Henry Rifle Forums

The fall turkey season starts Saturday here in Pa. I love the Fall turkey season and it is especially nice with the extra three day season that starts on that starts on Thanksgiving day. I have been lucky enough to score on a turkey about three of the four Thanksgiving hunts and those three hunts I got gobblers. The '15 season I got a gobbler Thanksgiving three day season that had a 11 1/4" beard. I have a Sako Vixen Hunter in 222 Remington that was my Dad's that I have taken a turkey every year since he gave it to me 15 years ago. I call it my lucky turkey rifle. Fourteen of the 15 years since I have had that rifle my turkey has been killed with it. One out of those years was killed with a Beretta Black Onyz 12 ga. O/U. I have pictures from the last two seasons but none farther back. The turkey that had the longest beard is the biggest gobbler I ever killed and weighed over 21 lb. I hope I have another good year with the Sako this fall turkey season. The icing on the cake is I am doing it with my Dad's Sako. My load is a loaded with H4895 and a 55 gr. Sierra spitzer bullet. Here is my last two birds and my turkey getting Sako Vixen Hunter. This is a hen from '16. I am the homely looking hunter in the picture.

This is a decent gobbler from last season. That picture was still in my camera when I started doing pictures again.

Good hunting this season, Bandit! And, great portraits of hunter and his Fall harvest, too. Thanks for sharing them with us.

good luck indeed .... hope you have safe and productive hunts .... the area shown in the background of you pictures really looks like good hunting country .... thanks for the info, I enjoyed reading you comments .... specially the discussion of doing so with a rifle .... in NC "It is unlawful to use any type of handgun or rifle to hunt wild turkey." ....

Our season is over as the 15th, except for two small areas that are 99% private land. Luckily I got my bird in the morning of the final day. Used my Mossberg 12 gauge. Fall season here is shot or bow only. Spring you can use rimfire, but we are not allowed to use centerfire at all for turkey.

There are three turkeys in my pic, but the one with feathers is the “real” one!

JEBar wrote:good luck indeed .... hope you have safe and productive hunts .... the area shown in the background of you pictures really looks like good hunting country .... thanks for the info, I enjoyed reading you comments .... specially the discussion of doing so with a rifle .... in NC "It is unlawful to use any type of handgun or rifle to hunt wild turkey." ....

Pa. law reads "Manually operated rifles and handguns, including rimfires." The law used to say smaller than .23 caliber. Don't say that in my new book. Shot guns or muzzle loading shot guns a bows in the spring. I like the fall season because I am a rifle hunter and shooter. Not sure I agree with the use of the rimfire rifles on turkeys. The 22 mag. with the 40 hollow point would be my choice on turkey if using the rimfire rifle. I have heard of a lot of turkeys lost with the 17 HMR. The 20 gr. HMR may be better.

It’s weird that we aren’t allowed to use centerfire. If you have a clean shot with a .22 or .22 mag, then why not allow a .223? I’ll never be able to figure out the “logic” of government!

Redthies wrote:It’s weird that we aren’t allowed to use centerfire. If you have a clean shot with a .22 or .22 mag, then why not allow a .223? I’ll never be able to figure out the “logic” of government!

If you try to figure out the game laws you will probably come to the conclusion they don't even hunt. They are behind the desk hunting authorities. But there has been so many stories I have heard in gun shops and at the shooting range about the 17 HMR losing turkeys and I just shake my head and wonder why they keep hunting with them. Raccoon size on up in the varmint class critters 22 Mag. Far superior with the double bullet weight and bigger frontal area. I do own a 17 HMR but it don't go in the woods for turkeys.

.22 is as small as I go. I think a “hot” 22 like a CCI Stinger will drop a gobbler if you get a head shot. They don’t get back up from #4 shot, that’s for sure!

Bows and cross-bows only in MO in the fall. Not sure where the state ranks now, but MO used to be one of the top 3 states in the country for recorded turkey harvests.
Would think that bow-hunting a turkey would be very challenging...