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[marmot]

Anyone have any info they could share with me about wild turkey in the okanagan to grand forks area?  Opening is April15 to May15 so we were hoping to get one (or two).  I know they are hard to find and hard to get once you do find them, and thats about it!

[kingpin]

huntingbc.ca, good forum , should get all your answers there

[marmot]

thanks kingpin, checked it out about 10 minutes after my post here.....tons of info there. 

[BCHunter]

have you gotten out for Turkeys?


Im really thinking of trying.


what you shooting for the big bird, im planning to use the .17hmr

[marmot]

OK...so.....we were thinking the HMR would be good.  Now that I've been out, called in a bird, and seen them moving, 17HMR is possible but definitely NOT the ideal choice.  There are reasons the guys all use full choke shotguns with 3inch magnum loads....1: they are always moving and the heads are bobbing around.  2: they WILL come within shotgun range if you are doing it right (calling) 3: they use magnum loads on a full choke so they can put these big birds down.  A little off and you will bugger it up.  Lots of guys miss with the shotguns...with HMR you are asking for a miss IMO...unless the bird is stationary.  I did not see one stationary bird.  The heads were always moving.  I had the shotgun but we couldn't ID the jake before he ran back into the forested area.  It is tougher to tell them apart from a distance (hens and jakes) than i thought.  We didnt hear or see a tom the whole trip and lots of other guys we saw out said the same thing. Maybe a little early.

If you have a shotgun do yourself a favor and bring that instead.  No doubt the hmr with a game point would take them down but like i said, they sure do move alot...and unpredictably.  I think you'd be setting yourself up for frustration.

We hunted for three days, went to grand forks area, christian valley and christina lake area.  CO told us that he saw some in christian valley but that it was very slow, we took some side roads near grand forks and thats where we saw some birds.  A few guys were hunting near christina lake but didnt run into too many.  The CO said that he stopped 40 trucks on one road within 6km stretch in the christina lake area on opening day....on sat. when we went, on the same road, we ran into maybe 4 trucks...not too bad.  I think it has been slow for lots of people . 

I'd give it a few weeks to warm up (just before the season ends!!!)  Thats my completely uneducated opinion..... if i was a turkey, I wouldn't be thinking of mating in this cold weather either.....(and thats what brings the gobbler into your call). OH YA >>> AND IT WAS A BLAST!!!!

[BCHunter]

A friend shot on on sunday in Cranbrook with his Hmr, he says body shot all the way..the head moves around to much. He took his at 132 yards with a Tasco Varmint scope.

[huntwriter]

Marmot – I am glad you have had a good time turkey hunting. You’re right when the weather warms up the longbeards really get going. Who wants to make love when it’s cold. Lol

Here I leave you with some additional info to your points.

17HMR – It can be done but as you said turkeys are moving constantly.

Some hunters aim for the chest but a tom can be a very though bird to keep on the ground. The vital area of the chest is very small too. In addition the small bullet could deflect should it hit the wing feathers. And lastly the breast meat ( the best part of a turkey) could get spoiled. 

2: they WILL come within shotgun range if you are doing it right (calling)

While calling, proper calling that is, is very important the set up is even more important. The best calling tactic will do no good if the ambush set up is not well chosen.

3: they use magnum loads on a full choke so they can put these big birds down.  A little off and you will bugger it up.

You mentioned something very important here. Many hunters are duped into believing that magnum loads and full chokes are the way to go. This is not always the case. It is important to pattern the shotgun at the range. The end result of that effort should be a gun/load/choke combination that deliverers consistently at least four pellets into a turkeys vital areas (skull and neck vertebrae). Example: My Browning PBS 12 gauge shotgun has a modified choke using 3” shells loaded with # 4 shot. The Bennelli Supernova needs a extra full choke using 3” shells loaded with #6 shot.     

It is tougher to tell them apart from a distance (hens and jakes) than i thought.

One sure way to tell the birds apart is to make them strut, you can do this with calling using soft yelps and purrs. A mature toms fan is a perfect half circle. On a Jakes fan the feathers in the middle (up to five main tail feathers) are considerably larger than the rest. Jakes often have shaggy looking fans and feathers missing, this comes form them fighting a lot with each other. A good pair of binoculars is a good aid in identifying turkeys.

We didnt hear or see a tom the whole trip and lots of other guys we saw out said the same thing. Maybe a little early.

You’re right when the weather warms up the longbeards really get going. Who wants to make love when it’s cold. Lol

Hope this additional info helps and good luck next time.

[marmot]

Thanks HW, excellent advice as always!

The gun I'm toting is a belgian browning 12guage, full choke with 3" turkey loads, and we tested it first at about 40 yards out, and found a pretty tight spread on the pellets...im guessing it would have done the trick as per your suggestion.  I'll remember your advice when I pick up my shotgun.  I like the over under brownings, I am thinking of cynergy.....any advice on that front? the belgian is my dads so I'll have to get my own for the fall.

[huntwriter]

Nothing wrong with an over under Browning Cynergy  shotgun (very beautiful quality gun that I would love to take upland hunting).  Have you also looked at pump action shotguns such as the Browning BPS (very reliable) and the Super Nova from Benelli (also a very good gun).

The pattern of the Belgian you describe seems just about as perfect as it will get. But please do not assume that the same set up will also work for another gun. Shotguns can be very finicky. I ones tested two identical shotguns from the same series and each of them patterned a little different. One needed a full choke and # 4 shot and the other needed an extra full choke with #6 shots to achieve an identical pattern.

[marmot]

Thanks HW i will keep that in mind and check the spread before heading out.  I like pumps but there is a reason I want to stick with the over unders.  I prefer to keep the action open (unhinged) on the over under until I need to use it, and it is quiet to close, and easy to do slowly.  A pump would have me chambering the round much earlier to avoid making noise before firing.  Its just a comfort thing for me, I'd rather not have a round in the chamber until i need it, having known a guy who blew his foot off.  Over cautious maybe, who knows!?

[huntwriter]

A very valued explaination.