Patterns at 25 and 50 yards

[Biden Smokes Mid]

Mike, you are right, all it takes is 1 pellet in the right place to kill a bird. That 50y target has 9... dead bird on that particular shot.

But look at the holes in the pattern... hit a couple inches to the right and I'm not so sure it's a clean kill.

Just like it only takes 1 pellet to kill, it also only takes 1 pellet to result in an unrecoverable bird that dies. We owe it to the turkeys to do our very best to recover every bird we pull the trigger at.

Another way to look at it... with that gun/shell/choke combo at 50 yards given that target... would it result in a dead bird if you replicated it 99 more times? I don't think so, that's why I said it's not ethical at 50. 85/100 I suspect.

Now 40y target looks great. Dead bird every time as long as you do your part...

And Biden Smokes Mid, you are right... if you can't get the bird to 40, it's perfectly OK to let him win. No need to force the issue, shoot too far and he dies without a recovery. You lose, and he loses even more.

Agree 100%. Losing an animal is a much worse feeling than losing to an animal in the cat and mouse game.

 

[Bone Collector]

Just like it only takes 1 pellet to kill, it also only takes 1 pellet to result in an unrecoverable bird that dies. We owe it to the turkeys to do our very best to recover every bird we pull the trigger at.

That bold part IMO is a bigger culprit in turkey decline than most think or admit. Ever since LB XR, Hevi-shot, and TSS, People want to have a 60 or 80 yd. turkey gun. Then they go wound turkeys and continue to hunt until they get one in range (inside 50) and kill one or two as far as the books are concerned, but overall they may kill 4-5 depending on how target rich the environment is.

 

[knightrider]

That bold part IMO is a bigger culprit in turkey decline than most think or admit. Ever since LB XR, Hevi-shot, and TSS, People want to have a 60 or 80 yd. turkey gun. Then they go wound turkeys and continue to hunt until they get one in range (inside 50) and kill one or two as far as the books are concerned, but overall they may kill 4-5 depending on how target rich the environment is.

Two birds i killed last year had #4 pellets in their breast and i was using tss. I usually kill at least one bird a year that has already been sprayed by the neighbors

 

[themanpcl]

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Looks like 50 may be a little too far for the long beard XR #6s with my current setup. Really happy with the 25 yard pattern though.

Looks that way. I found out this weekend my Winchester 3 1/2 outperformed the Kent 3 1/2 at 50. Between 30 and 45, close but 50 was the cutoff. Now shooting both through the 835 Ulti Mag produced the same cheek bruising and shoulder separation I am proud to say...lol... Still hurts...but I'll soon forget when I have that bead on a neck...

 

[Biden Smokes Mid]

Looks that way. I found out this weekend my Winchester 3 1/2 outperformed the Kent 3 1/2 at 50. Between 30 and 45, close but 50 was the cutoff. Now shooting both through the 835 Ulti Mag produced the same cheek bruising and shoulder separation I am proud to say...lol... Still hurts...but I'll soon forget when I have that bead on a neck...

I heard that man. I havent tried the 3 1/2s out of ulti mag yet since ive got so many 3" XR's sitting around, but when its time to restock ill definitely give them a go.

 

[themanpcl]

I heard that man. I havent tried the 3 1/2s out of ulti mag yet since ive got so many 3" XR's sitting around, but when its time to restock ill definitely give them a go.

Unless you are taking 40 yd shots, save your face and shoulder...lol... The 3" are fine for 30's and don't punish you...

 

[TheLBLman]

Two birds i killed last year had #4 pellets in their breast and i was using tss. I usually kill at least one bird a year that has already been sprayed by the neighbors

I agree, we lose a lot of turkeys annually from low-probability shots being taken.

The #4 pellet in a breast might have been survivable ongoing.
But a single #6 in the stomach is a death sentence for Mr. Tom,
and it may take between days and weeks before he dies from that infection.

I've killed several turkeys over the years with some other hunter's pellets in them, and used to wonder how some had survived, then realized, the turkey was dying, just hadn't died before I shot him.

Similar happens with long shots on deer.
Just takes a tiny nick to the gut = dying deer.
Hunter presumes a miss, and looks for his next target.

 

[Huntaholic]

I agree, we lose a lot of turkeys annually from low-probability shots being taken.

The #4 pellet in a breast might have been survivable ongoing.
But a single #6 in the stomach is a death sentence for Mr. Tom,
and it may take between days and weeks before he dies from that infection.

I've killed several turkeys over the years with some other hunter's pellets in them, and used to wonder how some had survived, then realized, the turkey was dying, just hadn't died before I shot him.

Similar happens with long shots on deer.
Just takes a tiny nick to the gut = dying deer.
Hunter presumes a miss, and looks for his next target.

I think all of us that have hunted very long have killed birds exactly as you describe. Its sad really.

 

[TheLBLman]

I think all of us that have hunted very long have killed birds exactly as you describe. Its sad really.

Agree, sad.

But I don't blame this on TSS, or Longbeard loads, or anything other than the decisions made by the person pulling the trigger.

Actually, Winchester deserves some blame for promoting the taking of long-range unethical shots with their "Longbeard" lead loads. And it doesn't really matter how well a load of #6 lead pellets patterns, those pellets still lose energy fast beyond 40 yds. Just doesn't take much "energy" to penetrate into a bird's stomach.

When I shot lead turkey loads, I always opted for #5 due to their better "wallop", but still considered 45 yds their maximum highly effective range.