When I started hunting spring gobblers 37 years ago, I would grab an old Ithaca Model 37 and a 12-gauge shotgun shell and go kill a turkey.
I knew the Model 37 had a 30-inch barrel with a full choke and I knew the shell fit it. The 2.75-inch shell would have had either No. 6 shot or No. 4 shot because that’s what I usually had around the house in those days. Three-inch shells didn’t exist. We called the more powerful shotgun shells high-brass.
Pattern a shotgun? What’s that mean. If we patterned shotguns in those days, we did it by shooting turkeys. “Yep. That patterned well. Where’s my tag.”
Lead pellets made up the payloads inside the shells. There were no other options, at least not that I knew about, although steel shot had come on the scene for waterfowl hunters at some locations.
Boy, is the shotgun-and-gobbler game played by different rules nowadays. And, I admit to becoming a fan of all the new ammo and chokes and the ways to see how various combinations perform.
I shot my first gobbler with that Ithaca. When the time arrived that my next gobbler would be my 50th, I decided it had to be taken with that revered Model 37. Once again, I grabbed a shell that fit. The writing on the shell had been worn off after spending too much time rolling around in the pocket of a hunting coat, but like the first time, I knew it would be a No. 6 or a No. 4.
I determined it was a No. 6 by looking at a pellet I dug out of the turkey after shooting that West Virginia longbeard.
I have a crazy count and variety of turkey loads for the more modern shotguns I now use. It can take a while and quite a bit of shooting to determine that a certain shell works well with one shotgun and choke and not so well with another. But, I have found it to be a fun experiment.
It is an experiment that can get a bit costly if you are into shooting the TSS (tungsten super shot) shells. A box of five such shells can cost you $50 or $70 or more. At those rates, a day of shooting can cost as much as a day of skiing. I’m not dealing with TSS at this point, although I won’t rule it out.
Here’s a quick example of figuring things out. All examples deal with 3-inch shells. I found that Hevi 13 shells with 2 ounces of No. 6 shot, were lights out at 40 yards when shot through a Hastings .682 choke but scattered all over the target board when pushed through the tighter Primos Tightwad with a .656 constriction.
However, the inexpensive Remington Nitro No. 6 shells were great through the tighter choke, but lousy through the Hastings. Hevi 13 is no longer manufactured. I have four of those shells remaining.
By the way, after testing many different shells, I’ve found that the Nitro loads are right there with the expensive shells for patterns and distance. But, I have all these other somewhat more expensive shells so I might as well shoot gobblers with them.
Among the coolest hunting accessories to come down the pike are the turkey splatter targets, the ones that show you with a splash of color where each pellet struck and quickly allow you to determine the efficiency of your pattern at various distances.
Several brands are available, but the 12- by 18-inch reactive targets made by Birchwood Casey are my favorites.
And, if you get a good splatter that you like from your favorite shotgun and choke and shell, the images are suitable for framing.