Turkey Lesson: How to Miss with $1,300 Worth of Gear
Last week I hunted on a ranch outside of Abilene, Texas, on one of those media junket trips with Federal Cartridge and Benelli.(I know, it’s a hard life). My host handed me a camo Benelli M2 with a Bushnell red dot already mounted. “We sighted it in for you, “ he said. “Have a great hunt.”
The next morning, around 10A.M., I had called in a tom from nearly a mile away. After 20 minutes of highly sexual turkey babble, he stepped out from behind a bush at 27 yards. Centering on his head, I took a deep breath and squeezed the trigger.
After the bird had flown away, I expounded a few striking epithets, and then became determined to check my gun before continuing with my hunt. I took off my shirtand sweaty camo t-shirt, hung the t-shirt on a tree, and fired upon it at 27 yards--twice.The pattern revealed I was 6 inches low and to the left, a clean miss with $1,300 worth of shotgun.
Two tips:
1.Always check your gun, no matter what anyone says. (Can’t you just hear Petzel laughing?)
2. In a pinch, your t-shirt will do to pattern your turkey gun.
I think they set you up. You might want to find out if Dave was behind this.
Posted by: tom | April 21, 2006 at 10:41 AM
aside from the sighting issue, how'd you like the gun?
Posted by: David | April 22, 2006 at 03:31 PM
why would you buy a high priced gun like that in the first place?
Posted by: joe wyrill | April 23, 2006 at 08:58 AM
I use an old early model Mossberg 835. A hunting buddy gave it to me when he bought an upscale shotgun. No gobbler has ever survived being set upon by the Mossberg out to 55 yards (several of them). I learned in high power target shooting that throwing more $$$ at the gun doesn't help a bit.
Posted by: Guy Miller | April 26, 2006 at 03:43 PM
It's all a evil plot by the shotgun makers and the turkeys. This is the first year that I have hunted turkeys in 30+ years of hunting and they are the smartest bird I have hunted. I am sure they payed big money to have your shotgun not be sighted correctly.
Posted by: Joe | April 26, 2006 at 10:34 PM