The Many Ways a Muzzleloading Shotgun Adds Excitement to Turkey Hunting

The first gobbler to fall to my Knight TK2000 saw its last sunrise back in 2003. It was a warm morning in West Texas, perfect for turkey hunting. Turkeys were gobbling up and down the creek bottom as the sun rose over the horizon. My back rested against one of the ancient cottonwoods and I propped the muzzleloading shotgun over a branch I'd dragged up to build a makeshift turkey hunting blind.

The day before, a friend and I patterned the TK2000 muzzleloading shotgun on targets stapled to a big piece of plywood and were delighted with the results. The TK2000 features a patented jug-choke that allows the shot to expand before concentrating as it exits the barrel, which produces some incredible pattern concentration. Few other shoguns of any type can equal the 85 percent shot density in a 30-inch circle at 40 yards! I settled on a basic load of 100 grains of powder and an ounce and a half of No. 5 shot. At 35 yards, the load was blowing holes in the plywood and putting an unbelievable number of pellets in the kill zone.

Just after fly down three big turkeys came to our calls. As is often the case, however, the trio tracked behind us and pinned us down for a while. Time and time again they rattled us with gobbles, but never presented a shot.

Not long after those sneaky birds moved on, two more turkeys appeared at the end of the valley 300 yards away. The sun had cleared the horizon and the air chilled a bit, and seeing those two big toms strutting in the early morning sunshine is a sight I'll never forget.

Slowly they edged toward us. When they wandered too far off course we called again and got them back on track. I pulled the trigger when the lead bird hit 37 yards and it dropped like a rock.

Muzzleloading shotguns present a new challenge for turkey hunters. Several things attract hunters to muzzleloaders – the ability to customize your own load is one. Varieties in powder charge and shot size allow the hunter to create his or her own load for every shot.
Knight features several versions of the TK2000, including thumbhole stocks and Realtree, Mossy Oak and Skyline camo patterns.

Jack Coad is a Knight Rifles and Knight & Hale pro staffer who is sold on the effectiveness of the TK2000. His favorite load is 100 grains of Triple 7 loose FFG with 1 3/8 ounces of No. 5 lead shot.

"I spent time on the range evaluating different powder and shot combinations," Coad said. "I've always preferred No. 5 shot for turkeys regardless of firearm. I tested the gun on 1/2-inch plywood at 40 yards, and this load proved to be the most effective. Because mature birds often hang up at that magical 50 yard mark, I felt I needed a load to humanely take that shot. This load delivers an effective pattern at 50 yards."

Knight & Hale pro staffer David Findley has been a TK2000 muzzleloading shotgun fan for more than 7 years and has killed nearly 40 turkeys on various turkey hunting trips with his trusty TK.

"Another 10 or so turkeys have been killed by friends who wanted to give muzzleloading a try," he said. "I shoot 115 grains of Triple 7 with 2 1/4 ounces of No. 4 shot. I come from the school of big pellets and serious knockdown power. Many shooters like lighter loads of 85 to 100 grains of Triple 7 and No. 5s and 6s, which produces less kick and retains consistent patterns."

Testing various loads is an important aspect of hunting with the TK2000 muzzleloading shotgun. It also provides more satisfaction and "ownership" of the hunt. Want less kick? Ratchet down the amount of powder and shot. Want to extend your range to consistently kill birds at 50 yards? Kick up the amount of powder (always keeping within suggested load data) and shot. Want the perfect combination? That's where the fun of patterning enters the picture. Test until you've created the perfect load for you.

"I've heard people say that hunting with a muzzleloading shotgun is too time consuming and not worth the trouble," Findley said. "That can't be further from the truth. I have a system and a special backpack with all of my materials – powder, powder measure (I prefer plastic to prevent corrosion), Knight Shot Cups, overshot wads, pellets and primers – and loading only takes a few seconds more than finding and inserting three shotgun shells into a regular shotgun."

But what about the misled opinions that muzzleloaders are unreliable and must be kept perfectly dry to perform? Those opinions are indeed mistaken. All of the authorities I spoke with about hunting with the TK muzzleloading shotgun report that they've never had a problem with moisture.

"Once loaded," Findley said, "I remove the primer and leave the gun in the truck to prevent having to shoot after each hunt. The temperature is more consistent in the truck, but that's about all of that type of precaution I take concerning moisture. When I pull the trigger, it's going to go off, period."

Indeed, I once sat in a cold New York wood in a pouring rain that lasted all morning. This wasn't one of those pleasant garden-variety showers, but a fierce downpour with drops as big as elephant tears. When quitting time rolled around (finally!) at noon, I fired the TK2000 muzzleloading shotgun at a stump and was pleasantly surprised at absolutely no delay between pulling the trigger and the shotgun going boom.

Findley also sees plenty of rainy days in the turkey woods. Last season, he called a friendly farmer for permission to go turkey hunting his land the last few days of the season.

"It rained all night and was still raining hard as I got out of the truck in the early morning darkness," he said. "As I waited for daylight and hoped for the rain to go away, turkeys started gobbling everywhere. About 15 minutes after hearing the first gobble, two 2-year-olds were gobbling like there was no tomorrow about 15 yards in front of me. After the smoke cleared, only one was left to see a brighter day."

Detractors of muzzleloading shotguns mention two misguided aspects that keep them from trying one: cleaning and the fact that hunters only get one shot. Let's look at cleaning first.

With today's clean burning powders, cleanup is a breeze. Swab the muzzleloading shotgun's barrel after shooting and wipe down after a hunt. If you're not patterning and shooting a lot, taking the gun apart (which is a simple process in itself) is only really required after the season. Unless you've been hunting in the rain or dropped the gun in the mud, there's really not that much more you need to do to a muzzleloading shotgun that you wouldn't do to a normal shotgun.

"I give my TK a good, thorough cleaning after each time I kill a bird with it," Findley said. "It takes me less than 45 minutes, and all of that time I'm reliving the hunt. I get a lot of satisfaction out of that."

The second detraction is only having one shot, but if most hunters think back over their careers, how many times has the second shot been needed, and how many times was it effective? It was probably not many times. Some would say that relying on a single shot makes you a better hunter, forcing you to be sure of your target and shot when the moment of truth arrives. When you've got a gun you know like family and have confidence in it, one shot's all you need.

"Most of my turkey hunts have ended with one shot anyway," Coad said, "and those that I did get two shots on resulted in success less than 50 percent of the time anyway. I love the challenge of having one shot and having the confidence of an effective and dependable firearm. Just let that big, mature tom hang up at 50 yards this year!"