Turkey season is coming

[Darksith]

What are you guys using for shot for turkeys?
I bought a Browning Maxus with turkey choke...

[Bubbacanuck]

What are you guys using for shot for turkeys?
I bought a Browning Maxus with turkey choke...

I have a Carlson’s longbeard choke with Winchester longbeard XR turkey shot #5. Truglo site on the Mossberg 535 12 gauge.

[WintersHunt]

Id love to go turkey hunting with anyone in the Okanagan, never done it before. Anyone up to take a newbie out?

[Krico]

I shoot 3.5” Winchester Longbeards XR #6, my choke is just the factory Mossberg turkey .670, the gun is a 535 ATS. They pattern good beyond 40 yards, and punch a solid hole with some spray at 20. I’m sure I could get more distance with an aftermarket choke but maybe next year. This year I upgraded from fiber optics to a reflex red dot site. I also get good pattern with Federal turkey loads and Kent turkey loads.
Winchester Supreme were terrible for me.

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

PM me if you would like to connect this turkey season... right now I have plans to hunt the week of the 15th down south of the border... you get three birds and its where I am originally from. Good excuse to see family. If the stars align I should be hunting up here the weekend of the 19th but more likely taking a 4 day weekend around the 27th. Got twins due mid May so after that weekend I'm probably on lock down.

I have a good idea of where some birds are, but would be open to hunting new areas in BC. Get some more tips. We can maybe exchange a few places? If you know where birds are, I can help you figure out how to get to them...probably. And I I dont have to hunt them... but will even come tag along. Just let me know how you do if you dont want me to come! I like helping people out.
Started turkey hunting 7 years ago and just completed me grand slam, Osceola, Merriam, Rio, and Eastern. All DIY public hunts... actually never been with a guide. Meaning mostly self taught so not a pro but not an amateur.
This will be my first BC gobbler and hope to get an eastern in one of the other provinces in the next two years to close my Canadian slam.... Or go to Mexico for a Gould's or Ocellated.
Plan to carry a rifle to shoot a bear should the opportunity present itself, I know... probably a little early.


I have several chokes, but found my HS .665 turkey choke pattern the best with either the 3.5" Federal Super Mag Turkey Load #5 (Red box - Now discontinued?) or the 3.5" Winchester Longbeards XR #5 on my 870 Exp Super Mag. You can pattern your choke to your load or your load to the choke. Patterning your load to a choke is much cheaper. Helps if you have a friend with the same objective. You then each buy two boxes so you have four different loads between the two of you and go out shooting. Or have a friend that just did this and will give you some now useless rounds to them. I always keep the loads that dont pattern for if I change my choke, gun, or want to help out a friend. A lot of people like the heavi-shot blend load. It doesn't pattern well in my gun but I would recommend it for a Mossberg or Benelli.

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

any recommendations on a turkey decoy? Gobbler or hen? one or multiple?

Decoys vary on time of season and situation. Early season... Get a big Tom Decoy out there! Especially on a year like this with the late melt. The birds arent broken up too much yet so the jakes will be ready to take on a Tom and the Tom's will want to set their dominance. Though if you want to scale it back you can use a jake or even a non-strutting jake. The later always being a good choice. Early season, pair that gobbler up with if not one, then two hens. Breeders are awesome too. Come May, I start thinking about putting the jake/Tom decoys away and just use a single hen. Jakes are tired off getting beat up and the Tom's just seam to be a little smarter... Do you want to kill a bird or see a show? Cuz you can leave your gobbler decoy out all season, just know eventually it has the potential to push birds away. Not having a decoy isnt a bad play either. Sometimes...sometimes a decoy will scare the birds. With no decoy they will look harder for the hen that was calling their name and usually be much more likely to come in range. Without a decoy though your camo needs to be head to toe, and your movement non existent. Just wait for the bird to tuck behind a tree or turn in strut to lift you gun. Or come in close enough that you can lift your gun and shoot before he runs out of range!

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

QUOTE=Krico;2081936]What do you guys use for locator calls?
I’ve tried most things, crow, owl, coyote etc and never gotten a response. Only turkey sounds - shaker gobble call, box call etc seem to get an answer for me.[/QUOTE]

I've tried them all too. Here are my two cents.

Owl calls work great for birds on the roost. Late at night or early in the morning. When have you heard an owl at 2pm... rarely if ever. I will say owl calls are better in the SE United States. They have more owls than song birds down there it seams like.
Crow Call works all day long. But you usually have to be pretty close to the bird. Though I like to crow call into draws to get a shock gobble and that seams to work better than any other time.
Peacock works like a crow call. Its a different sound so it can get a gobble. This is like the door slamming, car alarm, etc. etc. Except its "natural"
Gobble works like a charm and a great one where there is less hunting pressure. Only because you gobble and another hunter may start hunting you... so be careful. Also, you may deter a submissive bird so I avoid this one in general.
Coyote dont like. Why sound like there predator?
Hen Yelp/Box - Best call possible during season only. DO NOT USE PRE-SEASON. When using a Yelp on a box to locate, be ready to set up. I've yelped on a box and had a bird 200yds away standing in my lap before I could sit down.

[Redthies]

Kootenay boys and girls... where is the snow level at, and are the gobblers gobblin’ like crazy??

[avidnwoutdoorsman]

4 days, 13 hours but who is counting .........

[hawken]

I'm looking for a Turkey hunting partner within a couple hours of Windermere on the Easter weekend.
I have calls, decoys and some experience.