Pattern your shotgun

[HFultzjr]

On this site are many, many good topics on patterning your shotgun.
PLEASE take the time to read some of the how to's.
Take the time now, while still waiting for the spring thaw.
Then spend a morning or afternoon and pattern YOUR shotgun with YOUR load.
No need to get into all the chokes and loads and all that complicated stuff, if you are a beginner.
That will all come with time.
There is nothing like getting all this good advice, including a gobbler in range, then miss, or worse, wound a bird. You must know where your gun is shooting and what your limits are. Know your gun and your limits, then go have fun.

[bbcoach]

X2.  With today's chokes and loads, most shotguns shoot VERY, VERY tight patterns especially at close range.  We aren't shooting our Grandfather's full choke barrels and paper 2 3/4 inch #4's.  It is imperative that we know what the POA/POI impact is so we can correct it if it isn't shooting correctly.  We also need to pattern our turkey guns, just like we do our rifles, so we know what they are doing at different ranges.  We owe this to the turkeys we hunt.

[GobbleNut]

X3 to both. ...And here's another hint:  There have been more turkeys missed at close range by hunters shooting too tight a choke than there have been by hunters shooting a less-tight, more forgiving choke at what most would consider reasonable shooting distances.  Shoot a gun with a choke that suits your skill level and your ability to contain your excitement when a gobbler is standing there at ten to twenty yards. 

[jakesdad]

X3 to both. ...And here's another hint:  There have been more turkeys missed at close range by hunters shooting too tight a choke than there have been by hunters shooting a less-tight, more forgiving choke at what most would consider reasonable shooting distances.  Shoot a gun with a choke that suits your skill level and your ability to contain your excitement when a gobbler is standing there at ten to twenty yards.

Agree 100%. We have all got caught up in the "how many holes can I make in a 10" circle at 40" contest while in reality very few of us actually shoot birds that far. pattern your gun at ranges from 15-30 yds looking for a good, dense,evenly spaced killing pattern. shooting softball sized patterns at 40 yds is fun on paper,but usually results in nothing more than a turkey that will be a little hard of hearing for a while when he shows up at 15 yds and you miss.

[1iagobblergetter]

I agree to a certain extent,but would rather miss a turkey up  close than at 40yds. Reason being close up =clean miss(more than not).....further away= peppered turkey. Know the capabilities of yourself and your gun and work on being able to judge yardage. Grab a stick and put it into the ground (stepping off 20yds or better yet rangefinder)before you set up if your setup allows. Sometimes it's the little things you do or don't do that either lead to your success or failure /clean kill or wounded turkey..

[HFultzjr]

A good place to start.

http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,30801.0.html

[catman529]

Yep all you need to know is how far you can shoot effectively and where is your POI. Print out a few turkey head targets and shoot at different ranges. Should have at least a good handful of pellets in the head/neck consistently at your max range. And if the bird is coming closer, let him get closer.


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[GobbleNut]

Yep all you need to know is how far you can shoot effectively and where is your POI. Print out a few turkey head targets and shoot at different ranges. Should have at least a good handful of pellets in the head/neck consistently at your max range. And if the bird is coming closer, let him get closer.

Excellent summary!

[guesswho]

No matter what choke/shell combo I use, all of my guns throw the same pattern occasionally. 

[GobbleNut]

No matter what choke/shell combo I use, all of my guns throw the same pattern occasionally. 

  We must be shooting the same guns and loads...

[catman529]

No matter what choke/shell combo I use, all of my guns throw the same pattern occasionally. 

mine too. At least once a season. Which is another point to bring up...practice shooting your gun and make sure you don't flinch. I don't know if it was flinching or target panic or just the adrenaline of having a gobbler in range, but I have too often missed chip shots because I yanked the trigger. Burned my butt twice last year on places I had never set foot before and managed to call up gobblers the first time. My gun shoots better than I do.


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[Marc]

No matter what choke/shell combo I use, all of my guns throw the same pattern occasionally. 

Now that there is just plain funny...

Three basic reasons to pattern:
1) See where the gun is shooting, and thus where your hold-point needs to be on the bird (especially considering the tight pattern you are shooting).
2) See if the patterns you are shooting are sufficient (or possibly excessively tight) for most of the distances you are shooting.  I went back to my factory full choke after patterning my gun, as it puts a sufficient pattern out to past 40 yards, and gives me a bit more room for error at closer ranges.  (Last year, I shot just a touch high on a bird in very good range, and barely took the top of his head off, any tighter pattern, and I likely would have missed him).
3) Figure out the maximum distance you can conceivably and consistently kill a bird.

[MK M GOBL]

Won't say this is for every beginner but for the terrain and area and how I hunt we make our sets to kill birds at the 15-17 yards with the shotgun, birds at this range are just dead. We do make sure guns are dead-on at 15 yards (our range), and we do have scopes on every gun to assure this. The young lady killed her bird during a Saturday mid-morning hunt and Abby filled her tag on this hard gobbling jake! DSD Did it again during Youth Season.

MK M GOBL

[1iagobblergetter]

Won't say this is for every beginner but for the terrain and area and how I hunt we make our sets to kill birds at the 15-17 yards with the shotgun, birds at this range are just dead. We do make sure guns are dead-on at 15 yards (our range), and we do have scopes on every gun to assure this. The young lady killed her bird during a Saturday mid-morning hunt and Abby filled her tag on this hard gobbling jake! DSD Did it again during Youth Season.

MK M GOBL

Way to go introducing so many youth to a great sport!!! 

[mtns2hunt]

Good information on this series of posts. I would only add one suggestion. Set up a series of cans on sticks at different ranges and shoot low brass shells at them. This does two things builds confidence and familiarity. Finally shoot a few of your favorite turkey loads. Also does wonders for those of suffering from the dreaded flinch. I will be doing my shooting this weekend and will give everyone a break from my turkey call practicing.