Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

The link below is the target I use each year to check my gun and determine the effective maximum range!

My rule of thumb - I only count the pellet holes in the spinal cord, eye and skull/brain area only. I want at least 8 to 12 pellets in the above areas. Anything less and I move closer and try again. That wayI know I have a clean good killing shot. And that way I know the effective range of my gun.

I also place this target at the height a real turkeys head is - and I shoot from a STD sitting position.

Though the target gives you the ideal center I pattern my guns and adjust my sights so the very bottom center edge of my pattern hits the place where the skin starts and the feathers stop on the neck. That way as I am looking down the barrel sighting in on my quarry I am seeing the whole head at all times. Then I know with that neck outstrecthed my shot pattern covers the whole head.

www.mdc.mo.gov/nathis/birds/turkey/target.htm


JW

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Yep, I agree 100%. I use a very similiar target. After I tried a few differnt loads with a few different chokes, it isn't uncommon to put 80-90 pellets in the 'kill zone' at 25 yards. By doing this I have easily taken birds at 50+ yards shooting 3" shells with confidence.

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

That's a great link. Last year I patterned with a standard rifle target from 30 and 40 yards. What I thought was "good enough" wasn't nearly enough. I was lucky enough to kill a bird, but he didn't go down with the first shot. Lesson learned...

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

patterning your shotgun is a must i agree. but why would you pattern it every year? if you change choke/gun/or ammo i could understand but if you go out with exact same combo, is there a need to pattern again?

im seriously asking this and not doggin you in anyway, because i thought id get away without patterning this year since i did last year. do i need to again anyway?

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Tembry15, I simply pattern my gun every year because I have a turkey scope on my shotgun. So I shoot mine before each season to make sure the scope is still on. It has been every year, but I will keep doing it because it is the worst feeling when you aren't 100% sure you scope is on.

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

JW, Thanks for the link!!!

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

I use those too. Other targets I've downloaded can be gotten from:

http://www.mytargets.com/
http://www.targetz.com/
http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.free-turkey-target.html(the turkey target I use the most - same as others, just easier on the eyes)

If you do a google search, you'll find tons of free targets out there for download.

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

My printer shrinks the target to fit on the paper, how do I get it to print full size?

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Never mind I asked my teenage son to do it for me!

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Gotta love the kids!

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Tembry - excellent question -

If yo have the confidence your gun is on by all means go for it.

However the reason I re-pattern every year is:
1. To check my Tru glo sight alingment as I do take one set off the gun I use for waterfowl
2. Check out my scoped gun to make sure it is still on. I beat the bejeebies outa this on many sneaks. Try to protect it but it ain't all that easy.
3. Pattern my smokepole as it is really just a bead.
4. Puts a mental picture of what the Tom's head should look like at my Maximum yardage I have deteremined - if I need it - yes I want to call them up close a personal to see the 'white of their eyes!' Never seen the whites of the eyes? Well you iain't had that turkey close enuf (am teasin here :) ) but yes it does put a mental picture in my ole noggin.
5. AND best of all it puts the confidence in what I use - I know it is on - I don't need to second guess. My average for the number of birds I have taken is 22 paces from wehre I sat. yes some longer ones but atht was early in my hunting and is not the case now. Last two whre take at 6 and 8 paces respectively.

You are right the worst case is to shoot lotsa loads to get that gun sighted in. But even with that I'll give ya a little tip. When I start - I start with a quarter sized dot on white cardboard anduse 7.5 trap shells. The round won't beat you up and what you are after is knocking the quarter sized dot out of the cardboad clean at 15-20 yards using the chokes we use. Once you have that done and can do it religiously I then use the target I gave the link to. Then I take shots at 30, 40, & yes 50 to count my pellet holes and determine my maximum range with my turkey loads.

And there are those who say it only takes one good pellet placement to put that bird down and I must agree. But one pellet is not enuf in my mind and that is why I said no less than 8!
Yes I have wounded a bird and am definetely not proud of it! And yes I missed a bird and didn't know why. So i went to Tru Glo sights as I bet I lifted my head. So I took the above steps to stop that foolsishness. Not only to conserve game but to be the type of hunter I was taught to be and that is above all ethical.

So that is why - didn't mean to make this sound like a soap box and riducule me if ya must.....each to their own....but when I hear of shots beyond 40 yards - to me those hunters are missing the point and they do have the greatest chance to cripple......and a crippeld bird.....is defintely not what I want to do.

Hey stay safe out there.

JW

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

But what if the big ol Tom gets hung up at 45 yards and won't come any closer. And when you patterned your gun, you consistantly put 10-12 pellets in the head at 50 yards. So you have confidence in your gun.

Your right though...to each their own. And I admit, the majority of the birds I have taken or called in where shot at 20-30 yards, but I have taken two birds over 40 yards...1 at 45 and one at 52 yards. In these cases, the birds where hung up and weren't coming any closer. Even though I know my gun is capable of making the shot, I still like to call them in closer because I like the up close and personal experience, but when they won't come in, it is my last resort.

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Here's a little turkey trivia involving that patterning target...

It's from an actual Xray taken of a bird taken by Dr. Paul " Doc" Pelham, a turkey hunting veterinarian from western NY...

Doc Pelham was a former President of the NYS Chapter of the NWTF...

The very first time I attended and watched the NYS Calling Championship in Portville, NY , sometime in the 70s, I had the priveledge of watching Doc Pelham himself win the contest.. Hehad some pretty stiff competion in that constest, including Rob Keck and a barber from Orchard Park, NY named Dick Kirby...

Doc moved on to that great turkey woods in the sky quite a few years ago...

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Hmm..Must be we're not allowed to say D-I-C-K on this forum, even if it's somebody's name..

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Thanks for the info! I'm ordering these.:)

http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.free-turkey-target.html

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

I think those targets are cheating you out of some vital area... I like the Primos turkey target... It's also a actual X-Ray of a turkey head and neck. The whole neck;)

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Thanks ML, but I can see the colored one much easier.:)

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Rebel Hog, you don't have to order 'em. They're free. Just keep stock in printer paper like I do. :D

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

Zubba, What type of scope do you have on your turkey gun? I was thinking about getting one.

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

The only reason I do it is because I use the same gun, same scope, but different barrels for turkey and deer. After sighting in for slugs I have to re sight in for #5 shot. I'm looking to get a second scope or red dot on a quick detatch mount to use for turkey though. I'd like to start a poll on that subject, but we can't do that in this forum so I'll probably start a new thread so as not to hijack this one ;)

BTW, this is the target I use to pattern. Its the best I've found so far. I think I use 11.5 x17" paper, whatever the next size up from legal is...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/RIStrutStopper/turktarg1.jpg

RE: Pattern your Turkey Gun use this
 

I think there was more info on this tread then I can exorb in one sitting ;)

First, I have to say Thankyou to Pygmybecause what he said was very interesting to me.

As for Targets, there are a number of them and I had no idea really.

Now for information on Patterning, well I have a lot of respect for everyone here and JW a lot , but I think some important info has been missed here.

My opinion on patterning is different to a lot. As the vitals of the target is important , so is the area around the kill zones of the birds head. These such areas play a very important roll in the patterning of a good turkey gun.

Having a tight pattern that is even all the way around the head/neck area is as important to the hunter as the vital shots.

Everyone would love to have a pattern like the Old Remington advertizement with a perfect inline head and neck shot, not a pellet out side that area. In fact if we did there would be far more misses then you see today because excitement is going to play with management of still when aimming.

Working with a target with a 10 inch or 1 foot circle around the head and neck area and manage a combo to place the highest percentage of shot into that area on a even bases, will hit your target everytime and as well will cover for any error in the excitement area....