Rifle hunting states

[wvmntnhick]

Just curious, but where do you aim with a rifle? Wing butt like with a bow?

Depends really. The majority of my birds have been shot with rifles over the years. With a rim fire I'll go for base of the wing, head, or base of neck. With a centerfire I'd typically go for where the leg joins the body or slightly higher towards the back.


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[Will]

Just curious, but where do you aim with a rifle? Wing butt like with a bow?

I've killed mine with a 22 taking body shots.

[Jmbradt3873]

Not sure all parts but I know some parts of FL you can use a rifle

As far as I know, it everywhere in fl on private land, on public land it was banned a while back. I would have to check, I think that muzzleloading rifles are allowed on primitive weapons only wma's like Santa fe swamp.

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[Happy]

Would say 75% of the fellows I run into while spring turkey hunting in Wv are packing rifles.

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[trkehunr93]

Unfortunately in VA a rifle can be used as can a muzzleloader.  We've proposed the use of sling bows as well.  Pretty soon we're going to approve the use of atlatl's and spears


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[bghunter777]

This is why in WV many parts of the state you will not see gobbler strutting in view of roads. Particularly backroads

[TauntoHawk]

Would say 75% of the fellows I run into while spring turkey hunting in Wv are packing rifles.

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Really? Never really heard of this before I know the woods are thick and steep and the kill areas on a turkey's body are small. Do guys just hunt them different? I would think getting insight of the roost in the dark would be extremely effective

[Happy]

I am a member of a large hunting club so I can't say what happens on state owned ground. On our club most like to drive around on side by sides or jeeps and look for toms in the fields and powerlines. A lot just shoot from the vehicle. Some sit on field edges or their deer stands and wait. Roost shooting is not uncommon and the popular method is to work in two man teams. One stays back and keeps the tom gobbling while the other sneaks in for the shot. Have met a few that walked and called but it's not that popular. Most use rifles regardless. I have called in a few birds for fellows with rifles and it just rubbed me wrong so I quit. None of the above is my style.

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[TauntoHawk]

Happy I'll be honest I hunt turkeys for the the fun of the game and not the meat. I can't imagine shoot a tom from a vehicle it'd be as fun as shoot a ground hog from a car. I am sorry that in your pursuit you have to deal with that. I guess the population does ok even against those kind of tactics? I could see the sneak and creep roost shoot being popular with rifles for sure. 

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[fallhnt]

Just curious, but where do you aim with a rifle? Wing butt like with a bow?

Depends really. The majority of my birds have been shot with rifles over the years. With a rim fire I'll go for base of the wing, head, or base of neck. With a centerfire I'd typically go for where the leg joins the body or slightly higher towards the back.


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When shot in the wing area,does a rifle shot bird loose meat? I know some of my bow kills get tore up. This thread is quite a education to me. I'm glad I asked.

[Kylongspur88]

I'm just imagining shooting a bird with my AR and knowing what it does to a coyote I'd be worried about loosing meat.

Oh well. I'll never knock the way someone else enjoys to hunts as long as it's legal, but this tradition of turkey hunting with a rifle is interesting. Just not something I think I'd want to do.

[Happy]

Happy I'll be honest I hunt turkeys for the the fun of the game and not the meat. I can't imagine shoot a tom from a vehicle it'd be as fun as shoot a ground hog from a car. I am sorry that in your pursuit you have to deal with that. I guess the population does ok even against those kind of tactics? I could see the sneak and creep roost shoot being popular with rifles for sure. 

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Our population could be a lot better. I think poaching and people shooting more than their limit takes a hard toll on them as well. It's not just the rifles it's everything combined. It's the mindset of the area.

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[Squoose]

Article in the paper in Va this morning stating that more turkeys are killed with a rifle than a shotgun. Would never have thought.

Those are fall season statistics.  I'd presume that a lot of those are opportunistic kills by deer hunters.  Not all, but most.

I would be curious to see the breakdown of VA spring turkey harvest by weapon.

Is that fall season include both male and female turkeys ?

2016 VA Spring Turkey Harvest:
Shotgun   15,528   90%
Rifle           1,510           8.8%
Muzz.   17           0.1%
Bow           117           0.7%
Crossbow   61           0.4%
Pistol           10         0.06%


2016-17 VA Fall Turkey Harvest:
Shotgun   1,103           35%
Rifle           1,025           33%
Muzz      602           19%
Without Beard   1,186       38%
Beard <6"           522       17%
Beard >6"           1,412       45%


Certainly interesting numbers!

Best,
Royce

[wvmntnhick]

I've always enjoyed using a rifle. Shooting a bird at shotgun range is the same regardless the weapon used. I don't know the number of birds I've killed over the years but I can say that only 6 have been shot at distances further than typical shotgun range. If someone wants to blast one at 70 yards with a rifle, I'm fine with that. If you want to shoot them at 15 yards with a shotgun, that's fine too. I've hunted the last couple seasons with shotgun primarily and this past season I went home empty handed just as I had in some previous years while using a rifle. To me, six of one, half dozen of the other. It does suck to be working a bird with shotgun in hand only to have someone blast it across the field with a rifle before it gets into range but that's life. It's just something you have to contend with in rifle states. Go find another and get over it. Do I enjoy using a shotgun? Yes. Will I ever use a rifle again? Most assuredly yes. It's the way I did it for 15 years when I didn't own a shotgun. Kind of becomes part of what you know after that kind of time frame. It's enjoyable to me either way and in the end and my opinion is all that matters to me. It's like the whole decoy/blind debate really. Different strokes.

[greencop01]

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