Beretta Blog

On February 4th, Punxsutawney Phil announced spring would arrive in 6 weeks. I don't know about you, but after the long, cold, gray winter, I'm ready for blue skies and bright sun. Warm weather makes for ideal shooting conditions, and if your shotgun has been in the gun cabinet for a while it's time to get it ready for use.

The choke tube wrench adapted to fit into the arbor of a cordless drill driver is apparently an urban legend – at least from the perspective of it being made commercially. Yet I’m sure a Frankenstein-ed version has shown up at the clays course on more than one occasion. Some shotgunners seem that addicted to changing choke tubes. No one needs a powered choke tube wrench, but watching some shooters on the sporting clays course, it seems like it’s an invention that would speed up their play.

 

My buddy laughed when I pulled out a can of a product that plumbers use called Nev-R-Seize. He watched me jack up my new boat trailer, remove the wheels, and coat the threads and lugs. "That's a waste of time," he said, "mine always pop off when I change a flat tire." Well, he got a flat on our way to launch his boat for a sea duck hunt. And guess what? He was right. We jacked up his trailer and with one strong torque with his lug wrench, and he snapped one cleanly off. "Next time I'll try your goo," he said.

 

There are two different ways to look at shotguns for hunting … and to some extent for shooting clay targets. Neither is right. Neither is wrong. They are just different.

The first view considers a shotgun as a tool, and a means to an end. Nothing more. Nothing less. In this philosophy, a shotgun is simply the implement used to make it possible to take game – most often birds, but sometimes furred-critters or even big game. As a craftsman recognizes the importance of maintaining his tools, this shooter is just as pragmatic about maintaining his shotgun.

The argument of shotgun cleaning took place in bird camp. In one corner was my buddy who cleans his shotgun like clockwork... which is once a decade whether it needs it or not (it needs it). In the other corner was a pal who meticulously cleans his shotgun at the end of each day. On some days I wonder if he'd like to clean his shotgun after every shot. I'm in the middle and wipe my guns after each hunt and clean them once a month or at the end of the season. My only exception is that I do a thorough cleaning after hunting in a heavy downpour or after use in a saltwater marsh.

For seemingly forever, layering systems have been an integral part of our sporting lives. Back-in-the-day we wore a t-shirt followed by a cotton shirt accompanied by a wool sweater and then a waxed-cotton coat. If the coat was tan, it doubled in a duck blind, and if not it was traded for one with a camo pattern. These natural materials felt great, they worked well, and we were comfortable. Sometimes we got wet, other times we got hot, but usually, we were cold. No one complained for it was part of hunting.

Rifles and handguns are aimed. Shotguns are pointed. But what does that really mean?

It means shooting any firearm with a single projectile is precise. It requires time and attention to align the sighting system – whether open sights or optical sights – on the intended target. Alignment and steadiness are so critical that the best shooters control breathing and heartbeats to press the trigger at the absolute proper millisecond.

I admit that I was worried when I looked around the gun shop's tremendous inventory. I'd need nerves of steel to depart without making a purchase. That said, shotguns are like potato chips, you can't just have one. And so I squared my shoulders and started reviewing the Over/Unders, Side-by-Sides, Pumps, and Semi-Automatics to find one I couldn't live without. I'm always in the market for a new firearm, so that makes me a salesman's low-hanging fruit. And I'm sure it's a similar situation with you.

Turkey hunting becomes a real challenge late in the season. After all that hunting pressure on the turkeys, they can become scarce. You’ve tried your calls. You’ve moved your blind from location A to B to C, to D — and finally, all the way to Z and have yet to bag a big bearded bird. The clock is ticking and days are dwindling. Now it’s time to put your real hunting skills to the test. It’s time to learn to stalk a turkey, just as you would an elk.

You need tools to make sounds to entice a wild turkey into shooting range. There are a variety, and if you ask veteran turkey hunters, they’ll give you their opinion as to which is best. While insight from the experienced hunter is important, you’re going to need to demo, practice, and decide for yourself.

Pot calls, mouth reeds, box calls, and others need to be staples in your hunting vest. "What the heck are those," you ask? Allow me to explain a few of them.

How to Hunt Turkey Series

Part 1: Why You Need to Hunt Turkeys

Part 2: How to Locate Wild Turkeys

Part 3: The Gear You Need for Your Turkey Hunt

Part 4: Learn the Art of Talking Turkey

Part 5: Tools You Need to Call a Wild Turkey

Part 6: Hunting Turkey Like Elk: End of Season Tactics