Author Topic: Would you use a rifle for turkey hunting (Read 11346 times)

Smoke-em · « **Reply #90 on:** April 30, 2011, 12:26:17 PM »

HuntsWith Dogs....I hunted turkeys for a few years with my .50 cal cap and ball pistol. Very exciting stuff, but your set up has to be perfect.

JonD. · « **Reply #91 on:** May 01, 2011, 02:47:50 PM »

I posted earlier and said I would definitely use a rifle if it were legal, but I can't help but think about some idiot shooting at my decoys from afar as I set them up. I'm glad rifles are not legal. We have enough idiots out there using them anyway. If they were allowed, I would bet the number of hunting accidents would go up.

Smoke-em · « **Reply #92 on:** May 02, 2011, 02:13:50 AM »

I kinda agree with you on the idots out there. However here in Virginia it has always been as far as I know, and we dont hear of that type of issues. I think most hunters prefer to use shotguns. I hunt my own land, with decoys, and behind my shot is more of my land.

sidewinder319 · « **Reply #93 on:** May 02, 2011, 05:06:28 AM »

Now this is strange. Hunters for gun control. You don't need a rifle. It sounds like Old Mrs. Brady, no hunter needs a handgun or a 10 round clip. Thats how gun control got started. You don't need that cause I don't like 'um.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #94 on:** May 02, 2011, 08:30:00 AM »

In Va its legal to hunt Turkeys with a rifle and I have done so. Can't remember any one shooting anyone with a rifle while turkey hunting . They seem to do so with a shotgun though .

buck460XVR · « **Reply #95 on:** May 02, 2011, 04:25:08 PM »

If they ever made rifles legal for Turkeys in Wisconsin, I'd probably quit huntin' them. This year before I got my first bird opening day of first season, I worked another Tom outta the tree to out in front of me strutting @ 60 yards and comin'. Suddenly he broke strut and took off runnin' . I got up and two other hunters were sneakin' in on him from down a loggin' road. Had they had rifles, they woulda already been shootin' and been shootin' right at me. Had I had a rifle I would been shootin' right at them. Sittin' in camo behind a struttin' Tom in the spring or a flock of birds in the fall with other hunters in the woods using high powered rifles...no thank you. Especially on Public land or within scope range of any road. Too many idiots out there. Second bird I got last Saturday flew down with a group of hens and strutted in front of me @ 100 yards for almost a hour before the hens finally got pissed enough to come see who was arguein' with them. It was a good hunt and a challenge to bring the hens to where they didn't want to go and to have them bring the Tom to me. If I was using my .17HMR or .223, it would've been done at first light without any challenge at all, just an easy shot and done. Hittin' a turkey in the head @ 80yards with my 17HMR or the .223 would be simple...not a challenge at all. I can hit pop cans(same size as a Tom's head) all day long at that range with both guns. Hittin one in the body out to 150 yards with most any modern scoped centerfire rifle would not be a challenge either, nor would it be a hunt......not to me. If it's legal for you and you enjoy it, I say, go for it, no hard feeling's here. I wish you a safe hunt and the best of luck. Just not my cup of tea, nor does it sound like a safe sport in my neck of the woods.

Cheesehead · « **Reply #96 on:** May 02, 2011, 04:45:59 PM »

Are there any legal restritions on rifles in state that allow?

billy_56081 · « **Reply #97 on:** May 02, 2011, 05:28:06 PM »

Whatever is legal. For me it is the thrill of the kill. Turkeys in MN are stupid.

dukkillr · « **Reply #98 on:** May 02, 2011, 05:46:02 PM »

Quote from: billy_56081 on May 02, 2011, 05:28:06 PM

Whatever is legal. For me it is the thrill of the kill. Turkeys in MN are stupid.

But isn't that thrill bigger when you make it tougher? For instance, my heart is pounding before I take a shot on a good buck, but my heart is about to explode if that buck is inside of 20 yards and I've got a bow.

Sure, killing them at 100 yards with a rifle would be fun, but not as fun as killing them at 35 with a shotgun? At least to me.

Cheesehead · « **Reply #99 on:** May 02, 2011, 05:51:13 PM »

billy is just being a stupid troll, as usual.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #100 on:** May 02, 2011, 05:51:48 PM »

It's all the same to me. Like I said the turkeys here are stupid. I have less than an hour invested in. I'd use a rifle just to do it another way. Bow was easy. To me it is not the hunt that is the thrill it is the kill, plain and simple. Say what ya want cheese, I enjoy what I enjoy, gonna stop by on the way to Sturgis?

sidewinder319 · « **Reply #101 on:** May 03, 2011, 05:09:12 AM »

Never hunted "Pop Cans" our state dosen't have a season on them. I wonder, turkey heads Bob around making a difficult target at 100 yards. I put a pop can out in the yard and watched it for hours never did bob around. Must be a different breed of pop cans in some areas.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #102 on:** May 03, 2011, 05:35:33 AM »

Quote from: Cheesehead on May 02, 2011, 04:45:59 PM

Are there any legal restritions on rifles in state that allow?

Yes and no. If big game hunting is allowed and rifles are legal then no. Some counties restrict rifles . In my county you can't hunt deer with a rifle but bear and turkey are legal. Other counties you must be in a tree stand . Check out the Va. game laws its unique in that each county can decide

Todd1700 · « **Reply #103 on:** May 03, 2011, 04:50:57 PM »

Quote

Now this is strange. Hunters for gun control. You don't need a rifle. It sounds like Old Mrs. Brady, no hunter needs a handgun or a 10 round clip. Thats how gun control got started. You don't need that cause I don't like 'um

This discussion has absolutely nothing to do with gun ownership and any attempt to link the two together is ridiculous.

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Had they had rifles, they woulda already been shootin' and been shootin' right at me. Had I had a rifle I would been shootin' right at them. Sittin' in camo behind a struttin' Tom in the spring or a flock of birds in the fall with other hunters in the woods using high powered rifles...no thank you.

Exactly the dangerous situation I spoke of in an earlier post. Hunting turkeys on public land where rifles are allowed seems about as safe as giving a Leopard a rectal exam. But it's your lives and limbs. Go for it if you like.

sidewinder319 · « **Reply #104 on:** May 03, 2011, 07:02:33 PM »

No one is killed or wounded by shotguns? Banning any firearm to satisfy those opposed to their use is gun control. My state has always allowed rifles for hunting turkey. Now 100 years later it has not been a problem. We now have shotgun loads that reach 4 times as far as they did 10 years ago. Should we ban these new loads, I think not. The shotguns are chocked to deliver hard shot out to ranges unknown not so long ago. It is easy to be up set with people who do things in a way different from our own.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #105 on:** May 04, 2011, 02:43:20 AM »

Some feel a need to restrict others in the way they hunt in an effort to make themselves feel better. They feel only their way is sporting or some other higher calling. A man should be allowed to kill his food as he wishes. Hunting for food makes sense to claim it sport only adds fuel to the anti's . Better to limit the amount of game taken . Close seasons when the number is reached.

billy_56081 · « **Reply #106 on:** May 04, 2011, 02:47:40 AM »

Quote from: SHOOTALL on May 04, 2011, 02:43:20 AM

Some feel a need to restrict others in the way they hunt in an effort to make themselves feel better. They feel only their way is sporting or some other higher calling. A man should be allowed to kill his food as he wishes. Hunting for food makes sense to claim it sport only adds fuel to the anti's . Better to limit the amount of game taken . Close seasons when the number is reached.

Well said Shootall. So many hunters and gun owners play into the anti's hands by dividing us.

Drilling Man · « **Reply #107 on:** May 04, 2011, 07:38:30 AM »

I see some of you don't like the idea of using a rifle, becuase a turkey can be shot at 100 yards... YET you use a shotgun with 3.5" ammo so you can take one at 50 yards!

I shoot my turkeys with the same 16ga. shotgun and ammo i use on pheasants, and i won't shoot beyond 30 yards! I'm thinking they should BAN all 3" and 3.5" ammo, because 50 yards is too far! There's a LOT more skill to get one into 30 yards max, than snipeing at 50 yards!

Yup...that makes just about as much sense as your post did!

DM

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #108 on:** May 04, 2011, 07:45:42 AM »

We only take head shots with the rifles

huntswithdogs · « **Reply #109 on:** May 05, 2011, 10:20:44 AM »

The deaths/shooting during turkey season, in Va, are few and far between. The last few I remember have all been shotgun related.

It ain't so much the gun as it is the operator.

HWD

sidewinder319 · « **Reply #110 on:** May 05, 2011, 07:33:39 PM »

Most of the shotgun accidents are treated by Dentist. Eating shot and wads of pulled feathers sure push up the incomes of Dentist during the hunting season.

mspaci · « **Reply #111 on:** May 06, 2011, 05:06:57 AM »

billy_56081 · « **Reply #112 on:** May 06, 2011, 05:14:10 AM »

Wish it were legal here. Out scouting I had one strutting at 100 yards, save gas.

ironglow · « **Reply #113 on:** May 06, 2011, 05:28:41 AM »

Quote from: Cheesehead on January 18, 2009, 06:30:49 AM

I would go turkey hunting for the first time ever if rifles were legal in Wisconsin.

Cheese

Same with me, here in NY State. I am not a shotgun hunter, i just like the precision of a rifle. I would still call them in before shooting them. My caliber of choice would be a .22 rimfire, either LR or mag. Probably use solid or FMJ and go for the base of the neck.
As it is, I don't hunt any birds..because I don't care for scattergunning..it's just my quirk !

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #114 on:** May 06, 2011, 05:39:14 AM »

I find a shot where the eggs come out to be an instant kill and little if any damage to useable meat . This is with a centerfire rifle. With a rimfire the mag works well , I have a older friend who has taken alot of turkeys over the last 30 years with a 22 mag.

ironglow · « **Reply #115 on:** May 06, 2011, 05:49:52 AM »

Somehow, I believe my new Savage 93 ,22 mag w/accutrigger is made for that job !

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #116 on:** May 06, 2011, 05:52:52 AM »

that would sure be a good bet .

Todd1700 · « **Reply #117 on:** May 07, 2011, 06:09:09 AM »

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Banning any firearm to satisfy those opposed to their use is gun control.

No one is talking about banning firearm ownership. Some states put restrictions on which type of firearms can be used for certain game in certain seasons. A totally different matter.

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We now have shotgun loads that reach 4 times as far as they did 10 years ago.

4 times as far as 10 years ago? LOL! Now I know you are just yanking this stuff out of your rear exit port. People have been killing turkeys at 40 yards with lead since before I was born. And that was 45 years ago. Four times 40 is 160 yards. LOL! So you are saying the range of the modern shotgun on turkeys is 160 yards. LOL! Well that begs the question, "With a shotgun range like that who would need a rifle?" LOL! I hope you just misspoke and don't seriously believe that comment.

There are a lot of internet BS claims from people who either flat lie or badly overestimate distance (a step does not equal a yard with most peoples stride). And there are some legit tales of longer shots by guys who got lucky "once". But anything beyond 50 yards is starting to get very dicey even for a modern turkey shotgun using heavier than lead shot. I know a few guys that load their own TSS shot in hand loads and have spent 100's of hours tinkering with shotguns that get patterns dense enough to kill consistently a bit farther but they are few and far between.

So the truth is that all these advancements in chokes and shells have increased a shotguns consistent range on turkeys by about 25% for the overwhelming majority of hunters, but no where near the ridiculous claim of 4 times as far. You couldn't aim high enough with a shotgun to rain a gentle sprinkle of falling pellets onto a turkeys head at 160 yards with a shotgun much less kill him.

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Some feel a need to restrict others in the way they hunt in an effort to make themselves feel better.

I have consistently stated that for me it's a safety issue. I think some of you just have a chip on your shoulder. If the effective killing range on a turkey is about 50 yards with a shotgun then maybe by the time two guys pursuing the same gobbling bird on public land get that close they will see or hear each other. Compare that to the maximum lethal range of a .223 or a 22-250. How much farther will they kill a human compared to a shotgun. Lets say I find a bird gobbling in a field and set up along the tree line and start trying to call him over to me, what happens when some guy on the opposite side of the field spots him and starts launching lead with a 243 from 400 yards? He's not gonna see me in the edge of the trees wearing camo from that distance. And that is not a unlikely or implausible scenario. That could easily happen. People aren't gonna restrict themselves to the same self imposed rules that some of you mention. You legalize a weapon for hunting and people will attempt to use it out to it's maximum lethal range.

You can spew that elitist crap all you want. This concerns me because it's legalization here would put my life in much greater jeopardy during turkey season. How good a turkey hunter you are compared to me doesn't concern me in the least. My life and limb do concern me and are definitely my business.

ironglow · « **Reply #118 on:** May 07, 2011, 02:08:46 PM »

A couple points to consider..
1) just because one uses a .22 LR to hunt turkey, doesn't mean they aren't going to call them in before they shoot them. I rather got spoiled against shot-killed game when I was a kid and my dad used to hunt squirrels with a shotgun . The whole experience of squirrel with shot & hair driven into the meat, was a real turnoff for me.
2) if a fellow hunts in such an area where he felt sure that a couple other hunters trailing a turkey were going to open up without checking the background...he had best not hunt there at all. Slob hunters are dangerous, whether they have a shiotgun, rifle or bow. if they are that prevalent in an area, I sure wouldn't hunt in the same area.

this whole discussion reminds me of the stupid archery debate which went on here in NY this past year.. Crossbow hunters wanted to be able to hunt big game, so they asked the DEC to open the bow season for crossbows. that is the most logical season for cross bows since regular big game is the bright orange etc.
Well, you would think the present bow hunters were told to kill their mothers ! I haven't heard such whining since Edward Scissorhands came down with jock itch !!
I wonder what difference it makes to the average bow hunter if the other guy shoots with his bow crosswise rather than vertical ? Somehow it looks like some kind of ego thing is wrapped up in their whining..but not admitted openly..

sidewinder319 · « **Reply #119 on:** May 08, 2011, 04:51:11 AM »

Todd the Brady Gun Control group would just love to have you as member. Oops, maybe you have been writing for them before. This all sounds familiar?? Those who support the 2nd amendment are like the founding father white and elitist. No we don't want to ban ownership of certain fire arms. We only want to Control their use to protect others. Wow, in the Socialist nations only shotguns are allowed for the very controlled people. Your knowledge of ballistic is also sadly lacking.