Scopes on Turkey Guns: yes or no?

[Magnumdood]

I scope all my turkey guns.  With the ultra-tight chokes available and the new heavier-than-lead shot, which seems to hold a tighter pattern than lead, the shot column hasn't expanded appreciably at 10 or even 15 yards.  A small misalignment of the beads, or the front and rear iron sights, could lead to a miss.  A properly sighted-in scope helps keep the pattern on the birds head/neck at close or extended ranges.

[Turkeybuster]

HI DOOD
If it ain't broke don't fix it I have the same problem but don't like the bulkyness of the scope sounds like it is working for you.

[Fan Club]

No.
 
I've never seen the need for a scope for turkey hunting. I've heard of the occasional case of individual eyesight conditions not being able to focus with front and rear sights. Other than that there is just too much downside. Scope can fog up. Rain. Mud. Red Dot battery can go dead. Scope eye. Near field objects disappear in a scope....like branches or other turkeys.
 
The biggest problems with shooting at a turkey at only ten yards are that the pattern is still the size of a half dollar and the turkey is unlikely to hold his head still. A scope isn't going change or improve upon those conditions. In fact if a turkey takes a step at that range, he'll probably be out of the field of view of a scope altogether. Now you have to re acquire the target. I've heard a lot of reasons justifying the use of a scope, but avoiding extremely close range misses is a new one.

I want to see everything that is going on around me, including other turkeys and their body language and posturing. Not easy to do that when peering at a single bird's head through a tube. Give me some metal fiber optics sights and I'll be good 'til the end of my days.

For a variety of opinions, there was a previous extensive discussion in the "Rifle scopes for shotguns" thread farther down this page. As Buster noted, the bottom line is still- if it works for you don't change it.
 
 

[Magnumdood]

ORIGINAL: Fan Club

I've heard a lot of reasons justifying the use of a scope, but avoiding extremely close range misses is a new one.

I want to see everything that is going on around me, including other turkeys and their body language and posturing. Not easy to do that when peering at a single bird's head through a tube. Give me some metal fiber optics sights and I'll be good 'til the end of my days.

I shoot with both eyes open and keep my scope on 1.5X.  It has an illuminated reticle, but the reticle works fine w/out the illumination.  Keeping both eyes open allows me to see what is going on around me, and also allows me to see what the other turkeys are doing.  I can also follow the bird if he takes a step.  Using the scope with both eyes open give the visual impression of a turkey with reticle superimposed on his head.  I wish the low end was 1X...then it'd be perfect.

I haven't noticed the scope missing branches or other clutter in the way.  The scope picks it up, but the branches that are very close are blurry. All the other branches and obstructions are crystal clear.  In ten years of turkey hunting I've yet to hunt when it did NOT rain on me!  Yet, rain and mud have never been an issue.  Additionally, to answer the question before it's asked, I don't sit in a blind and hunt.  I'm out in the rain using my vest seat to set up against trees.  I move often, crawling over and under fallen trees, pushing through undergrowth and in general getting a good dose of the elements.  Again, rain and mud have never been a problem.

[trkyklr]

scopes go on rifles not shotguns

[grunt_doc]

I tried a red dot on mine for a year.  I took it off.  I just didn't care for it.  It worked fine when I had it on.  no magnification, adjustible recticle and brightness.  Having done both, a plain old bead seems to work best for me.  I found that I was always worried about bashing it on a tree or log.  Irrational to worry about it, but I still did it.  Besides, a NEF 10 ga is heavy enough to lug around without any extras. 

[Ozarks Hillbilly]

Speaking for myself I have no need for a scope on my turkey gun. I prefer twin beads on mine, I have a set of magnum gobble dot adjustable sites on my back up gun only because it was the cheapest way I found to correct the point of impact. Although the Burris fastfire's the EOTech's and Trijicon's are cool looking to me there just a distraction and just one more thing in a long list of things that can go wrong. Even have seen even simple fiber optic rifle type site's cause problems. I have a friend that removed his gun from its case at the truck got on a gobbling bird got to the place he wanted to set up and sat down just to discover somewhere along the way the fiber optic had fallen out of his front site. I like the simplicity of twin beads and they work fine for the distances that I shoot at 40 yards and less. I have friends that use scopes and red dots and halo's and thats great if that what they want. If it gives them confidence to make the shot when it counts all the better for the sport and for the turkey.

[shaman]

I have a scope on mine, a 1.5-4.5X and have had one since 1996.  I need something, because my eyes have gotten so bad, I have trouble seeing beads and irons and such. It's a 50-50 thing on scopes.

On the plus side, you have an easier time shooting in situations where the cheek weld is iffy.  Where the crosshairs are, that's where the shot is going.  On the minus side, I have had a hard time picking up the gobbler's head in the scope sometimes.  At the maximum magnification, it's hard to acquire. At minimum maginfication, it's hard to see.  You also have to worry about parallax at close range.

Some folks think a scope is an unfair advantage.  Honestly, it isn't.  I'd gladly trade back to my youthful eyes and beads any day.

[Cut N Run]

I'm with Grunt Doc, tried a red dot for a year and took it off.  I always carried a spare set of batteries, (thanks to a good idea I read here). The magnification was o.k., I just didn't like the bulk & way it threw the balance of my old gun off. It did kill both turkeys it was aimed at though.  I wanted to go with an add-on sight for my new gun, but after looking at a few I decided to just go with the beads this year.  I can see where it helps, but I can also see how it can hinder.

I still have the red dot and I would like to try add-on sights, but I don't want to make changes this close to the start of the season. I already know how the gun patterns with beads only.

Jim

 

[jbhodj]

I have contemplated getting a scope for my 835 and have read through the pro/cons of many discussions, and as of today, I still have not decided to or not to add my scope.

One thing I do find interesting in watching the pro's hunt and those with their own DVD's and programs, almost none of them use a scope. Some do, but most that I have seen dont have a scope, Primos, Drury, Ruiz, Pittman, Strickland and others to name a few dont use scopes. I have often asked myself why this is the case cause you know those guys can get all the fancy equipment they need, but Scopes? not so much.