Well, it's over for me anyway.
Set up in some thick cover right next to a tractor road through the woods with the muzzleloading shotgun in my hands this morning. The road connects small fields along the creek and I've seen plenty of turkeys in the fields recently. Sure enough, at about 9:00AM here came a line of turkeys down the hill from their roosting area in thick timber. I picked #2 in line (a young tom with a short beard) and let him have 1½ oz of nickel plated #6 shot in the head at 15 yards. No tracking required to recover this bird.
Looks like Thanksgiving dinner will be traditional this year!
He weighed 12# and should be a tender main course setting next to the sweet potatoes from the garden, some pickled beets from the garden, perhaps some green beans from the garden, and of course fresh pie for dessert.
Way to go Wabi. Is that your first with the muzzleloader? That would be a pretty sweet. I'd love to get a thunder chicken with my crossbow next spring. Congratulations!
raydaughety wrote:Way to go Wabi. Is that your first with the muzzleloader? That would be a pretty sweet. I'd love to get a thunder chicken with my crossbow next spring. Congratulations!
Ray,
I've actually killed most of my turkeys with a muzzleloader. Started with a Knight TK-2000 several years ago (2½ oz shot & 120 gr BP) and it threw pattens far denser than most modern shotguns, but it did recoil a bit. I later got to experimenting with my T/C NewEnglander and found with an extended .660 choke tube it would throw patterns almost as dense as the Knight out to 30 - 35 yards with a lot less recoil. I use 1½ oz shot. (over T/C's recommended max for a NewEnglander, but a tech at T/C repair told me I had a Black Mountain Magnum barrel when they swapped barrels with me several years ago) But use a reduced powder charge of 90 grains BP (or 85 gr T-7) to improve the pattern and reduce pressure. Since I usually shoot within 25 yards or closer it's no handicap at all. I wouldn't try one past 35 yards with it, but so far my longest shot over the years has only been around 30 yards. Thinking of ordering a bag of nickel plated 7½ shot. At short range (30 - 35 yards) the pellets still have enough energy for turkey hunting and a lot more of them in the pattern. A little over $50 for an 11# bag, though.
BTW - went back to that farm this afternoon to move a ladder stand and scattered 2 groups of turkeys driving the landowner's tractor down that same road on my way to the back field.
