Spring Turkey Hunting 2023 - Post 1

First, I’d like to start off with giving an update on the shotgun. Eli (my daughter) and I got a chance to take it to the gun range to try it out along with the tripod. We found it quite easy to use, the only issue we had was aiming when the hammer isn’t cocked back. Someday, I would like to do a deeper dive on this issue to kind of see where the point of aim really is, and maybe it is meant to be aimed with the front bead on top of the hammer. The first shot, she wasn’t lined up quite right and her shot was a little left. I also think the little bit louder noise than the .22 surprised her, and she might have flinched just a little. After that we took a little time to get her adjusted and lined up better, focusing on getting her eye lined up directly in line with the barrel and sight. After that she was dead on the rest of the day. Below is a picture of 3 shots of target loads on a target we used for practice.

We tried patterning the choke tube with the TSS #9 ammo. Eli wanted to watch me do this, and the results were fairly good. The pattern density was good, but I didn’t adjust the tripod for me, and I struggled to get my eye down on the gun, so my aim seemed to be a little high. I am trusting this to user error, but I did note that when hunting we better take our time and make sure we get the tripod setup really well to put Eli in the best position possible to make a good shot. Below is a picture of two shots of the #9 TSS shot on target. One is on the left, the other on the right. This was at 18 yards. My only concern is that it is pretty tight on this close in of a shot. But I don’t mind this, as I don’t think letting her take a shot at turkey 40 yards away for her first shot is a great idea. So with this, I hope to have either a clean miss or a good hit and hopefully lessen the chances of crippling one. I am hopeful that combining her aim with this density will deliver a knockout punch.

First Hunt - 5-4-23

Due to being busy lately, we haven’t had much time to get out scouting for turkeys. So we turned our first scouting trip into our first hunting trip. I am by no means a turkey hunting expert, as really I would consider myself a novice still. I was fortunate enough that I had a friend invite me to come with him a few years back and show me what it is all about. Since then, I have thoroughly enjoyed hunting or trying to hunt turkeys in the spring. While the two older kids have tagged along on some hunting outings before, this was the first time one of them was actually able to shoot.

Being that we didn’t scout, or go out one morning and try to figure out where some turkeys are to go after, we picked a spot where I was lucky enough to harvest my first turkey last year. I was hoping there would be some, at least in a similar spot to where they were before. I knew there were lots of options to set up that wouldn’t be too far of a walk from one of the parking locations.

After Eli came bouncing in my room at quarter to five to wake me up to get going, we got there a half hour before sunrise, got out of the vehicle as quietly as we could and just listened for a little bit. We heard a few gobbles but they were pretty far out. After figuring out how to carry the pop up blind, chairs, tripod, gun, decoys, and blind bag packed with all the essentials, we walked out to find a good place to set up. We ended up picking out a little field that is farmed within the public hunting spot to provide a food plot for all the wildlife. We got the blind and the chairs inside set up, but before getting the tripod and gun ready we put out the decoys which Eli has named Floyd and Waffle. We then tucked in, got the tripod up and as near to level as we possibly could and then clamped the gun in and loaded it up. We both tried our hands at calling a little to see if we could get a jake or tom in the area to gobble. After not much luck, Eli ended up taking out a book to read while we waited for a while. While we didn’t see or hear many turkeys, we did enjoy watching the ducks, geese, pheasants, deer, and other wildlife in the area.

We then had something happen that I was not prepared for, a bloody nose. Being that I didn’t have tissues or toilet paper packed in the blind bag, we had to quickly unload the gun, and run back to the vehicle where I did have both of these and a trash bag, and even wipes to clean off with. Before next time, I think I will put together a small bloody nose kit to bring with while actually out hunting.

Since it was pretty slow, as soon as Eli said she was ready to go we packed up to head home. We did a little more exploring within the state land to see if there was another spot we could hunt closer to where we thought we heard the gobbles this morning. I am hoping that we can get out one morning here soon to go check out a few other spots in the area to look for turkeys. Thankfully, the season in South Dakota gives us a few weeks yet to try a few more times. Even though the hunt didn’t go as we had hoped, she still came bouncing in our house when we got back, eager to tell everyone about the adventure.