Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I will prefice this post by saying that I am a deer hunter first and foremost, but my family is purchasing some land (for deer hunting) that has a large turkey population on it. I was reading the Oklahoma regulations last night and found that using a rifle to hunt turkeys is legal (even 22 magnum and 17 HMR). My question to the "turkey hunters" here is, when using a rifle to hunt turkeys, do you still "set up" like you would shotgun hunting or use a stand like you would to hunt deer? My only experience with turkeys was 18 years ago when I was on a place in south Texas that had them. Even then, I didn't hunt them, but the guys that did shot them from deer stands. I am wantiing to take my son up in April to turkey hunt and am trying to learn about the process before I go. Thanks!

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I haven't tried it personally since it isn't legal here, but I'd go with a tree stand.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

in ca, you're not allowed to use rifle, so i don't know poop about it. i like the shotgun becuase it's a challenge and it is exciting when you get a big bird gobblin and struttin only feet away. happy hunting;)

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

That is your choice, but why even use a rifle. I know it may be legal, but turkey hunting is all about working a gobbler into shotgun range. If you are going strictly for meat and not for the thrill of working a big longbeard into close range, then go for it, but I would personally never hunt turkeys with a rifle even if it were legal. I'm not knocking you for trying it though. Nothing like a big longbeard strutting and gobbling 25 yards from you.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I feel the same way!:)

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

Getting em close1 That's the name of the game!

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I would agree. Leave the rifle for the deer. That's not based on "ethics" or what I think is wrong or right but just knowing what a good turkey hunt is about. If you want to introduce yourself and your son to the sport then enjoy it for what it is. It's all about the hunt and not necessarily the kill. I say not necessarily because I don't buy into the "i don't have to kill one" thing. I sure as heck want to kill one every time I hit the bush. BUT you'll get the turkey hunting bug when you call in a gobbler to inside 30 yds, watching him spit, drum, strut and gobble as he comes. That is the rush! Note I didn't mention shooting one. Yup it's icing on the cake and why you're carrying a gun when you do shoot him but you'll get the rush long before pulling the trigger.

I think the primary reason it isn't legal in other places is the safety factor. It sems it is the wide open areas of the west that allow it. If you do get hooked and want to go somehwere else chances are the rifle will not be legal.

Learn to hun them with a shotgun and enjoy the rush!

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I would have to agree with the others...definitely use a shotgun and expierence a real turkey hunt. If you do this, you may take back the statement that you are a deer hunter first and foremost. There is nothing better than turkey hunting!

I have shot a turkey once with a 17 and I don't think I would do it again. The bird I shot was a small jake on the last day of turkey season and when I hit it, he slammed to the ground, got up and took off flying for about 150 yards or so...folded like a dove and slammed into a tree. The first thought I had when I saw him get up and fly was the 17 was strong enough. If you are going to use a rifle, which I encourage you to try the shotgun for 90% of the season before using a rifle, then use something bigger than a 17. Just my two cents....

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I know a dedicated deer hunter like you and he can't stand the thought of having a 40 or 50 yard limit. It's good for me though because a rifle is not legal in Tennessee so my buddy and I get to turkey hunt on his land.

Sounds like you might have to learn how to turkey hunt with a rifle on your own since most folks know nothing about it. So get out there and pick off a couple longbeards and get back on here and tell all of us what we're missing out on:D

BTW if I could use a rifle I would. You can still call em in and kill em with a rifle or let er rip when they hang up at 65 yards out.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

Rifles areonly legal in the fall in most of western OK andnormally turkeys are not very responsive to calls in the fall. I have had good luck ambushing the flocks along travel routes and feeding fields. It is difficult to sneak closer than 150-200 yds when 300-400 turkeys are feeding on a flat wheat field and always watching. That is when a scoped rifle can be used successfully.

I too prefer calling them close in the spring and using a healthy dose of #4 shot to cure my aching.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

well i have to agree with the croud, shotgun. but lets not forget our forefathers and all the turkey that was taken with pached ball. from a stand point of challenge, getting a movingturkey in the head with a 22 would be quite a challenge at any range.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I've hunted w/both rifle and shotgun. In VA you can't Spring Gobbler hunt w/arifle but you can in the fall. My two huntin' buddies and myself would use .223s (model 7s. (the short length is what appeals to me)) and would try to break their backs to keep from messing up too much meat. It worked and I enjoyed it. But like most of these guys have already said, once you have a big gobbler struttin' 25 yards in front of you and you blast him w/ashotgun you'll quickly realize there's nothing like it.

Either way you chose you're gonna have a ton of fun!

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

It's legal here in Florida, but I have never used a rifle. I think everybodys expressed the true thrill of harvesting a turkey is the hunt itself. Calling, working the birds, getting them close and using a shotgun is the way to go. My 10 year old son and I were sitting in the deer stand this fall, during which deer and turkey season were open. We some turkeys come in and he asked if he could take one. I told him no and he asked if it was illegal w/ a rifle. I asked him if he remembered the feeling he gets when hearing a gobbler while hunting in the spring, to which he smiled and said yes. I then asked him if he was feeling that same feeling now, to which he replied no. He decided that he wanted to take his first bird with a shotgun.... Not lecturing, just a proud dad!

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

Funny you should mention it. I just sent off an e-mail to the Missouri Dept of Conservation, asking why we couldn't have a rifle season for turkeys, since the fall hunt is by deer methods anyway, and we can kill either sex, there is no reason to get them up close. I prefer calling them in close, but would be happy to shoot them with a rifle for fall season when you are basically walking the woods and flushing them or sitting in a stand. It's basically sight and stalk unless you have better luck than I, calling in the fall. And stalking close enough to a turkey for a shotgun is very tricky, unless you are sitting under their tree when the sun comes up or catch them in the trees as the sun goes down.
If you are in good turkey country you should be able to sit in a stand. But if you want to speed things up and have a rifle, stalk the field edges and catch them feeding in the fields. From experience a 17 HMR takes two shots to the body, three would be better. They leave small trails through the meat and don't tear it up much. A 223 does a better job with one shot with still little damage and a much better range. You should be able to spot a good gobbler with binoculars at 350 yds and cull him from the flock at the same range. Waiting patiently for the right shot, so you don't kill two or three is the hard part.Most of my knowledge comes from friends who hunt other states, but I have hunted oklahoma too.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

Ya, its not legal here, but that would be my last option, i like the rush of the bird coming within ten yards from me!:D

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

There's an art to turkey hunting & a rifle ain't the brush u use[:'(]

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

if i could use a rifle, there would be absolutely zero fun involved, let alone challenging

where i hunt there are 4 to 10 gobblers 100 to 200 yds out in the field everyday. it would be (for me) unsportsmanlike to sniper them .

just my opinion, not bashing anyone but, a rifle just makes it too easy.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

For me!That would be likeshooting a sitting rabbit or a grouse on the ground that wasn't flushed. There's no challenge in it. Not to mention the saftly aspect of it. I'd never do it!

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I wouldn't mind using a rifle but I'd still call them in close like I do with a shotgun or a bow.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

it has been said a couple times ; gettem close is what it's all about. I like to get them close enough that my BPS 12 ga. shoots like a rifle.:D;):D;):D.

I wish Fla. would stop rifle hunting for turhey for one reason ; I had my decoy shot in front of me[:@][:@][:@][:@][:@]; I'm just glad he was not shooting stright in my drection.another reason, lots of birds are lost because of bad hits and not much blood trail to follow.

( OK , now you rifle hunters can get aboard and hit me real hard; I'm already bent over and ready):D:D:D:D:D
just had to say that to let you all know I'm not against the way you hunt.I have taken birds with rifle( befor my decoy was shot ). if it's legal then go for it.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

There seems to be a lot of anti rifle folks, for turkeys anyway.Thats my feeling too, if you want a really good hunt, use a shotgun and call. But I'm not the least bit opposed to anyone using a rifle, if it's legal and they want to do it. Shooting a turkey with a riflemight belike going to the store and buying one, except, you do have to go out and find a turkey. It may be a bit harder finding the one you want, than digging through a freezer.You do have to get in range for a good shot, and you do have to make the shot, safely, and without endangering birds other than the intended target. Plus you get some exercise outdoorsand a free range bird that is probably healthier for you than the one from your grocery store, plus you got to hunt with your son. This may not appeal to everyone of course, but getting outside and stalking, or laying in wait for a turkey is more fun to me any day, than sitting in my living room watching tv or going to the store. I don't care how you finish him off, just go get him!
If it were ALL about the HUNT for me, I would give upmy guns anduse a camera. For me it's mostly about getting outside and killing my own dinner. Some hunts are obviously morechallenging, or interestingthan others for whatever reason. Theweapon you used, the people you hunt with, the weather,and how many birds you saw,and which one you killed, are allpart of it. Usually for me, it's the peopleI hunt with or just the alone time that really makes my day, not whether the target was hard or easy, but the day I had, and the kill. As great as all the other stuff is, I'm not just a hiker. If I didn't make a kill regularly on most hunts, I would stop going. There are a lot of controversial methods for all animalslike baiting, using dogs,scents, calls,electronics,trappingand even using a guide, (noREAL hunter would ever use a guide right), but if it's your thing and it's legal, do it, and proudly enjoy it!

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

We are from the same camp!:)

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

10-4, good buddy!:)

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I second that!:)

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

You got that right!:)

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

Preach it brother!:)

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

Well, it's also legal to shoot a spring gob off the morning roost in many states, and that rubs me wrong too...
A fewdecades ago, I encountered a spring turkey hunter in the VA woods with his .243, and I got a creepy feeling, wondering if he might have "scoped me" before coming into my position. Well, that guywould not have hadto worryif a gob "hungup" 70 yds out...
As posted earlier, rifles are now verbotten for theVA spring season, butlegal in the fall, and they certainly have their proponents & rationalizations. (e.g.a turk never knows what killed it, head shots demand accuracy, "if you are that demanding of technique - why don't you stick to your bow", etc, etc, ad nauseum). A good friend of mine (not a hunting partner) stillbags VA fall turks with rifle. I'veneedled him, that if he wants a turkey that bad, he should just go to the Safeway. It'sa matter of respect for the game animal, jmo.
I and fellow turkey hunters that participate in the VA Spring Turkey Hunter survey have voiced our support foreliminating rifles for turkey hunting and moving the fall season out of the deer season - voice your opinions to your wildlife mgt agency, they listen, you can make a difference.

-fsh

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I wouldn't use a rifle even if it was legal.

The essence of the sport is calling a gobbler to shotgun range using stealth, woodsmanship, and calling skill. Picking one off with a 22-250 at 300 yards wouldn't interest me at all.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

Using a rifle for turkey is about as cool as using dynamite for fish!

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I do agree with you guys about shooting one long range with a rifle but whats the difference from shooting one at 30 yards with a rifle,bow,or shotgun. Its not legal here so I don't use a rifle but if it were I'd maybe try one and keep my shots to under 50 yards just like a shotgun.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

like everyone else has said, your gonna miss out on some serious fun if you go w/ the rifle and stand. gettin' 'em close is whats all about. good luck either way:D

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

I know some hunters who head shoot them when hunting with their deer rifles and the season coincides. If I was setting out to hunt them w a rifle I would use my .22 mag. Not legal here in the spring, though.

RE: Turkey Hunting with a Rifle
 

For a different perspective ,I'll give you mine

I enjoy shooting at paper, I likeguns and I hunt for meat only.
I don't consider killing wildlife a sport. For me it's a harvest. The way I look at it is that it'sa benificial way to control animal populations. It should be humane .

So I guess it has to do with the reasons one is hunting (harvesting)on what method they chooose