JW

Tembry - excellent question -

If yo have the confidence your gun is on by all means go for it.

However the reason I re-pattern every year is:
1. To check my Tru glo sight alingment as I do take one set off the gun I use for waterfowl
2. Check out my scoped gun to make sure it is still on. I beat the bejeebies outa this on many sneaks. Try to protect it but it ain't all that easy.
3. Pattern my smokepole as it is really just a bead.
4. Puts a mental picture of what the Tom's head should look like at my Maximum yardage I have deteremined - if I need it - yes I want to call them up close a personal to see the 'white of their eyes!' Never seen the whites of the eyes? Well you iain't had that turkey close enuf (am teasin here ) but yes it does put a mental picture in my ole noggin.
5. AND best of all it puts the confidence in what I use - I know it is on - I don't need to second guess. My average for the number of birds I have taken is 22 paces from wehre I sat. yes some longer ones but atht was early in my hunting and is not the case now. Last two whre take at 6 and 8 paces respectively.

You are right the worst case is to shoot lotsa loads to get that gun sighted in. But even with that I'll give ya a little tip. When I start - I start with a quarter sized dot on white cardboard anduse 7.5 trap shells. The round won't beat you up and what you are after is knocking the quarter sized dot out of the cardboad clean at 15-20 yards using the chokes we use. Once you have that done and can do it religiously I then use the target I gave the link to. Then I take shots at 30, 40, & yes 50 to count my pellet holes and determine my maximum range with my turkey loads.

And there are those who say it only takes one good pellet placement to put that bird down and I must agree. But one pellet is not enuf in my mind and that is why I said no less than 8!
Yes I have wounded a bird and am definetely not proud of it! And yes I missed a bird and didn't know why. So i went to Tru Glo sights as I bet I lifted my head. So I took the above steps to stop that foolsishness. Not only to conserve game but to be the type of hunter I was taught to be and that is above all ethical.

So that is why - didn't mean to make this sound like a soap box and riducule me if ya must.....each to their own....but when I hear of shots beyond 40 yards - to me those hunters are missing the point and they do have the greatest chance to cripple......and a crippeld bird.....is defintely not what I want to do.

Hey stay safe out there.

JW

zubba

But what if the big ol Tom gets hung up at 45 yards and won't come any closer. And when you patterned your gun, you consistantly put 10-12 pellets in the head at 50 yards. So you have confidence in your gun.

Your right though...to each their own. And I admit, the majority of the birds I have taken or called in where shot at 20-30 yards, but I have taken two birds over 40 yards...1 at 45 and one at 52 yards. In these cases, the birds where hung up and weren't coming any closer. Even though I know my gun is capable of making the shot, I still like to call them in closer because I like the up close and personal experience, but when they won't come in, it is my last resort.

Pygmy

Here's a little turkey trivia involving that patterning target...

It's from an actual Xray taken of a bird taken by Dr. Paul " Doc" Pelham, a turkey hunting veterinarian from western NY...

Doc Pelham was a former President of the NYS Chapter of the NWTF...

The very first time I attended and watched the NYS Calling Championship in Portville, NY , sometime in the 70s, I had the priveledge of watching Doc Pelham himself win the contest.. Hehad some pretty stiff competion in that constest, including Rob Keck and a barber from Orchard Park, NY named Dick Kirby...

Doc moved on to that great turkey woods in the sky quite a few years ago...

Pygmy

Hmm..Must be we're not allowed to say D-I-C-K on this forum, even if it's somebody's name..

Rebel Hog

Thanks for the info! I'm ordering these.

http://www.gunnersden.com/index.htm.free-turkey-target.html

Mr. Longbeard

I think those targets are cheating you out of some vital area... I like the Primos turkey target... It's also a actual X-Ray of a turkey head and neck. The whole neck

Rebel Hog

Thanks ML, but I can see the colored one much easier.

Dixon

Rebel Hog, you don't have to order 'em. They're free. Just keep stock in printer paper like I do.

bigpapa

Zubba, What type of scope do you have on your turkey gun? I was thinking about getting one.

RIStrutStopper

The only reason I do it is because I use the same gun, same scope, but different barrels for turkey and deer. After sighting in for slugs I have to re sight in for #5 shot. I'm looking to get a second scope or red dot on a quick detatch mount to use for turkey though. I'd like to start a poll on that subject, but we can't do that in this forum so I'll probably start a new thread so as not to hijack this one

BTW, this is the target I use to pattern. Its the best I've found so far. I think I use 11.5 x17" paper, whatever the next size up from legal is...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v172/RIStrutStopper/turktarg1.jpg