Not-So-Close Turkey Hunting
Three days of chasing Texas wild hogs with my favorite .50 caliber Knight DISC Extreme, and a little bass fishing through mid day, was just the break I needed from the cold and snow back home in west-central Illinois. Every winter in late February or early March I try to get a jump on nicer weather by heading down to the "Lone Star" state for a little R & R. This year, I waited until early April so I could catch the start of turkey hunting season. I wanted to hunt turkeys with a rifle for the first time.
Texas is one of only a few states where turkey hunting with a rifle is legal. I brought along a .50 caliber DISC Extreme Knight rifle for turkey hunting and putting a few wild porkers in the freezer. I also brought one of the slickest little in-line ignition rifles I'd ever shot and hunted with - one of the Limited Edition .32 caliber "Small Game" rifles offered by Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Co. And that rifle just happens to also be built on the proven Knight DISC Extreme action.
I decided to pursue a 20-pound turkey with a rifle designed to be shot with loads that can deliver the power needed to bring down a 1,000 pound elk with a single shot. So, I was concerned about whether or not there would be anything left of the fine gobbler when the smoke screen slowly dissipated after the shot. One thing is for certain, it does not take 2,000-plus foot-pounds of energy to take a turkey. Well before this turkey hunt I spent a great deal of time working up loads that shot accurately enough to 100 yards for taking such a shot, but which would also leave plenty of the big bird for a great meal.
Most modern saboted muzzleloader bullets continue to expand at velocities of 1,000 to 1,200 f.p.s. - at the distance of the target. One of the reasons why I wanted to bring a rifle on this turkey hunt was the large number of big open fields in the north central part of Texas where I would be hunting. This is dairy cattle country, with lots of huge open pastures, and lots of turkeys. Often coaxing them into shotgun range of cover thick enough to hide a hunter can be difficult. Shots of 80, 90 and 100 yards are a lot more common than the typical under-30-yard ranges at which most wild turkeys are taken. So, the load I was looking to find would have the bullet flying at 800 to 900 f.p.s. at 75 to 100 yards - and it had to shoot inside of 2 inches at that range.
I found it with my first try -- one 50-grain Triple Seven Pellet behind a saboted 250-grain Knight "Ultimate Slam" all-copper bullet. At the muzzle, the load is good for just over 1,100 f.p.s. - and out at 100 yards, velocity drops to around 850 f.p.s. Several 100-yard groups were right at 1 1/2 inches across, and several bullets shot into a bound stack of soaking wet magazines and newspapers barely began to expand. This was exactly what I was looking for - a load that wouldn't completely destroy a turkey. Out where I expected to take a gobbler with the rifle, the bullet would retain about 400 foot-pounds of energy, and would hopefully pass right on through the turkey without excessive destruction.
For the little .32 Green Mountain/Knight DISC rifle, which is used almost exclusively for potting a few bushy tails each year, I was looking for a load with a bit more punch than what I use for squirrels. That load is just 6 grains of FFFg Triple Seven, which gets the light 47-grain .315" patched round ball out of the muzzle at 1,179 f.p.s., with just 144 f.p.e. The goal was to closely duplicate the ballistics of a standard velocity .22 long rifle cartridge, to prevent destroying edible meat. And at 25 to 30 yards, where most squirrels are taken, the little ball is still moving at around 1,000 f.p.s., and hits with around 100 f.p.e. It does a wonderful job.
Turkeys require more punch to cleanly bring down than a 1-pound squirrel. The load that appealed to me most was an 18 grain charge of FFFg Triple Seven, which would get the tiny lead sphere out of the barrel at 1,869 f.p.s. - with 363 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. Now, a round ball sheds velocity and energy quickly. Out at 50 yards, which I considered the maximum effective range of the small-bore in-line rifle on turkey, velocity drops to 1,218 f.p.s., and the 47-grain ball would hit a gobbler with just 154 foot-pounds of remaining energy.
After a few days of hunting wild hogs with a full 110-grain charge of Triple Seven, putting a couple of 150-pound eater pigs in the cooler, I re-sighted the .50 caliber DISC Extreme with the lighter 1-pellet turkey load, and I was ready to do some turkey hunting.
Turkey Hunting
On earlier hog hunts on this ranch, I had always seen several large flocks of Rio Grande turkeys out in the hayfields along a creek that runs smack dab through the center of the 5,000 acre ranch. So, that's where I decided to begin the hunt. Just as daybreak appeared on the eastern horizon, I slipped along one of the dirt ranch roads just above a creek crossing that leads to one of the fields. It wasn't long before the turkeys were gobbling on the roost - at the other end of the field, a half-mile away. I knew the birds tended to prefer the end where I was, so slipped in and settled down against a huge old pecan tree just a few yards from the fence. Several low bushes formed a natural blind. Still, I was able to rest a rifle on my home-made wooden cross-sticks for a solid rest. And from where I sat, I could easily shoot out into the open field.
I had brought along both rifles. Both lay on the ground at my right side, where I could easily reach down and pick up the .50 caliber DISC Extreme for shots out at around 100 yards...or the Limited Edition .32 for shots within 50 yards. Once I could tell that the gobblers were on the ground, I stroked a few seductive hen yelps with my Knight & Hale "Ol' Yeller" slate call, and those toms really fired up. A few minutes later, I could see their fanned tails along the far end of the open expanse. I waited four or five minutes, then did some excited cutting, yelping and loud purring. And like a train coming down the side of the field, seven gobblers were running to the call - one right behind the other.
Instead of coming across the open ground, the birds worked the fence line along the left edge of the hayfield. Just before reaching my end of the field, they crossed under the bottom strand of barbed wire and slowly began looking for the inviting hen they had heard. When they dropped into a shallow wash a hundred yards away, I lightly purred and yelped several more times. They fired right back with a dozen or more gobbles. Somehow, I knew it was going to be a shot for the little .32, so reached down, picked up the light 5-pound rifle and eased it up to rest on the cross-sticks. And with a slight turn of my body to better face where I felt the turkeys would appear, I waited.
A minute or so later, the tips of several fanned tails could be seen over the bank of the wash, and then there they were. All seven gobblers stepped up onto the top of the opposite side of the wash, maybe 45 yards away. One of the turkeys had much lighter colored tips on its tail feathers. That was the one I decided to take. The crosshairs of the Leatherwood/Hi-Lux scope settled right at the junction of the wing and back, and a minute later the bird came out of strut and just stood there, offering a perfect, slightly quartered away shot. I refined my hold on the wing butt once more, and with the DISC Extreme action's safety pushed forward into the "off" position, my finger tightened on the trigger. The little .32 Green Mountain rifle barked, and that gobbler went rolling back into the wash and out of sight. The other birds ran off into the surrounding heavy brush and cactus.
I reloaded the .32 in-line rifle and walked over, but a second shot wasn't needed. That tiny soft-lead round ball had done the job - and without destroying a bit of good eating. My first turkey ever with a rifle was a beautiful bronze colored bird with nice buff-colored feather tips.
The Next Day
I woke early the next morning to the crack of lightning and the sound of rain against the windows. It rained off and on all morning, sometimes pouring so hard it was impossible to see more than 50 yards. I rolled back over, pulled the covers up over my head and slept in. Shortly after lunch, the weather showed signs of breaking. And a few hours later I gathered up my turkey hunting gear and the .50 DISC Extreme and headed out on a walkabout. I knew the creek would be so swollen that I couldn't get across to the other side, so headed for a high ridge where I often fished several small lakes - and always saw turkeys.
Through the afternoon, several times I got toms to gobble back to loud yelps on a box call, but only once each time. Both times I had set up and called every four or five minutes, but couldn't squeeze another gobble out of them - or coax them to where I could see them. The cold rain and upper 40s temperatures seemed to have shut them down. Then, about an hour before sunset, the sun popped out and temperatures jumped back into the 60s. I was near where a large open grassy area was surrounded by oaks, and knew that turkeys often frequented the area. It was a great spot for toms to strut and show off, and for the hens to come and admire their suitors.
As I approached the area, I lightly yelped on my slate call to see if a bird would answer - and one hammered right back, followed by another. Spotting a good tree right next to the two-track trail, I dropped down and got ready. In just a few minutes, I could see the two turkeys coming along the edge of the opening, headed for where the trail entered the grassy area. And a few seconds later, both birds were walking down the trail right at me...one in each track. Both had nice 10-inch beards, and looked to weigh 20 to 22 pounds. When they got to about 90 yards, I settled the crosshairs of the scope just above the beard of the bird on the right, and softly touched off the shot. The 250-grain "Ultimate Slam" bullet caught the turkey perfectly, exiting out the top of the back - and passing right over all of that delectable breast meat. The shot dropped the tom where it stood, without even as much as a flop. The exit hole was only a tiny bit larger that the entrance hole.
What a great turkey hunting trip. I bagged two fine Rio Grande gobblers with two shots, and with muzzleloader rifles to boot!
Now, I still love the up-close-and-personal aspect of turkey hunting. Calling a great tom to within 20 or 30 yards and dropping the bird with a hefty charge of No. 5 or 6 sized shot from a muzzle-loaded shotgun like the Knight TK2000 is great. But, being a rifleman by nature, I have to admit that taking those two turkeys with a pair deadly accurate in-line ignition rifles was also every bit as enjoyable. If you ever get the opportunity to hunt turkeys where a rifle can be used, you might want to try taking one with your Knight muzzleloader rifle. Or, at least carry it along for those hundred yard shots.