GUNS I HAVE USED ON TURKEYS
The rifle is, _par excellence_, the arm for hunting the wild turkey
under nearly all conditions. It matters little what calibre rifle is
used. Years ago when I began to hunt turkeys the muzzle-loading round
ball rifle was the only arm thought fit, and it surely did the work
well and satisfactorily.
It is said that Davy Crockett when a boy was compelled by his father
to shoot enough game in the morning to supply his dinner, and was
allowed one load of powder and a ball to do it with. If he missed and
got no game he got no dinner.
In the old days the .38 calibre, shooting a round ball, was about the
proper size, with not too much twist in the rifle; one twist or turn
in five feet was about the thing. Those rifles were reliable and did
not lacerate the flesh unless too much powder was used.
Next came the breech-loading rifle with small charge of powder and
heavy bullet; like the Winchester model '66 and Frank Wesson's single
shot. These guns shot with remarkable correctness at short range,
especially the Frank Wesson rifle; but none of them had enough
velocity to do as fine shooting as is required in turkey shooting
above 75 to 100 yards. With me the .38 calibre Wesson rifle did more
certain work on old gobblers than any other rifle I have ever seen
or used, nor was the powder charge sufficient to tear the flesh
severely, but it would drive the bullet through two old gobblers.
The next best gun, and the best all-round shooting gun I ever used
on turkeys was a .32-20 Winchester, model '73, but this gun tore the
flesh badly.
The points to be desired in a turkey rifle are these: A bullet that
will kill under ordinary conditions and at the same time leave a
minimum trace through the bird; and a flat trajectory for fine
shooting at 125 or 150 yards, as that is as far as one will be apt to
risk a shot at them.
I found that the .32 calibre killed as well as the .50 calibre--I
mean the .32-20--if the shot was placed right. It must be remembered
that the skin of birds is very thin and delicate; the flesh under it,
especially the breast, is extremely tender and juicy, and a rifle
bullet passing through it with great velocity will spatter the flesh
like soft butter, the bullet having mushroomed against the thick,
hard feathers, or even on striking the flesh itself.
I believe the best rifle that could be made for turkey shooting
would be .30 or .32 calibre, with about 15 grains of powder, and the
weight of the bullet reduced as much as possible without injury to
accuracy. It would have ample force and not tear the flesh and give
even greater penetration than the .32-20. A turkey rifle should not
mushroom its bullets, for, although the turkey possesses remarkable
vitality, he is easily killed if shot in the right place.
As to shotguns, there is little choice so far as the shooting is
concerned. Any good modern choke bored gun will answer--the choked
being greatly to be preferred, as it concentrates its shot--which is
a desirable quality in scoring--on the head or neck, the only mark
for a shotgun on a turkey. No. 6 is by all means the size shot for
this purpose; one barrel with No. 6 for the head, the other No. 3 or
4 for the body, is the proper thing.
Wing shooting turkey is so out of line with my idea of turkey hunting
under any conditions that I have little to offer in that respect. To
see a big, fine gobbler with his rich bronze plumage all messed up
by shot and grime, legs and wings all broken and bloody, dangling
about, is a disgusting sight to the true turkey hunter. The turkey is
not built or in any way adapted to being so shot, but there are men
so nervous and excitable that they cannot still-hunt turkeys. Such
men must be going all the time, and their only chance is to scare up
the birds and shoot them on the wing. They are not of the stuff that
make good turkey hunters, and they will never succeed, no matter how
they try. They have no patience to wait on the movement of a turkey
when coming to the call, but can sit around a hotel all day spinning
yarns, talking politics, and perhaps playing cards all night. This
type of man can never become a quiet, contemplative, thoughtful
turkey hunter.
Unless killed or wing broken, a turkey may receive while on the wing
a mortal hurt and yet be lost, for it has such vitality that it will
prolong its flight to such a distance as to be lost. At short range
turkeys on the wing are easily dropped with a shotgun, but then the
whole body is usually filled with shot. Hallock says: "If the hunter
be so fortunate as to get within reach of a turkey, let him take
deliberate aim at the head if he has a rifle, but the possessor of a
shotgun should cover the whole body." To me this seems absurd, for
it is the reverse of this that I would suggest to successfully kill
the bird. Should the man of average nerve and excitability take aim
at the head of a turkey with a rifle he will miss it. I have done it
myself under certain conditions, and under ordinary circumstances I
would not suggest that any sportsman take such chances.
The turkey hunter who uses his rifle gets more real enjoyment out
of the sport than with any other arm. He gets more chances to kill
the bird, because of the greater killing range of the rifle, and
consequently is surer of his game, particularly if he is a marksman
with a cool head, steady hand, and good vision. If one desires to
be a first-class, all-round turkey hunter, my advice is to employ
the rifle, and when a turkey is found, aim for the body, and that
part of it that covers the vitals. If you do not do this you are
likely to see your game running away as fast as his legs can carry
him, for, unless your bullet has passed through his body, striking
a vital part, the bird is likely to escape. If circumstances are
such that you cannot procure a rifle, or are wedded to a shotgun,
I should advise the use of No. 6 shot, and would recommend aiming
at the head of the bird, unless they are young birds and quite near
enough to make sure your shot. Do not use buckshot if you can procure
any other. Should you use No. 5 or 6 shot and aim at the head, you
will be surprised to learn at what range you can kill a turkey. Some
hunters who use a shotgun prefer No. 6 in one barrel and No. 4 in the
other, using one for the head and the other for the body. The reason
that I do not recommend the use of buckshot in turkey hunting is
because the vital parts of the turkey are very small, and at forty
yards the chances of reaching these parts with buckshot are slim.
Those who have tried buckshot at this range note that they have
knocked their birds over nearly every time, but are surprised to see
them get up and run away. This never happens if the sportsman uses a
good rifle and places his bullet in the right place.