What turkey loads are you using in your Parker

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Cory Rams

I agree...

But it only really takes one pellet with 4 pounds of energy in the right spot to get the job done. If I am lucky enough to put one right behind the eye like I did on my target and the bird I shot last year at 85 yards that all it takes. All other pellets not hitting bone still help with TKO factor (energy transfer) for trauma and shock to help slam the bird to the ground. Many more hunters, including myself, have harvested turkeys at some pretty far distances with way worse patterns then the above target I have posted. In all reality I don’t plan on pulling the trigger past 25 yards this year where I’m set up.

A few years ago I had two longbeards come in to my calls but they wouldn’t come any closer than about 35 yards. They were about 6 feet apart and I decided to take the larger one of course, and with the longer beard. I put the bead on the tom’s neck just below his head and held it there for a couple of seconds as they eyed my setup. I touched off and to my shock both birds lifted off with the one I hadn’t shot at making a clean escape. The one I shot at flew directly to the woods and crashed right smack into the trunk of a huge old maple, regained his balance and then crashed into another tree about 30 yards away. He continued crashing into limbs and trunks until he was out of sight and earshot. I never found that bird even after more than an hour of searching. I was shooting a full choke Parker 12 with constrictions of .034” and .035” and my load was 1 1/4 oz. of #6 shot.

So, that one lucky pellet you mentioned, from my shot, I presume went right through both eyes and all others that hit him were of no significance whatever.





.

[Cory Rams]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

A few years ago I had two longbeards come in to my calls but they wouldn’t come any closer than about 35 yards. They were about 6 feet apart and I decided to take the larger one of course, and with the longer beard. I put the bead on the tom’s neck just below his head and held it there for a couple of seconds as they eyed my setup. I touched off and to my shock both birds lifted off with the one I hadn’t shot at making a clean escape. The one I shot at flew directly to the woods and crashed right smack into the trunk of a huge old maple, regained his balance and then crashed into another tree about 30 yards away. He continued crashing into limbs and trunks until he was out of sight and earshot. I never found that bird even after more than an hour of searching. I was shooting a full choke Parker 12 with constrictions of .034” and .035” and my load was 1 1/4 oz. of #6 shot.

So, that one lucky pellet you mentioned, from my shot, I presume went right through both eyes and all others that hit him were of no significance whatever.





.

Nope, you didn’t have “a lucky pellet” that hit the brain. To your defense I have missed birds a lot closer.

Thought I still had pics in my phone from last year. Here is the Jake I shot at 85 yards last year. This was entrance and the exit was right behind the eye socket on the other side. The brain pan was crushed and loosely moving around. I was using #4 though. I had a few hits in the neck. None in the body. I’m sure I just got lucky as usual. The bird had zero interest in my Walmart decoys or calling and was headed at a steady pace in the other direction when I took the shot. I did miss one around 10 yards last spring because it moved its head at the shot. From patterning that modern 12 gauge gun I can tell you at that distance it puts a slug hole in my paper target.










Here’s my other bird from last spring. It was at 15 yards. Most my pellets went into the two trees it was standing between and the rest took part of its noggin off.





So, what kind of pattern did you have at 35 yards? I can tell you I wouldn’t have wanted to try and shoot a turkey past 20 yards with the 1 1/4oz RSTs after testing them. If they patterned like my 10 gauge did with then I understand why your bird got away. At the poor patterns I had with my gun and RST ammo I would probably not had one pellet hit it in the head at that distance. I do know using #6’s I don’t want to shoot anywhere near as far as I do with #4’s. IMO the “TKO” value just seems to run out of steam past 40 yards using #6’s on turkeys. I am going to have to pattern my gun out to 30, 40, and 50 now. It will bug me till I try it out. At least I will know my limitations then.