Grandpa's Model 12 did good!

[TRG3]

My grandfather has been gone for 45+ years and his old Winchester Model 12 Nickle Steel 12 gauge, made in 1920, has not hunted in probably 65 years. I loaded up some Activ hulls with 28 grains of 4756 powder with 1 1/2 oz. of #6 shot. At the range, I noted that it tended to shoot a little high at 25 yards, so I'd need to aim at the base of the neck for best effect. With the first of five Illinois turkey seasons opening yesterday (4-4-16) and not even hearing a gobble in six hours of hunting, I was very tempted to roll over in bed when the alarm went off at 4:00 a.m., especially since I'd stayed up to watch the Villanova-North Carolina basketball thriller. At 2:00 a.m., I was still awake, knowing that I'd be heading out with less than 2 hours of sleep.  I crawled back in bed when the alarm went off, but the knowledge of rain predicted for tomorrow got me up and out the door, dressed for the 35 degree morning. Arriving at my set up spot, a fescue field where the gobblers and hens often head for during the breeding season,  I noted that the place I'd selected was too low for me to see over the crest of the little hill where I'd planned to set my Funky Chicken and hen in the breeding position. A nearby higher spot was just right, but up against the fence leaving me no cover at all between me and the fescue field, except for my homemade roll-up "blind" that I decided to set up like a screen in front of me with the decoys some 20 yards away. At 6:00 a.m., the gobbling started with some birds 300 yards away and one only 100 yards off. As usual, I opened with tree yelps and soon added my own Primos gobble tube calls in response to the nearest tom. I could hear hens and tried to irritate them by imitating their calling. While I got some energetic hen yelps in response, they did not come to investigate; however, the gobbler soon peeked his head up over a rise in the field some 100 yards away to check out this new tom in town. Just then, two hens from behind me, of which I was unaware, flew into the tree by me such that they were now perched only 20' above me and eyeing my decoys. The gobbler, after sizing up my decoys, began a slow approach, doing partial fanning as he increased his speed the nearer he came. When he dipped below the crest of a small rise, I raised my shotgun, poking it just over the top edge of my makeshift blind and hoping that the hens above me did not start putting. He rapidly approached the Funky Chicken, displaying and doing short charges toward him. I was waiting for a profile head shot, but when he zeroed in on my position, I aimed at the base of his neck and sent the #6 shot on its way. He probably didn't flop for more than 30 seconds and was a load to tote back to the truck along with my decoys, ground lounger, fanny pack, makeshift blind, and shotgun. His 24.5#, 1 1/4" spurs, 10" beard made him one of the bigger gobblers that I've taken. My next Illinois season will be the third one from April 15-20 when I'll use a LC Smith 12 gauge hammer double barrel loaded with 25 grains of 700X and 1 1/8 oz of #6, all in a Federal Gold Medal paper hull. Even though I've been turkey hunting for 25+years, it's still a gigantic thrill to see that gobbler come charging in to challenge my decoys, especially when I'm waiting with a firearm from the past.

[renegade19]

Congrats!  Good deal using Grandpa's gun.

[hobbes]

Congrats!
I've been meaning to clean up my grandfather's model 12 16ga. and find some ammo that would be effective to 30 yards then kill a season's worth of gobblers with it.

Share some photos of the gun and bird.

[Dr Juice]

Congrats - Way to go!

[wvmntnhick]

That's awesome. Always good to hear of an older gun still in the mix. I bet the LC Smith is a hoot to play with.

[beagler]

Congrats!

[ilbucksndux]

I have been wanting to get grandpas Model 12 out and turkey hunt with it.......I may pattern it and use it this year.

[tomstopper]

Congrats

[Farmboy27]

Sweet!!  I love hearing about hunts with the "guns of yesterday". It proves that they are just as good as today's super gun, choke, shell combos in the hands of a good hunter. Congrats!!

[OldSchool]

Congrats on a beautiful bird and doing it with Grandpa's gun. Good luck with the LC.

Bob

[mgm1955]

Congrats! Great story!

[owlhoot]

congrats ! great story and really neat using his old model 12. 

[surehuntsalot]

congrats

[Swampchickin234]

Great story!


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[Mike Honcho]

Great story and hunt!  We have two of the old Model 12's of that era in the family. Both  30" full choke.