Gun handling while working bird

[AppalachianHollers]

Want to get the crowd's thoughts on this. One member wrote about not moving the gun until the turkey is in range, and then do it quick, and the turkey will usually freeze like he's about to bolt—but that's enough time to get off a shot.

Is getting a gun shouldered and pointed at the bird slowly, before you can see it through cover, a mistake?

I shoot a 28" Winchester SXP with a 2" IC .665 choke. It's what I have—my "do it all" shotgun. Trying to figure what's the best way to maneuver "50 of gun.


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[Mossyguy]

If I can tell the bird is getting closer then obviously I'm going to get my gun into position right then. If he's not answering and comes in silent I'm going to hope I can catch him behind something before I move. I'm not going to throw up quick until the last possible second, say when I know for sure he's about to walk out of range. If he begins to walk away but is still in range I'll move my gun up slowly.

[silvestris]

Guess where he will walk and deal with where he actually walks.

[Turkeytider]

Because of my hands free system ( Knight and Hale ) my gun is always at my shoulder and mounted in shooting position while I`m sitting. I just have to move my head slightly and I`m looking through my red dot.

[Bowguy]

There's no magic answer. I'd say most experienced guys prob wait til he walks behind a tree, struts away, etc but typically you get one smooth fluid motion. I'd say don't screw around than, swing up n shoot but one time my daughters n I were caught in a hayfield. No masks on. The birds entered the field, I called them to 25-30 yards. I told my daughter to shoot. It was her first day w a 12. I remember her raising her gun w nothing in between us but air, she put the bead on its neck, instead of squeezing she was figure eighting all over him. The bird quickly walked back n forth like it was in a Chinese fire drill. She finally shot and the bird dropped but I about had a heart attack watching her take so long w a bird looking at her like that.
I'd not recommend it but w turkey you just never know. Use an advantageous tree it goes behind if possible to move gun

[bbcoach]

As others have said, if the bird comes in gobbling then have your gun ready.  If he comes in silent, wait until he gets behind a tree or struts and turns away from your position to raise your gun.  If none of this is an option, let him walk by you and kill him as he leaves.

[AppalachianHollers]

Any specific tips for when he comes in your weak side? Noise is another factor then.

Bowguy, that's a crazy story! Glad she was able to make such a tough shot.


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[Timmer]

I've had a number of birds come in extremely slow over the years and one of those times I had held the gun up so long I couldn't hold it steady to save my life.
I do try to shift to the direction where they are coming and have the gun up on my knee so I don't have a great distance to get it mounted.  Then I wait until they are close to being in range and either look for them to turn away when strutting or just pull it up very slowly. 

[Bowguy]

Any specific tips for when he comes in your weak side? Noise is another factor then.

Bowguy, that's a crazy story! Glad she was able to make such a tough shot.


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She made it a tough shot. Shoulda been real easy. The came about 100 yards right at us gobbler yelping the whole way.

[Bowguy]

Any specific tips for when he comes in your weak side? Noise is another factor then.

Bowguy, that's a crazy story! Glad she was able to make such a tough shot.


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At seminars we always teach point your shoulder at the bird. I'd say if unsure cheat even further to your dominant eye side. You can swing easier away from that. The opposite opens you. Myself I'd had some surgery and my optic nerve was hit. It made me real rough in the dominant eye. It's gotten a little better but I've scoped a gun and can actually shoot both ways. I've even wingshot pheasant lefty, both eyes open and I'm righty. Least I was my whole life. Now I gotta consciously force dominance back but I'm able to do so. Set yourself up correctly and you shouldn't have too many issues. I didn't say none, just not too many

[Greg Massey]

Gun ready if at all possible ..

[Turkeyman]

If his approach is pretty much imminent I'll "squish" down such that the gun is shouldered and on my knee pointed to where he's coming from, and I can see my red dot. Little to no movement. If not imminent, I sit what I call "semi-ready", i.e. gun shouldered and on knee but I'm not "squished down". So some movement is required to raise gun/lower head and swing left/right. Most times a big enough tree helps you out. If not, as you swing on him yelp with your mouth call...it confuses them and most times they'll just sort of run around in place, all jittery. Make that swing crisp, but smooth...not extremely fast and herky jerky.

[bbcoach]

Most of the time I will setup with a tree and/or brush behind me to break up my outline.  When I position my body, I always open up my left side (I'm a right hand shooter) so I have about 180 degrees of swing, to the area I believe the birds are most likely to work.  If the birds come in silent from behind me then I hope the cover and staying motionless will allow the birds to work past my setup to my gun barrel.  No setup is a Slam Dunk but opening my left side, as much as possible, has improved my odds.

[GobbleNut]

As others have stated, there is no "one size fits all" answer to the question about whether to move slowly or quickly.  There will be times that one is a better choice than the other.  I often start moving my gun slowly into position for the shot, but the instant that gobbler acts like he is about to bolt, I am swinging on him as fast as I can. 

Of course, experienced hunters know when and which to do, but inexperienced hunters get the "don't move a muscle or he will be gone" mantra drummed into their heads so much that, at the moment of truth, they get frozen.  I have seen way too many newbies not kill gobblers that were easily killable just because they were afraid to make any movement, slow or fast, to get on the bird.  Gobblers can be very wary,...but they are not magicians. 

The point about angling your body to the bird in your set-up is also right on.  It seems intuitively "right" to face straight towards a gobbler that is coming to you,....and if you watch hunting shows, so often even those guys will face straight at an approaching gobbler.  It is best to angle your body to an approaching gobbler to maximize your ability to swing your gun if he decides to take a circuitous route to you rather than coming straight at you,...and they have this annoying habit of doing just that.

Finally, really really serious turkey hunters that want to cover all of the bases practice shooting off of both shoulders,...that is, both right and left handed,...so they will be ready for that circumstance where a gobbler just shows up on that side where you can't swing your gun far enough with your dominant shoulder.  (One of these days, I plan on getting really really serious...but for now, I just hope they come in where I want them to... ) 

[Paulmyr]

Yup, shoot em with your opposite side. it's not hard just make sure your head is down and close your dominant eye.