Brown Bess Turkey hunt help please (Nebraska fall season)

[Larry (Omaha)]

Never been turkey hunting and a good opertunity just came up. My SIL has a business customer who lives rural with several turkeys on his property. This customer said my SIL and I would be welocme to come and thin out the flock. He has a blind and stated he would drive us to the blind in his ATV or truck. This rural area is about 1 hr and 10 min from my home. I have a modern shotgun, but thought my Brown Bess would be just the ticket for a good time. My SIL has a call, but any thoughts to help this pilgrim BB turkey hunter would be appreciated. I am thinking 70 grains 2F, over powder card, 1-1/8 oz #5 shot, overshot card should do the trick.
Thanks in advance.
Larry

 

[Phil Coffins]

Take a large piece of cardboard and lay your forearm on it. Make a fist bent to the side then draw a heavy line around it. This out line is close to the size of a turkey head and neck. Place it at the distance you might expect to shoot and see if your pattern makes hits. Your load seems light to me but the target will tell you more.

 

[64Springer]

If this is a one time hunting gig, take your modern shotgun and bag a turkey.

You can eliminate a lot of Murphy's variables with a shotshell.

 

[Nuthatch]

If you don't have time to pattern the bess, then take the modern gun. If you don't have time to pattern the modern gun, make sure the bird is close but not too close. Personally, I prefer to aim for the spot on the neck where feathers meet bald skin. Heads are always moving unexpectedly and, by my reckoning, this gives a wide margin of error from both close and far distances. I've only killed a handful of turkeys with a scatter gun of any kind but I've never needed more than one blast to do it.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

If this is a one time hunting gig, take your modern shotgun and bag a turkey.

You can eliminate a lot of Murphy's variables with a shotshell.

Springer Springer Springer. Hey bud it is not about just getting a turkey, but getting a turkey with a bessie.
Can't belive you said that
Larry

 

[rp77469]

Search the forum for Skychief Load or Sky Chief Load. There is a sticky out there along with a lot of discussion threads.

 

[64Springer]

Springer Springer Springer. Hey bud it is not about just getting a turkey, but getting a turkey with a bessie.
Can't belive you said that
Larry

I can appreciate that.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

If you don't have time to pattern the bess, then take the modern gun. If you don't have time to pattern the modern gun, make sure the bird is close but not too close. Personally, I prefer to aim for the spot on the neck where feathers meet bald skin. Heads are always moving unexpectedly and, by my reckoning, this gives a wide margin of error from both close and far distances. I've only killed a handful of turkeys with a scatter gun of any kind but I've never needed more than one blast to do it.

Turkey season is Oct 1 through Nov 30. Lots of time and the trap range lady just told me this week I could use the pattern target for free. It has a roll of paper and you just drag a section out, shoot, and drag out another sheet if ya need to. I need to hear it from the boys here for a good load, then I will check out the pattern.
Larry

 

[ScottK]

Do some research on strategy for fall. Not sure what call your SIL has, but turkeys generally do not respond to mating calls in the fall.

They may come over to investigate light clucking out of curiosity. The one call you want to look into is the Kee Kee, which juvenile birds make when they get seperated from adult females. If it works at all, females will be the first to show up, and “maybe” some males will follow behind. You need to be patient and/or willling to take a female in fall if allowed where you are hunting.

Males you need to pattern in fall. They generally don’t respond positively to calls and often move away if you make noise. Hopefully your host has a good idea how they are moving around and can confirm they pass by his stand regularly.

If not, another suggestion is to download OnX Hunt. Turn on the “Acorn Producing Oaks” layer and look for acorns in the vicinity of permanent water.


Good luck!

 

[64Springer]

Do some research on strategy for fall. Not sure what call your SIL has, but turkeys generally do not respond to mating calls in the fall.

They may come over to investigate light clucking out of curiosity. The one call you want to look into is the Kee Kee, which juvenile birds make when they get seperated from adult females. If it works at all, females will be the first to show up, and “maybe” some males will follow behind. You need to be patient and/or willling to take a female in fall if allowed where you are hunting.

Males you need to pattern in fall. They generally don’t respond positively to calls and often move away if you make noise. Hopefully your host has a good idea how they are moving around and can confirm they pass by his stand regularly.

If not, another suggestion is to download OnX Hunt. Turn on the “Acorn Producing Oaks” layer and look for acorns in the vicinity of permanent water.


Good luck!

The Turkey Whisperer.

 

[ScottK]

The Turkey Whisperer.

Just a big fan of turkey salad sammiches!!!

 

[kelljp]

Know your limitations and your distance.
30 yards is going be the max id bet for that firearm.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Never been turkey hunting and a good opertunity just came up. My SIL has a business customer who lives rural with several turkeys on his property. This customer said my SIL and I would be welocme to come and thin out the flock. He has a blind and stated he would drive us to the blind in his ATV or truck. This rural area is about 1 hr and 10 min from my home. I have a modern shotgun, but thought my Brown Bess would be just the ticket for a good time. My SIL has a call, but any thoughts to help this pilgrim BB turkey hunter would be appreciated. I am thinking 70 grains 2F, over powder card, 1-1/8 oz #5 shot, overshot card should do the trick.
Thanks in advance.
Larry

Take the Bess only tip 100gn of powder in it, three or four over shots and 2oz of #5.
Get the turkey.