Turkey hunting
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:10 am
Turkey season opened in Michigan yesterday. Shot my first turkey last evening. I used my Mossberg 500 with a 24" bbl w/ turkey choke @ 35 yards. Shells were Remington 3" mags #5 turkey loads.
4 toms came into the field about 7:50 pm. Waited for them to get close, shot the largest one. Pics when I get home. Still out with my brother.
An now the rest of the story...I see flocks of turkeys on my property. Every night and every morning in the food plot, big toms strutting around...except during the spring season. All summer, every fall I see them. There is a fall season in Michigan except in my county. I started turkey hunting about 4 years ago. The season is the last week in April or the first week in May, you can't do both, you have to apply as there are limited licenses issued. I think there are something like 2200 licenses given out for my county. Turkey hunting in MI is a big deal, not as big as deer hunting, but pretty big.
So my older brother and I went out before dawn. Set up at either end of the food plot, he at the south end, me at the north end, about 130 yards apart. Turkeys roost in trees, often just off the south ridge off the food plot. As it started getting light we started hearing gobbling. Lots and lots of gobbling. Around 7:30 I caught a glimpse of turkeys coming down out of the tree at the far end of the field closer to my brother. After about 20 minute the walked out onto the field about 40 yards away from my brother. They were in a line facing him and he didn't want to shoot them head on for fear of hitting the others. He waited until they turned and let loose at the first one. He missed and they all took off.
He had committed the first sin of hunting, always check your gun before going out in the field. He was using a Mossberg 835 (variation of the 500) turkey gun with a scope. The scope was loose, when we took it back to my range it was shooting a foot high and 6 inches left at 20 yards. We ended up taking the scope off and patterned it with just the bead sight.
Worked all day around the house and back out to the field about 6pm. This time I was at the south end, he at the north. About 10 minutes to 8, the same 4 toms walked out at the south end. I picked the biggest and dropped him at about 35 yards. First turkey ever!
4 toms came into the field about 7:50 pm. Waited for them to get close, shot the largest one. Pics when I get home. Still out with my brother.
An now the rest of the story...I see flocks of turkeys on my property. Every night and every morning in the food plot, big toms strutting around...except during the spring season. All summer, every fall I see them. There is a fall season in Michigan except in my county. I started turkey hunting about 4 years ago. The season is the last week in April or the first week in May, you can't do both, you have to apply as there are limited licenses issued. I think there are something like 2200 licenses given out for my county. Turkey hunting in MI is a big deal, not as big as deer hunting, but pretty big.
So my older brother and I went out before dawn. Set up at either end of the food plot, he at the south end, me at the north end, about 130 yards apart. Turkeys roost in trees, often just off the south ridge off the food plot. As it started getting light we started hearing gobbling. Lots and lots of gobbling. Around 7:30 I caught a glimpse of turkeys coming down out of the tree at the far end of the field closer to my brother. After about 20 minute the walked out onto the field about 40 yards away from my brother. They were in a line facing him and he didn't want to shoot them head on for fear of hitting the others. He waited until they turned and let loose at the first one. He missed and they all took off.
He had committed the first sin of hunting, always check your gun before going out in the field. He was using a Mossberg 835 (variation of the 500) turkey gun with a scope. The scope was loose, when we took it back to my range it was shooting a foot high and 6 inches left at 20 yards. We ended up taking the scope off and patterned it with just the bead sight.
Worked all day around the house and back out to the field about 6pm. This time I was at the south end, he at the north. About 10 minutes to 8, the same 4 toms walked out at the south end. I picked the biggest and dropped him at about 35 yards. First turkey ever!
