over to turkey hunting when I started I just bought some turkey shells and an undertaker and started killing turkeys. As most things, I got more and more involved and started seeing guys post about BB count but figured it wasn't broken- why fix it? I guess I've been fortunate, but will different set ups produce vastly different results?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kdsberman]

Thats a very good question.  Personally, I just REALLY got into doing it last year.  I mean, I've shot at turkey targets and counted BB's in the head/neck (although that means nothing), but never really did the whole 10" circle thing.  Until last year anyway.  I started doing it because it actually sounded like a lot of fun and turned out it really was.  My 835 has never missed a bird and I already know what pattern it throws.  But playing around with different choke/shell combos and seeing what they do is fun.

Maybe someone else has a better answer, but this is why i pattern.

[TrackeySauresRex]

I get what you're saying.. I'm just wanting a real good even pattern. However... sometimes it does lead to some counting  There's  just great info on the OG site to help obtain maximum performance out of our turkey guns. Maybe we're just Turkey hunting FAN...ATICS!

[mullo16]

 I agree  it's mostly about just getting out and having fun with some buddies or your kids. With a good choke and load almost every 20 and 12 ga will kill a turkey with no prob. Even without patterning. Its just fun trying out new products and comparing them with others.  For me personally after the bills are paid, it gives me something to spend my money on and i can go to work knowing that I hopefully can buy more products to try for the sport I love so much.  Thinking about a new choke and load combo have gotten me through some tough nite shifts just waiting to get to try them. That's just the way I look at it. But I understand where ur coming from.  My wife would definitely agree with you. She thinks it's crazy too

[owlhoot]

Point of aim , point of impact check.
Some loads don't perform well at all at out to 40 yards.
Case in point.  Try some Hornady turkey loads!   

If you shoot 20- 30, great , they are alot of fun closer.

[Mike Honcho]

I don't  think you have to be a numbers chaser on paper targets to be a turkey hunter. I do think hunters should know what their gun and ammo is doing.

I have more than one turkey gun and I just want to know they are shooting where I aim when I go hunting so I can harvest a turkey cleanly and humanely.

You apparently know your gun very well  or are lucky that it shots to your point of aim.

I hunt deer with a bow and rifle....I sight them in.

To me its just a normal part of hunting preparation.

[Oconeeguy]

What he said. I misted my first bird totally at 20 yds because I didn't know my gun shot high and to the right. Never patterned it until after I had missed my first bird. Besides, they shoot different with various loads and chokes.

Also, there are differences between your first shot, second shot , third shot, etc. some guns get better after being shot a few times, some don't!!!

[turkeywhisperer935]

Practice makes perfect. And I do believe that number of pellets in a 10 inch circle does matter when you're shooting at a target the size of a baseball at 40 yards. The more pellets the better the odds. That and a nice even pattern.

[WisTurk]

Point of aim , point of impact check.
Some loads don't perform well at all at out to 40 yards.
Case in point.  Try some Hornady turkey loads!   

If you shoot 20- 30, great , they are alot of fun closer.

This is exactly why I pattern.  I could care less about the number of pellets in a 10" circle.  I'm looking for a good, even pattern, not too open and not too constricted without large gaps and that my POA/POI are aligned.  And every shell/choke combo will be different in each gun, and that can be part of the fun.  I took my brother to pattern his gun last year (he had never done it before) and he was shocked to see that it hit about 6" to the right of his POA (fixed sites).  Had a great pattern, but if he had gone out without patterning, he would have probably missed anything he shot at.

[mikejd]

You sound like my brother.
He has been shooting 2 3/4" winchester #4's for over 20 years. Has never missed a bird and is probably only on his second box in all those years. Since we hunt NY its only a 2 bird season. And thats on a real lucky year.He watches me blow about 500$ a year at the patterning board. He thinks I may be crazy. When we go afield he slips 2 shells into his win 1300. Last year he did finally let me deep clean his barrel.

[Rick Howard]

I don't  think you have to be a numbers chaser on paper targets to be a turkey hunter. I do think hunters should know what their gun and ammo is doing.

I have more than one turkey gun and I just want to know they are shooting where I aim when I go hunting so I can harvest a turkey cleanly and humanely.

You apparently know your gun very well  or are lucky that it shots to your point of aim.

I hunt deer with a bow and rifle....I sight them in.

To me its just a normal part of hunting preparation.

This is what I was getting at.  I don't spend much time trying loads and chokes.  I have tried a few out of curiosity but I am not on a quest to find better.  I've shot this shotgun for 22 years for everything.  But I tested it on paper to verify before attempting to hunt with it.

[dirt road ninja]

I did the same for years, now I'm numbers junkie. I'd be willing to bet that the best part of your pattern is not where your are putting the bead. The more I shoot the less I trust them, they very rarely shoot true. Also to compare wing shooting to killing a turkey is apples to oranges. Wing shooting takes much more skill, I think of turkey hunting more along the lines of rifle hunting rather than shot gunning. You also probably cursed yourself, now your doomed to miss one or two this season.