Turkey Shotgun/Shot Loads or Bow/Broadhead Combos this Spring?

[Phantom Gobbler]

What Shotgun/Shot Loads and/or Bow/Broadhead combos will you be using for Turkeys this Spring?

I will be hunting with a Mossberg 935 Camo Semi-Auto, with a 24" Turkey Barrel and Tru Glo fiber optic sights and turkey choke.  For shells I will stick with 12 GA Fiocchi, 3.5 inch 6 Shot or 3.5 inch 6 Shot Hevi-shot for the first shot, followed by two, 3.5 inch 4 Shot Hevi-Shot shells.

For Archery Hunts I will be using a Hoyt Alphamax Bow with 100 Gr. Shuttle-T Broadheads!

Good luck all!

[dawei]

I use the following two guns when turkey hunting. The first I use hunting Merriams near field edges in the Klickitat. The 2nd gun I use while hunting Easterns.........
• Mossberg 20ga Mdl 500C Pump; shooting 3" Mag 1¼oz #6 Hevi•Shot® through a Swarm® .555" choke; #4 Hevi•Shot® in the tube if a follow up shot needed.
• Remington® SPR220 (Baikal® IZH-43) 20ga SxS shooting Remington® Nitro-Turkey® 3" Mag 1¼oz #5Pb through a Colonial Arms® .570" choke; follow up shot if needed, is Federal® Flitecontrol® Mag-Shok® 3" Mag 1 5/16oz #4Pb through a Colonial Arms® .575" choke.

FWIW, In my almost 50years of hunting; I've never hated turkeys enough to shoot one with a 12ga 3½" Shell. 

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I only hunt with Trad archery gear (until drawn for Multi), and will be using my DH recurve with cedar arrow and a Ben Pearson "Deadhead", with string tracker

[bowhunterforever]

The shotgun i use is a remington 870 super mag and i shot 3 1/2, 4 shot remington nitro mag turkey loads. The bow i'm shooting is a mathews z7 and will be shooting beman ics hunter arrows tipped with Rage 2 Blade broadheads.

[Turkeyman]

Shotgun winchester X2 mad max choke 3.5 #6 hevi shot.
Bow pse x force 2 blade rage.

[Hangfire]

I will be calling birds to within 25 yards. I will primarily use a 12 ga. flintlock loaded with 90 gr of 2ff, followed with a plastic shot cup, 110 gr equivalent of either #6 or #5 shot, covered by a over shot card. If wet weather I will use a percussion gun with the same load. If real wet wether I will use a about 90 year old Long Tom single shot and standard Remington field loads with #6 shot. Never lost a bird.

[kevinlisa06]

I will be using my mossberg 500 in 20ga with Hevi 13 4x5x7 mag blend 3"shells with a Cabelas.575 tube.
My fiance is using her mossy 500 in 12ga with Winchester Xtended Range 6shot in 3" shells with a Carlsons .660 tube.
Our 15yr old is using my mossy 835 in 12ga with Remington 4x6 in 3" shells with a factory Ulti Mag tube.

[Bigger Fish]

Bennelli Nova Pump 12 ga.
Carlson EF choke (.680?)
3" 1-1/4 oz, #4

Question though:  Why are most of you running a different load after your first shot?  It seems strange to me.  If your primary load is the best for range, density, and stopping power, wouldn't you use the same loads throughout?

[JKEEN33]

Gonna try the bow for the first time this year. Diamond Iceman. Not sure if I am going to use a broadhead or the bullhead yet. I may carry both and decide when the shot comes.

[turkeyfeather]

I will go out with a Remington 870 express mag., thumbhole stock, fully camo'd, with a tru-glo gobble stopper scope. Add on a jelly head choke, federal mag shok turkey loads(3", no. 6). I believe I will be having a smoked turkey dinner this spring.

[WildfireArcher]

i'll be shootin my parker wildfire bow @ 60lbs with 100gr. thunderheads

Wildfire

[scottcrb]

Bennelli Nova Pump 12 ga.
Carlson EF choke (.680?)
3" 1-1/4 oz, #4

Question though:  Why are most of you running a different load after your first shot?  It seems strange to me.  If your primary load is the best for range, density, and stopping power, wouldn't you use the same loads throughout?

i also wonder about the different seccond shot?

i am using a bennelli super nova 12ga
carlson ported turkey choke tube  .665
and kent 3" 1 3/4 oz 6 shot turkey load ( i may pattern the hevi shot and see how it compares) 

3 1/2" turkey loads are crazy!

[dawei]

Bennelli Nova Pump 12 ga.
Carlson EF choke (.680?)
3" 1-1/4 oz, #4

Question though:  Why are most of you running a different load after your first shot?  It seems strange to me.  If your primary load is the best for range, density, and stopping power, wouldn't you use the same loads throughout?

Well I can tell you what I do, and why............

My first shot is almost always #5, or 6, if Pb; and #6 if Hevi•Shot®. I want to put the maximum number of shot into the gobblers head and neck. 90+% of the time that is sufficient. If I knock the gobbler down, but he gets back up however; he is going to get the hell out of there pronto, flying or running. A precise head shot under those conditions is a slim possibility indeed. For the second shot, I use bigger shot, #4, to break legs/wings to put the bird down. In my pump gun that load is #4 Hevi•Shot®. In my SxS double barrel the follow up load is #4Pb.

When I'm hunting pheasants, with my 20ga SxS, my first shot is an ounce of #6Pb. The other barrel carries 1¼oz of #5Pb. (This will change this year however as all state game lands require non-toxic [steel] shot this fall.) When I duck hunt over decoys my first shot is #4 steel, follow up shots are #3 steel as the birds are farther away. When pass shooting the first shot is # 2 or 3 steel and follow up shots are usually #1 steel.

While I have all kinds of shotguns, I prefer a SxS over a pump or auto. My rational is I would rather have two shots through two chokes, than three shots through one choke. YMMVH.

[carpsniperg2]

Browning BPS 12g with federal 3.5" #6 2Oz's, with flight control.

If I decide to take a bow it will be my pse x force with a g5 125 montec or hoyt dorado with magnus bull heads or guillotines.

[PA BEN]

12g 3" #6 and 20g 3"#5 no problem out to 50 yds w/a ultra full turkey choke.

[Phantom Gobbler]

Thanks for sharing the shotgun and bow combos that are working well for you.

I have heard that the Federal Flight Controls work best out of a traditional full choke instead of an aftermarket Turkey choke?

[dawei]

I will be calling birds to within 25 yards. I will primarily use a 12 ga. flintlock loaded with 90 gr of 2ff, followed with a plastic shot cup, 110 gr equivalent of either #6 or #5 shot, covered by a over shot card. If wet weather I will use a percussion gun with the same load. If real wet wether I will use a about 90 year old Long Tom single shot and standard Remington field loads with #6 shot. Never lost a bird.

I have a question please, and I am not trying to be a smart alleck; but 110gr is only about ¼oz of shot (437.5gr per oz). How much shot do you use in your ML loads?

[carpsniperg2]

I have heard that the Federal Flight Controls work best out of a traditional full choke instead of an aftermarket Turkey choke?

Not true for me. I shoot a aftermarket primos jelly head in my 3.5" bps. I shoot the flight control loads in mine and it patterns extremly well. I have done very well with it.

[Bigger Fish]

[/quote]Well I can tell you what I do, and why............

My first shot is almost always #5, or 6, if Pb; and #6 if Hevi•Shot®. I want to put the maximum number of shot into the gobblers head and neck. 90+% of the time that is sufficient. If I knock the gobbler down, but he gets back up however; he is going to get the hell out of there pronto, flying or running. A precise head shot under those conditions is a slim possibility indeed. For the second shot, I use bigger shot, #4, to break legs/wings to put the bird down. In my pump gun that load is #4 Hevi•Shot®. In my SxS double barrel the follow up load is #4Pb.


[/quote]

That is an outstanding answer, and makes perfect sense.

Thanks!

[turkeydancer]

In my TK-2000 black powder shotgun, I use 120 grains of powder and 2-1/4 oz of #6 shot.  Kicks like a mule, but is more effective than my normal two 12 ga's.