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So a friend of mine, seasoned hunter, and I went in for a lottery on a controlled turkey hunt. Next month I'm getting getting my feet wet for the first time with hunting.
I'm not into trophy hunting so if I bag one, it will be consumed.
Well to correct a misconception here - hunting for a "trophy" and consuming the meat are not by any means mutually exclusive. Now if you want a full body mount of a turkey, to start with the usual head shot with a tight choked shotgun is going to mess up the head. Maybe a good taxidermist can work around that.
I'm not really into hunting turkeys so not certain about how to handle one if you want a mount.
But good luck anyway and if you don't care about a trophy nobody says you need to care.
Good that you have an experienced mentor available, that helps a lot.
You may want to bring some wet "baby" wipes to clean up after dressing out (think positive!). Depending on where you are, a cooler to bring home the turkey (or two coolers if both of you score) might be worth having. IMHO a lot of what some people call "gamey" taste is simply where the hunter didn't dress out carefully and contaminated the meat, and/or didn't get the meat cooled down promptly enough.
Well to correct a misconception here - hunting for a "trophy" and consuming the meat are not by any means mutually exclusive. Now if you want a full body mount of a turkey, to start with the usual head shot with a tight choked shotgun is going to mess up the head. Maybe a good taxidermist can work around that.
I'm not really into hunting turkeys so not certain about how to handle one if you want a mount.
But good luck anyway and if you don't care about a trophy nobody says you need to care.
Good that you have an experienced mentor available, that helps a lot.
You may want to bring some wet "baby" wipes to clean up after dressing out (think positive!). Depending on where you are, a cooler to bring home the turkey (or two coolers if both of you score) might be worth having. IMHO a lot of what some people call "gamey" taste is simply where the hunter didn't dress out carefully and contaminated the meat, and/or didn't get the meat cooled down promptly enough.
Again good luck and enjoy!
I've heard about the gamey taste, lucky for me that my husband eats anything!
Since I'm an RSO and pistol instructor, baby wipes are a staple in my car.
Sportsmans Whorehouse had some shotgun loads in Helena last week, but it's a crap shoot. I'd grab some #4 shot with a full choke and make sure Tommy Gobbler is 40 yds and let 'er eat!
Preferably lead for turkey. Being a new venture, I'm borrowing a friend's 20 gauge. He's got a turkey choke for it, but as I took a closer look yesterday, its' lead shot only. A quick call to him and I learned I can use the modified choke with the steel, the only turkey shot I can find here.
Using the modified I had a tight pattern, but it would be so much more solid, at a decent distance, with the lead and turkey choke.
You should be able to find some 4 or better in lead somewhere. If you were closer I could certainly help you out.
I've been hitting my big shops; Cabela's, Sportsman's, the regional places Al's and Cal Ranch...nothing. Tempted to call down the road an hour and see what the local shops have.
With the cost of fuel I'd consider mail order unless I was traveling to buy a case or something. Somebody somewhere is sitting on a box or two you could use. Any local trap clubs in the area? Maybe call someone there, explain what you need and see if a member can scrounge up a box or two for you?
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