WV Hitman
Well-Known Member
I've been a turkey magnet most of my life. Usually get 1 or so every year. Started out with shotguns-16 & 12 ga. Killed several flying. Wanted more of a challenge. Went to rifles- .30-06, .243. Killed 2 flying with the -06 & 2 with the .243. The coolest with it was with my father. We jumped a gobbler one spring. He flew straight away from us. I had a 6-18X Redfield on the .243 turned to 6X. The turkey raised his head up above his body while he flew (never saw this before). I held the scope where the neck connects to the body. He went straight down at the shot. My dad couldn't believe it (or me). 85 yards!!!
Well, by 1978 I wanted more of a challenge. Switched to single shot handguns & revolvers. It wasn't pretty at first. Wounded a few with .223 Contender, .357 Python, .44s. I was testing bullets on all these turkeys to find one that didn't tear them up. I also found that if I shot them broadside through the wing butts damage was minimal (1"). By this time I was going "bigger", my Freedom Arms .454 Casull. I found that the older Speer 260 gr. Mag HP created this same 1" of damage as lesser calibers. My FA shoots 1/2" groups at 100. It's now my "turkey gun". I've taken over 25 with this revolver from 50 yards & beyond.
Two years ago I saw a really big gobbler while groundhog hunting with my handguns (don't own any rifles now). I went 9 straight days after him. Rain, cold air, wind went constant. One
day by 9 AM I thought, screw it, I'm going home. Then I thought, "fool, you can't kill anything watching TV". I stayed. At 9:15 here he came through the woods in thick brush. I ranged ahead of him on an open spot about 10 yards wide. I put my .454 on my BogPod & PSR rest. When he entered the opening he slowed & I fired. 21 1/2#, 10" beard, 1 1/2" spurs, 129 yards!! He is now mounted full body flying in my "zoo".
This year I decided to give the .454 a rest. I was intent on using my 6" Colt Anaconda .44 Mag. I'd found a bullet (Sierra 240 gr. JHC) that was accurate and didn't do massive damage to deer., I had a Bushnell 2-6X Elite handgun scope on it, just like my .454. I saw a group of 5 gobblers on my farm in bow season (wasn't anything to hunt with my handguns). When turkey season came in I hunted every other day for the turkeys. Two weeks of calling were fruitless. Week #3 got better. I called a lot the second day. After an hour here came the "group of 5" up the hill. I was sitting against a tree with my knees up to rest the revolver's grip between them. The bird in front had a long beard, but was moving fast through a 5 yards opening. Bird #2 was slower, but had a tiny beard (jake), but a big body. I've learned with turkeys, you'd better do what you can when you can. I slowly squeezed the Anaconda's trigger. The jake went straight down & flopped twice. Wow!
59 yards!! 240 JHC. The bullet put the same 1" hole through the wing butts as the .454 did.
Well, who needs a shotgun for turkeys. Give 'em a chance to even their odds some. I'm really hooked on revolver turkeys. Definitely an adrenaline producing habit. Here's one final bird with the .454. 110 yards, 10" beard, 1 1/2" spurs. Didn't mount him. The other one has lots more body color.
Well, by 1978 I wanted more of a challenge. Switched to single shot handguns & revolvers. It wasn't pretty at first. Wounded a few with .223 Contender, .357 Python, .44s. I was testing bullets on all these turkeys to find one that didn't tear them up. I also found that if I shot them broadside through the wing butts damage was minimal (1"). By this time I was going "bigger", my Freedom Arms .454 Casull. I found that the older Speer 260 gr. Mag HP created this same 1" of damage as lesser calibers. My FA shoots 1/2" groups at 100. It's now my "turkey gun". I've taken over 25 with this revolver from 50 yards & beyond.
Two years ago I saw a really big gobbler while groundhog hunting with my handguns (don't own any rifles now). I went 9 straight days after him. Rain, cold air, wind went constant. One
This year I decided to give the .454 a rest. I was intent on using my 6" Colt Anaconda .44 Mag. I'd found a bullet (Sierra 240 gr. JHC) that was accurate and didn't do massive damage to deer., I had a Bushnell 2-6X Elite handgun scope on it, just like my .454. I saw a group of 5 gobblers on my farm in bow season (wasn't anything to hunt with my handguns). When turkey season came in I hunted every other day for the turkeys. Two weeks of calling were fruitless. Week #3 got better. I called a lot the second day. After an hour here came the "group of 5" up the hill. I was sitting against a tree with my knees up to rest the revolver's grip between them. The bird in front had a long beard, but was moving fast through a 5 yards opening. Bird #2 was slower, but had a tiny beard (jake), but a big body. I've learned with turkeys, you'd better do what you can when you can. I slowly squeezed the Anaconda's trigger. The jake went straight down & flopped twice. Wow!
59 yards!! 240 JHC. The bullet put the same 1" hole through the wing butts as the .454 did.
Well, who needs a shotgun for turkeys. Give 'em a chance to even their odds some. I'm really hooked on revolver turkeys. Definitely an adrenaline producing habit. Here's one final bird with the .454. 110 yards, 10" beard, 1 1/2" spurs. Didn't mount him. The other one has lots more body color.
