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2022 Turkey Hunting Thread

Super Curious as to why you’re taking your sight off?

I personally like having a red dot on mine. Makes me aim, when I look down the bead of a shotgun I wanna shoot insitintive. Follow through the shot like on a bird and boom. I have a bad habit with not aiming well and shooting. A red dot helps make me put it on the turkies head and boom, just a dumb good of mines. Going on my third season with one and haven’t had a draw back yet not saying there isnt One. Mainly I ask to maybe avoid the potential draw backs
I dunno...undecided still i guess. i missed a bird last season at 51 yds and i think i got to quick to pull the trigger when i get the dot near the head. Maybe i was overconfident. The fiber optic rifle sights get me to slow down. I might try it out on my new gun and see how i like it. I also get worried about it getting knocked or not turning on. It is on a raised saddle though, so i can look through the gap and use my beads if i had to. I would never switch to a single bead though. Not accurate enough with a really tight choke.
 
Check out Shane Simpson on YouTube. He has the best turkey hunting videos out there, you can learn a lot from him.
All his stuff is great. Theres a guy called "dale outdoors" i think... i really like his stuff too. He hunts similar to my style.
 
Does anybody turkey hunt from the saddle? I tried it last spring at deer stand height, mostly to practice being in the saddle and if I got a bird I figured it’d be a bonus. Spooked a hen, but I think only because I was moving while climbing. Wondered if it’d be an effective way to try again.
I think for most people its just not the best method. U might have to move back 30 yds if theyre hung up and call again or move to a different ridge, or scratch up some leaves, etc.

Other issue and i think the biggest one is: an old tom is super tuned in to where sounds are coming from. When u call from the ground u can shut up for the last 100 yds of him comin in and watch him look right where the sound last came from. Even if hes ziggin and zaggin he keeps lookin that way. If you need one more call to get him to come in guess where hes lookin? UP! and he knows damn well that hen isnt yelpin at 930 am up in a poplar tree. Its just not natural to them.
 
TSS looks impressive but I've never bought it. Someone can have the best 10" pattern at 40 yards the world has ever seen but if they don't know how to hunt turkeys its pointless. I am sure someday I'll buy some TSS but I have a good bit of what patterns well through my gun to work through first
 
I think for most people its just not the best method. U might have to move back 30 yds if theyre hung up and call again or move to a different ridge, or scratch up some leaves, etc.

Other issue and i think the biggest one is: an old tom is super tuned in to where sounds are coming from. When u call from the ground u can shut up for the last 100 yds of him comin in and watch him look right where the sound last came from. Even if hes ziggin and zaggin he keeps lookin that way. If you need one more call to get him to come in guess where hes lookin? UP! and he knows damn well that hen isnt yelpin at 930 am up in a poplar tree. Its just not natural to them.
Thanks for the input. I wondered if that might be the case. I’d never heard of anyone doing elevated turkey hunting, so I suppose that makes sense.
 
TSS looks impressive but I've never bought it. Someone can have the best 10" pattern at 40 yards the world has ever seen but if they don't know how to hunt turkeys its pointless. I am sure someday I'll buy some TSS but I have a good bit of what patterns well through my gun to work through first
 
Trust me I felt the same way until i saw what it did to a bird in person and shot it myself. I wreck $30 arrows and broadheads on deer and i can only shoot 2 turkeys a year. I can throw $20 a year into 2 turkeys for the freezer/wall. Thats only $16 more a year than using longbeard XR. I shot one shell to make sure the pattern looked good and that was all she wrote.
Its a confidence booster when old boy is hung up at 45yds. The pattern at that distance is like rem nitro #5's at 25. And it hits just as hard.
Longbeard XR #6 is pretty dang good too tho.
 
Trust me I felt the same way until i saw what it did to a bird in person and shot it myself. I wreck $30 arrows and broadheads on deer and i can only shoot 2 turkeys a year. I can throw $20 a year into 2 turkeys for the freezer/wall. Thats only $16 more a year than using longbeard XR. I shot one shell to make sure the pattern looked good and that was all she wrote.
Its a confidence booster when old boy is hung up at 45yds. The pattern at that distance is like rem nitro #5's at 25. And it hits just as hard.
Longbeard XR #6 is pretty dang good too tho.
I agree and didn't say it wasn't worth it. All I am saying is if someone can't get a turkey in range then TSS doesn't matter. Also, once you get your gun patterned with TSS its not that expensive if you are not changing chokes, etc.
 
I see a few guys are shooting the Franchi Affinity 3 shot guns. I've been looking at pulling the trigger on a new shotgun and have been looking at the Affinity 3. Any of you guys that are using one have positives or negatives to share on it?
 
I see a few guys are shooting the Franchi Affinity 3 shot guns. I've been looking at pulling the trigger on a new shotgun and have been looking at the Affinity 3. Any of you guys that are using one have positives or negatives to share on it?
I had a Stoeger M3020 and killed many birds with it, but the fit and finish on the Franchi is just better all-around and I got one last year. I also considered a Benelli, but the Franchi checked all of my required boxes. All three have many interchangeable parts since they are all part of the same parent company now. Can't go wrong with any of them.
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I had a Stoeger M3020 and killed many birds with it, but the fit and finish on the Franchi is just better all-around and I got one last year. I also considered a Benelli, but the Franchi checked all of my required boxes. All three have many interchangeable parts since they are all part of the same parent company now. Can't go wrong with any of them.
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Love my M3020! Question for you though with that gun. What choke do you use? I tried the factory turkey choke that came with as well as the modified and shot 4 different brand shells with HORRIBLE patterns with turkey loads. I just bought it last year and can't find any chokes for it in stock. Saw good reviews for the HS Undertaker, Indian Creek and maybe one other but again all out of stock.
 
Love my M3020! Question for you though with that gun. What choke do you use? I tried the factory turkey choke that came with as well as the modified and shot 4 different brand shells with HORRIBLE patterns with turkey loads. I just bought it last year and can't find any chokes for it in stock. Saw good reviews for the HS Undertaker, Indian Creek and maybe one other but again all out of stock.
Thanks for the feed back. I agree the Affinity seems to check all the right boxes. The 7 year warranty is awesome and that Cerakote finish is nice!
 
Love my M3020! Question for you though with that gun. What choke do you use? I tried the factory turkey choke that came with as well as the modified and shot 4 different brand shells with HORRIBLE patterns with turkey loads. I just bought it last year and can't find any chokes for it in stock. Saw good reviews for the HS Undertaker, Indian Creek and maybe one other but again all out of stock.
For the Stoeger, the factory turkey choke actually performed as good or better than premium chokes with TSS. For the Affinity, I recommend getting a Sumtoy choke.
 
Dare I ask to make myself sound stupid. Anyone have a problem using a black synthetic or blued gun? My Turkey gun is Camo. Just called the local hun shop and they have a affinity 20 in blued. Highly doubt it matters but curious what others think.
Doesnt matter at all unless you are waving it around. I've shot my last three with my Dads old H & R Single w/no camo
 
What chokes are you guys using with you tss? Shot my first tss load “federal 7-9” and it patterned lift crap. Someone mentioned it might be blowing out. Trying to find a less tight choke. Rn using Indian creek in .665
 
What chokes are you guys using with you tss? Shot my first tss load “federal 7-9” and it patterned lift crap. Someone mentioned it might be blowing out. Trying to find a less tight choke. Rn using Indian creek in .665
IC 665 gave me the best hunting pattern over tighter chokes in the 12 ga, even over chokes designed for Federal like the Carlson's. One consideration for Federal TSS loads is their flite control wads perform way better in longer barrels and in smooth chokes with wads separation rings or suits (as in IC). I found out the hard way when they first came out and got the opportunity
to talk to their product manager about it. They changed the wads a bit since the originals, but still does better in long barrel guns.
 
Pretty well have quite carrying anything but my 410. Killed two birds with it last season dead as can be. May carry my 28 gauge if I'm feeling it. It shoots amazing with 1 3/8 oz #9.5 with the factory full choke and just the bead. 20210407_191530.jpgScreenshot_20220120-215357_Gallery.jpg
 
What chokes are you guys using with you tss? Shot my first tss load “federal 7-9” and it patterned lift crap. Someone mentioned it might be blowing out. Trying to find a less tight choke. Rn using Indian creek in .665
If I remember correctly you have to shoot a tighter choke with federal to defeat the wad. Shoot Apex or Foxtrot with that .665 and I'd bet it'll shoot great.
 
IC 665 gave me the best hunting pattern over tighter chokes in the 12 ga, even over chokes designed for Federal like the Carlson's. One consideration for Federal TSS loads is their flite control wads perform way better in longer barrels and in smooth chokes with wads separation rings or suits (as in IC). I found out the hard way when they first came out and got the opportunity
to talk to their product manager about it. They changed the wads a bit since the originals, but still does better in long barrel guns.
Is the wad on the fed tss “flight control” supposed to open? After shooting mine the wad is still closed.
 
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