{"id":1097,"date":"2020-04-16T13:03:08","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T17:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/outdoorsportsnation.com\/?p=1097"},"modified":"2021-05-04T03:59:48","modified_gmt":"2021-05-04T07:59:48","slug":"patterning-your-shotgun-for-turkey-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/outdoorsportsnation.com\/patterning-your-shotgun-for-turkey-season\/pentecostkyle12\/hunting\/04\/16\/2020\/1097\/","title":{"rendered":"Patterning Your Shotgun for Turkey Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

When<\/strong> shooting at large game such as Elk, Bear, Deer, Pigs, etc., we are taught to aim at the boiler room (where the heart and lungs are).\u00a0 We are taught to never take headshots because it’s too small of a target.\u00a0 Every hunter has heard horror stories about wounding an animal in the head or neck and not recovering it.\u00a0 Contrarily, the area containing the heart and lungs is a large target, the weapons we use can easily penetrate the rib cage or shoulder, and it is all but a guaranteed kill if we connect.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Different sizes of shot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Turkey hunting, however, throws this advice on its head (literally).\u00a0 Hunting turkey, we cannot legally use anything larger than #4 shot.\u00a0 Most hunters choose #5or #6 shot.\u00a0 Significantly smaller than a BB, these lead pellets are not able to penetrate inches of wing, feathers, and muscle to hit a turkey in the heart or lungs.<\/p>\n

So we aim for the head on a turkey.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A quick note about the shotgun shell.\u00a0 It contains powder, the wad, the cup, and the shot.\u00a0 The cup is what holds the shot together so that it does not immediately spread apart when fired.\u00a0 The cup will typically fall away from the shot somewhere around 20yds from the gun.<\/p>\n

Choke Tube:\u00a0 Screws into the end of\u00a0 A smoothbore shotgun constricting the bore in order to affect the pattern of shot after it leaves the gun.\u00a0 As a general rule, the tighter the choke, the farther the shot will travel before becoming separated.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A typical shot at a turkey is going to be about 25-40 yards out.\u00a0 At this range, the shotshell will have started to open up and the cloud of shot will be separating.<\/p>\n

By the time the shot reaches the turkey at 30-40yds the amount of pellets that will potentially hit the turkey’s head is pretty low.\u00a0 Due to this, it is a good idea to test out the shotgun with the shell we will use to hunt, the choke we will have in the shotgun, and the distance(s) we anticipate shooting the bird at.\u00a0 This is called Patterning your shotgun<\/strong> and here are the steps to do it:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. For turkey, we will typically be using the full choke that came with our gun or an aftermarket choke that is even more constrictive than full.\u00a0 If you go this route read all instructions from the aftermarket choke tube, the gun’s manual, and the box of shells to make sure they are all compatible together.<\/li>\n
  2. Using either #4, #5, or #6 birdshot (or #7,#8,#9 TSS) you want to pattern each type of shell, choke tube, and gun you will be using to hunt.\u00a0 You do not want to get a good pattern with Winchester #6 and your Mossberg and then last second switch to an unpatterned Beretta with Federal #5.\u00a0 We are going for no surprises here.<\/li>\n
  3. Print or purchase a turkey head target.\u00a0 I recommend this free one<\/a>.\u00a0 It is lifesize and has the vital zone illustrated.<\/li>\n
  4. Use a fresh target for each shot.<\/li>\n
  5. Go to 25 yards and shoot the target.\u00a0 Do this 3 times (with a fresh target each time).\u00a0 You want to be aiming at the wattle of the turkey (where the skin of the head meets the feathers).<\/li>\n
  6. Count the number of pellets inside the turkey’s vital zone.\u00a0 Average this number out from the 3 targets.<\/li>\n
  7. Now go out to 40 yards and again shoot one shell at 3 fresh targets.\u00a0 Count the pellets in the vital zone on each one of these and average the number.<\/li>\n
  8. This gives you your shotgun’s pattern at two typical turkey distances with a particular Shell-Choke Tube-Gun combination.<\/li>\n
  9. A good pattern will have 3-5 (or more) pellets in the upper spinal cord or brain of the turkey.\u00a0 Furthermore, you want 20-25 pellets in the general waddle area.<\/li>\n
  10. If the selected shell does not have enough pellets in the vital zone, consider using a smaller size of shot (switching from #4 to #5, for example).\u00a0 This will mean there are more overall pellets inside the shell.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I will be hunting with an extra full turkey choke and using Federal 3rd-degree shells in 3″ 12 gauge this year.\u00a0 Before I do, I will be hitting the range to pattern my gun.\u00a0 Turkeys are tough birds to locate or get close to, but even tougher to kill.\u00a0 Their thick layer of feathers works like a natural armor.\u00a0 Pattern your shell, choke, and gun at several distances and aim for the head.\u00a0 Good luck and stay safe!<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Photo by osiristhe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When shooting at large game such as Elk, Bear, Deer, Pigs, etc., we are taught to aim at the boiler room (where the heart and lungs are).\u00a0 We are taught to never take headshots because it’s too small of a target.\u00a0 Every hunter has heard horror stories about wounding an animal in the head or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":1099,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[166,164,165,87,162],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[1,127],"suggestedReferences":[],"includedReferences":["https:\/\/www.mossyoak.com\/sites\/default\/files\/inline-files\/turkeytargetblackandwhite.pdf"],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[]},"yoast_head":"\nPatterning Your Shotgun for Turkey Season - 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