Addicting
Well-known member
Slight size difference there. 7,8,9,AA on doves.
NO smaller than #6 on a turkey. I use either #2 or #4 turkey specific loads. No way I would use a dove load, turkeys are tough.
WyoDoug Spring Turkey Hunt 2021
- Thread starter WyoDoug
- Start date
NO smaller than #6 on a turkey. I use either #2 or #4 turkey specific loads. No way I would use a dove load, turkeys are tough.
WyoDoug
Well-known member
I found both 7 shot and 4 shot with my reloading stuff. 4 shot is what I will be using until I can get over to Laramie to get the specific loads for turkey. Plan is to repeat this hunt next year whether I succeed or not so I will be looking for turkey specific loads. 7 is what I use on doves. Not sure why Laramie has plenty and Cheyenne's shelves are mostly empty on ammo.
Addicting
Well-known member
4 is fine if you already have it.
WyoDoug, some turkeys survived.
The birds we see every year showed back up NE of Laramie, just a little later. Even saw a jake and hen miles from where other birds usually hang out.
Nice gobbler this year in the group so I made a call got access to hunt them.
I want to let the tom have time to breed some hens so not a huge hurry yet, but they could move to another property. Saw at least 6 hens so he could be busy for a while.
The birds we see every year showed back up NE of Laramie, just a little later. Even saw a jake and hen miles from where other birds usually hang out.
Nice gobbler this year in the group so I made a call got access to hunt them.
I want to let the tom have time to breed some hens so not a huge hurry yet, but they could move to another property. Saw at least 6 hens so he could be busy for a while.
WyoDoug
Well-known member
I have been out southwest of Gillette last month since the season there opened April 1 on a general and tried that. I saw turkey there when I was hunting deer in that area. This year I saw nothing.
I went south of Douglas and around the Wheatland areas where I saw turkey during my fishing trips and didn't see nothing there.
Went south of Chugwater where I secured permission to hunt turkey and didn't find a tom. I found jakes and hens but could not get a tom to come in. I also noticed a lot fewer this year than last year. A LOT fewer. I went north of the motel I stay in when I hunt or fish that area and nothing. There was a quite a few by the railroad west of town. Me, myself, I saw fewer of everything, antelope, rabbits, deer, coyotes, everything. I usually saw a coyote or two before I left that area. They got hit hard so I think the winter kill is going to make hunting difficult for the areas I hunt.
I am going to try again the later part of the month based on what locals tell me that they tend to show their presence more when it gets warmer. Meanwhile, I am preparing for a much harder hunting season across the board this year.
WyoDoug
Well-known member
@slatebuilder the slate call you sent me worked perfect. I called in a jake and a hen followed. Not seeing very many at all so far though and no gobblers.
Bullshot
Well-known member
It was said earlier that the 4 shot is fine. But I prefer loading a 6-5-4 or 6-4-4 or 5–4-4. A good tight pattern on 1st shot is usually all you need. But larger backups can help if that 1st shot is not a bang-flop. A running or flying turkey should normally be left alone, unless you already gave it some lead and need to try finish it. Not an easy or ideal shot though. If your state allows bigger shot than 4 (mine doesn’t) a last shell that is a 2 or bb could be perfect for the hail-mary save the day shot. I HATE when a turkey gets away, I refuse to believe I outright missed (unlikely) and its no fun imagining a beautiful tom flying off wounded. Crap happens with shotgun patterns sometimes but bigger followup shot could have saved me a couple lost birds over the last 30 yrs. Good luck finding your ammo and bagging your bird.
