An unprecedented 2021 spring turkey hunting season saw more hunters in the woods than ever before due to the pandemic. And now, with 2022 opening day less than two weeks away, turkey hunters are gearing up, practicing their calls, pulling out their camo, and sighting in their shotguns in anticipation of another extraordinary season.

Turkey hunting seminars are also back in full swing, and attendance numbers have been staggering. In the Bay State, turkey hunters appear ready to go.

Folks always wonder at seminars, what turkey hunting shotgun is the best? That’s a tough question to answer. Is it a pump? Is it an automatic, single shot? A twelve-gauge, twenty-gauge, 410? Which one is “the best?” And if we’re honest about it, the consensus would be that the best turkey hunting shotgun is the one that consistently shoots straight, because a shotgun that will shoot consistently to the POA, which means point of aim, is a shotgun you want to own.

Most shotguns have a small bead at the end of the barrel and are considered a scatter gun. Hunters often think they can place the bead on a target and hit it every time, and with objects like clay pigeons and ducks where we’re shooting a much wider pattern, it is a little easier to do. But turkey hunting is a different game. It’s almost like shooting a rifle at times because the shot patterns coming out of today’s choke tubes are so very tight.

I meet hunters every year that will ask how my season is going. Sometimes they’ll mention they had a chance at one, but missed. We all miss! People who say they’ve never missed probably don’t hunt much. That said, I usually reply by asking, “how’s your gun patterning?” “Well I didn’t get a chance to pattern the shotgun, but the shells I have should do the job,” is a common reply. When translated, that means that the problem is not the shotgun, not the shell, and probably not even the shooter. The problem may very well be that the shotgun is not shooting true to the point of aim.

Let me explain. One of my favorite guns is a Remington Model 870 Camo Express 20 gauge, and when I first purchased one, it did not shoot true to the point of aim. It was consistently shooting high and to the right, and when that happens you must figure out why because you need to know what your gun is doing, even if you’ve owned it for years before you start chasing turkeys with it. You wouldn’t take a deer rifle into the woods before knowing that your scope is dialed-in, or that your sights are spot-on before opening day. Same thing is true with our turkey shotguns.

My gun was shooting high to the right when I first purchased it. I could have used an option called “Kentucky Windage” which means I’m compensating where I hold the bead in hopes of hitting my target. But to work, it takes lots and lots of practice, and when that bird comes strutting in our adrenaline gets pumped-up and kicking. In the heat of the moment, will we remember to compensate our shot to hit the target? Probably not, and we’re likely going to miss!

A better option would be to install adjustable sights or perhaps an optic like red dots or scopes, both favorites of turkey hunters. Personally I like open sights because I like a complete field of view, which allows me to see everything that’s going on. So later, I installed a set of TRUGLO adjustable sights to the Remington. Even after doing this, the shotgun was still shooting high to the right after the first few shots. So I went to the range, and sighted it in correctly. I took a small target, placed it on a much larger target, stepped back about 15 yards, and aimed precisely at the small target hoping to see how this Remington would perform, because what we’re looking for here is where most of our shot is hitting. If most of the shot hits to the right or left, then we know the sights must be adjusted. But, if we’re hitting dead center, then we know nothing is wrong, and maybe we just pulled the shot a little when we first started shooting. After a few more shots you’ll start to understand what’s really happening, and you can adjust things accordingly.

The best turkey shotgun is not a certain caliber or brand, not a pump, automatic, or single shot. The best turkey shotgun you can possibly own, is simply a shotgun that shoots straight!

Joe Judd is a lifelong hunter and sportsman. He is an outdoor writer, seminar speaker, member of the New England Outdoor Writers Association, and a 2019 inductee into the N.E. Turkey Hunting Hall of Fame. Joe is also on the Quaker Boy Game Calls and Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s Pro-Staff.]]>