How To Pattern A Turkey Gun

Besides listening for pre-season gobbling and practicing your diaphragm call, patterning your turkey gun is one of the best activities you can do to prepare for the upcoming turkey season. If you change anything about your gun setup year to year, from chokes to shells, patterning is a must. Even if you’re still on the same box of turkey loads from 3 years ago, patterning your gun is a good confidence booster and easy way to make sure everything is in order before shooting at a live bird.

If you only have one shell to spare for the purpose of patterning (turkey loads can get very pricey for each time you fire a shot), most people will put a turkey target out at 40 yards, sit down in a stable position, and check out the pattern. It is commonly accepted that 4 pellets in the turkey’s head and upper spine is enough to kill a bird and you can call it a day if that’s what the pattern does. However, if you have some extra time and extra shells, doing a more extensive turkey gun patterning routine can be helpful.

First, make sure to have plentiful paper targets. Seeing patterns becomes a lot easier when you have a fresh target for each shot. It’s ok to shoot from a bench, but avoid using a lead sled. You can also shoot from a stable seated position if you want. Aim for the spot where the turkey’s bald head ends and feathers begin. Start out at 10 yards with a target load shell. The tight grouping of your pattern at this distance allows you to see nuances in placement of your overall pattern.

• Shooting high: Many shotguns shoot high already. You can either hold a little lower or adjust your sight. I personally prefer shotguns that pattern slightly high because you can see the live bird moving better than if you’re covering your target with the sight.
• Shooting low: You can raise your comb up with some moleskin or a kit to help bring your pattern up.
• Shooting left or right: Make sure your gun is mounted correctly or use a shim kit to help adjust left and right.
• If you choose to buy a red dot or another sight for your shotgun, adjust the sight so you’re shooting straight. Regardless, making sure your mount and cheek placement is consistent is important.

Once your pattern is dead on with target loads at 10 yards, you can move back to 30 or 40 yards. This is where you look for the overall pattern of your chosen turkey loads. One rule of thumb is that 80 pellets within a 10-inch diameter circle is considered to be a turkey-killing pattern. If you have big holes in your pattern, consider switching chokes or possibly shells. The right choke/shell combo can put you in a position to shoot out to 70 yards or even a little further.

 Looking at your pattern from varying distances will help you determine where your optimum distance is to shoot a turkey from. Too far and your pattern will open up too much to kill a bird, and too close increases your chance of missing due to the tight pattern. Adjusting your setup as needed is a fun and necessary way to prepare for turkey season! Now turn your attention to practicing those calls.

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