Long Shot with Nitro
05-09-2005, 11:32 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Columbus Ohio USA
Posts: 225
Long Shot with Nitro
This Saturday I got my first bird of the season. Overall, it was not a very inspiring hunt. The bird gobbled once on the roost and then flew down into a little draw. He did not respond to my calls in any way but I could hear a turkey clucking. The clucking bird started to move to my right and up the hill so I tried to get up to the top of the hll but before I could I see a Tom coming down the road (and he is clucking). I sat down and continued to call. He cam up the road to where I was and went right past (the road was out of range). He then stopped and milled around and then came back down the road. He never made any sound and never even went into strut. He knew I was there and just continued to walk back and forth on the road and would occassionally stop and stare at me.
After about 20 minutes I decided that I needed to do something so I decided to crawl up the hill the next time he went into a low spot in the road where I couldn't see him (I was hoping that he couldn't see me either). I thought if I could crawl about 15 yards up to a tree then I might have a shot. When I crawled up the hill the turkey picked up his paced and moved about 50 yards up the road. I thought that was it and I was busted but when I called he came right back. This time when he got in front of me I dropped him. He folded up instantly and didn't move (other than a little twitching). I had estimated the shot at 40-45 yards but when I stepped it off it was 50 steps. I would not have taken the shot if I had known how far it was (I had patterned out to 40 yards) but the NITRO 4X5X7 load (3.5 magnum) just peppered his head and neck at 50 yards and there were no pellets in the breast meat. I cannot say enough about how the NITRO load worked.
The bird was a scraggly two year old that weighed 18 lb, had a 6 inch beard and .75 spurs. I say he was scraggly because his tail was beat up and he had bald spots on his neck and breast with no feathers. I assume that he had taken some beating and maybe that is what lead to his strange behavior.
After about 20 minutes I decided that I needed to do something so I decided to crawl up the hill the next time he went into a low spot in the road where I couldn't see him (I was hoping that he couldn't see me either). I thought if I could crawl about 15 yards up to a tree then I might have a shot. When I crawled up the hill the turkey picked up his paced and moved about 50 yards up the road. I thought that was it and I was busted but when I called he came right back. This time when he got in front of me I dropped him. He folded up instantly and didn't move (other than a little twitching). I had estimated the shot at 40-45 yards but when I stepped it off it was 50 steps. I would not have taken the shot if I had known how far it was (I had patterned out to 40 yards) but the NITRO 4X5X7 load (3.5 magnum) just peppered his head and neck at 50 yards and there were no pellets in the breast meat. I cannot say enough about how the NITRO load worked.
The bird was a scraggly two year old that weighed 18 lb, had a 6 inch beard and .75 spurs. I say he was scraggly because his tail was beat up and he had bald spots on his neck and breast with no feathers. I assume that he had taken some beating and maybe that is what lead to his strange behavior.
05-09-2005, 05:45 PM
#4
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Missouri USA
Posts: 5,420
RE: Long Shot with Nitro
Congrats on a great bird, those Nitro's are hard to beat, I think you will find out that 50 yards is not that much of a stretch for a 3 1/2" Nitro load. I have killed several at 50 or better with them. They are worth the extra money especially in a situation like yours, when one might mis-judge the distance its still a lethal shot, and the turkey deserves the best IMO.
