Some of us "Parker guys" were hunting birds in South Dakota a few years back and we kicked up a few turkeys in a patch of pine trees in a ravine. I wandered over to have a look and found that they clearly had been chowing down on a very dead compadre. Anyone ever seen that one before??

Being ground-feeding scavengers they'll eat about anything... especially if there be maggots in it.





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I suppose it's best then that none of you turkey hunters expire while in the woods, eh..? :eek:

Speaking of turkeys being ground-feeding scavengers -

1/4 mile from my house is the local Frito Lay distribution warehouse.
On their breaks during the normal workday employees there throw all sorts of 'unsaleable' damaged product out on the back parking lot next to the woods. The turkeys there, known locally as the "Frito Lay Flock" seem to know exactly when break time is.
We can always tell the regulars from the newcomers because the regulars' upper beak is pretty well worn off from pecking pavement.

If hunting were allowed in the adjacent woods I wouldn't need any of the customary hen and jake decoys - I'd just spread out a fake blacktop mat sprinkled liberally with Fritos...

I'll bet those birds would taste good... especially with stuffing made from Lays products.

If you're wondering why there are no turkeys in the pictures... I took the pictures at break time.


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Harold, I think the 870 has some pretty fine history, and most certainly a wide following. My first turkey gun was a 36" H&R 12 gauge that my wife bought me back when we were in college in Athens (and were both on food stamps). She bought it at a local pawn shop, and I killed quite a few Toms with it for a number of years. Your 870 also has the added attraction of a great personal history as well. That makes a gun special.

At the risk of ridicule, I was carrying my Mossberg pump gun. It's got a sling, doesn't weigh all that much, has luminous sites...and shoots Winchester Longbeard shells accurately to pretty significant distances. One of my goals for this Fall is to take a turkey with my EH 10. I bought it just for such hunting.

Cold, rainy morning. Slipped out back of the house at 11:00 am, and set up against some round bales in a hay field . No response to calling, waited a half hour and a bird gobbled just over the crest of the hill--less than a hundred yds away. Thought he was coming right in, but then he turned and walked out of sight while gobbling to every thing I thru at him. Darn!
Was carrying a nice little Lefever G grade Damascus 16 F/F with 1 oz RST 6's.
May try again tomorrow, or might go fishing--or hey, might do both. This quarantine thing is really complicating my life.

Strolled out the back door at a leisurely 9:00am yesterday, and spotted 2 longbeards and 2 hens at the edge of the hayfield 300+ yds away. Snuck around the back of a line of round bales, crawled in-between 2 and set up. Wanted to put a decoy out, but they would have spotted me instantly. Called a few times and they gobbled back, got them to within 150 yds, but then the hens steered them off. Nice weather, enjoyable show, packed up and went fishing-brought back another nice string of bluegills , crappies, and had a 3 pound bass flip off just as I went to lip him.
So today, walked out the back yard at 7:30 in the rain and sat up where the gobblers were yesterday, and spotted them 100 yds in back of where I was set up yesterday. Was able to sneak around the crest of the hill and get a nice set up against the round bales on the other side of yesterday. I set a decoy up 30 yds in back of me where it would be easily spotted. The birds were on property I don't have permission to hunt, so I needed to call them over the property line. I yelped a few times and 2 red heads popped up on the horizon--and just laid the call down. There were 2 big longbeards and 3 hens, and figured the hens might give me trouble. They could see the decoy and slowly worked in . The gobblers put on quite a show for me at 25 yds--could have killed them both with 1 shot, and maybe a hen to boot. Finally one stepped thru the farm lane into the field, at 15 yds. Wow , 7 1/2's , are devastating at that range. 10 1/4" beard, 1 1/8" spurs, didn't weigh it, but at least 20 lbs.
Had the Lefever 16 and a Parker 16 hammer gun laid out, but because of the rain, grabbed the scoped 870, wished I'd grabbed one of the doubles.
Done for the season now, turkey for dinner tonight.
Oh, BTW, was about 50 yds off my back yard fenceline.

Nice bird Harold. We live vicariously through you and others who post of their success.





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Season over, except...
 

for taking young hunters the last week. Relative has three daughters whom he wants me to take next week. Finally got number three. A tough season. Found this bird last Friday, busted him trying to get too close. Set up on him on Saturday not getting too close. Came to 75 yards in strut. Took a long hard look, probably at decoy in woods, went on. On Monday got to within 50 yards on the roost. Flew down the other way and two hours later he skirted me gobbling as he went by. Tuesday went on an evening hunt, busted a bird at 6 pm already roosted, called two others in that I spooked as they came in behind me about 7:30. Don't know which was the gobbler. Wednesday let him rest. Thursday slept late and went out after him in a 20 mph wind, and at 12 I got him to gobble every time I called. Passed on a 50 yard shot even though I had the artillery to do it. But finally at 35 yards feeding and gobbling number three for the season is in the bag. Started with a Parker Trojan, then jinxed went to a Franchi 912 that missed, to the Beretta Xtrema that scored, to an A5 20 mag that did not get a shot, to a Beretta 686 20 gauge that scored, and finally with a difficult bird to get into range on a windy day the Xtrema with TSS #9s at 1:20 p.m. Enjoyed the fellow members' successes.

Good one Jerry! What a season you’ve had!





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Harold and Jerry,

Thanks for the recap of your seasons. Harold, you have the "hay bale sneak" down to a science:bowdown:; not to mention the later morning strategy. And Jerry...there must be some voodoo in your gun selection. I'm clumsy enough that I have to carry guns with the same kind of safety or I'm lost at the moment of truth:crying:.

Like Dean, I've enjoyed everyone's accounts of their seasons. Here's hoping that the Fall season will find us in the field safe...and out of the woods with this darned pandemic.:bigbye:

Hi, what shells/loads are you folks using in the vintage doubles for turkey? I recently had a very unfortunate incident with a Model 21 3” gun using Winchester Long Beard ammo. Wanted some advice for dependable turkey ammo that is safe to use in a fine condition, steel barreled, older shotgun. Thx

Rick, I have never found it necessary to use anything heavier than 2 1/2” or 2 3/4” standard velocity 1 oz or 1 1/8 oz of #6 shot. Every turkey I have shot at, except 1, have gone down with 1 shot. That 1 that didn’t was apparently a clean miss.





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I agree with Dean. I loaded 1 1/8oz 7's to shoot my Grade 2 hammer gun turkey..
Yesterdays bird with the 870 was 1 1/4 oz 7 1/2's. I have had great success with smaller shot on turkeys, The dense pattern on those head shots is devastating--of course you have to watch your range.
With my 16 ga, I settled on RST 7 1/2 in the right barrel and 6's in the left--both 1 oz loads.
I remember a TV show with Wayne Fears, where he shot at a turkey with a 3 1/2" magnum--knocked him flat on his back,and he is a big guy--he swore he would never shoot another! More is not always better. In regards to your mishap, I am so surprised, those guns are built like tanks.

Yeah I guess I learned my lesson. This was a 3 inch magnum gun and I guess wrongly assumed it could shoot 3 inch magnum shells with modern ammo. Choke was .032. I just never considered RST for this particular gun. I use for all my other vintage guns, 2 1/2 lite.

Still, I would not have thought it would be a problem in that gun.

Rick,

I feel sure that gun could handle some of the original 3" 12 gauge loads in pure lead, like the 1 5/8 ounce loads that first came out. You should still be able to find them. But a best choice is the lead 2 3/4" 1 1/2 ounce loads that are regular or even copper or nickel plated lead shells that the gun could easily handle, in my opinion.

OK and thanks for the suggestion at first I feared a wad obstruction but after talking to three different gunsmiths all say that it was a load issue. I don’t have Any experience with blowups thankfully but evidently obstructions will cause the barrel to bulge way more than this one did and more in the center of the barrel. this was right at the choke.

I'm sure no expert, but I don't understand how the load could cause the failure at the point where pressure is substantially lower than near the breech.

My season is all but over. No turkey to show for it, but some good hunts and Harry missed one. They were much more active this season than the past few years and I hope that continues. Now, on to fishing

Rick RST makes a 1 1/4 oz 1200 fps load that I think is comfortable to shoot. if we ever get to Elk Creek at the same time remind me and I will bring you a handful to sample.

Our old reliable Parkers got quite a workout this spring. With little guiding due to border closure there was much more time to hunt. Cooperative toms made for many thrilling hunts across several New England states. We finished in Maine, Last Man Standing Day being June 6. While we didn’t lay eyes on a moose, four black bear, numerous fox, coyote and whitetails were spotted. Bobcat and drumming grouse were evident also. There is some excellent early antler growth on the bucks and we’ve encountered ten hen turkeys with poults. Conditions are perfect for an outstanding hatch of ground nesting birds. Save for a few early season warning shots, marksmanship was excellent. Maybe we just needed to warm the barrels up a bit. Like Mills stated, it’s on to fishing now. Fall turkey starts in Maine in mid September. Hope to take the last week of September off for our four consecutive moose hunt, drawing Saturday June 13.

Those were obviously some very memorably hunts Jim.

Those early season shots are just for blowing the cobwebs out of the tubes anyway!





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Way to go Jim. Great photos as usual. Thanks for posting

Excellent! I hope your hatch is indeed a good one.