sdkidaho

Whoa, easy there turbo, I haven't bashed you that I'm aware of, nor do I have a desire to do so. My comment was to point out that long distance shots are for "rifles", not shotguns. Effective range for a shotgun, in my opinion, would be not much past 40 yards. Granted you can shoot some larger size shot and easily reach out and touch someone, but generally speaking, that isn't what turkey hunters are doing. Generally speaking they are calling the birds in closer, 40 yards and under, to take their shots. I am certainly not opposed to anyone killing a turkey with a rifle. If that's what you want to do, fine, go right ahead. I personally don't want to. For me it hasn't just been about killing one, it's been about hunting them with a shotgun and calling them in to make the kill. After that I might try one with a bow, just to see if I can, but as far as the rifle and longer shots go? Yeah, I could have killed one long ago if that was how I wanted to hunt one. To each their own. As long as the method you are using is legal and ethical, then I don't care. I haven't seen the bashing you said that took place, so maybe I'll go try to find that, but I'm guessing that maybe they were more trying to explain that an 80 yard shot with a shotgun could lead to a wounded bird, rather than a dead bird. Wounding an animal and loosing it in the woods gives a guy a really sick feeling, at least it does me, and so I work to avoid that at all costs. Giving someone else advice that might be helpful shouldn't be viewed as bashing. Granted, some of these guys have a tendancy to put their point across rudely at times, rather than giving advice, but over-all I think they mean well.

Nope. .......

Some states do allow rifle hunting for turkeys. Most turkey hunters don't enjoy that, as calling them in close is what makes turkey hunting so fun. Or so I hear, damned if I can get one close enough to shoot at.

Dang gang-bangers!!

+2 on that vote. Kids gotta learn to walk before he can run.

The Nova Short stock he is talking about is at the bottom of the page. Can't go wrong with the Nova Pump - great gun. That with maybe a better pad on it and a shoulder pad might help the kid out. Of course those things potentially change the length of pull as well, just so you are aware.

Jan, maybe answer a few more questions for us so we know a little more about you to be able to help you better. Answer these "Tucker" questions for us if you will: What gun have been shooting? What do like about it? What do you dislike about it? Have you disassembled and cleaned any shotguns? How tall are you? How big are you? How strong are you? Are you bothered by recoil? Are you right-handed or left-handed? You like the way the Benelli feels. Please elaborate. Is it the weight, the fit, pointability or all? Do you understand the essential differences between gas-operated guns and inertia-operated guns?

Har, har, har.

Oh, and btw, recoil is not your friend - it never has been. Recoil pulls you off target for quick follow-up shots, and not to mention it can hurt like ****. M1014 - My first shotgun was a 20 gauge. I bought it because I hate recoil. I'm far from being a girl, and will be one to buy shotguns that have less recoil because I love to shoot, and I love to hunt, and I'm able to do both without trying to sound like some macho Which is it, dude? Embraced and tamed, or only girls shoot 20 gauges? My first shotgun was a 20 gauge. I bought it because I hate recoil. I'm far from being a girl, and will be one to buy shotguns that have less recoil because I love to shoot, and I love to hunt. I've seen plenty of guys kill whatever they want with a 20 gauge, even up to geese - they just don't get to shoot them at 50 yards out. So is it that real men only shoot 12 gauges, or is the 12 gauge a pen!s extention for some guys? I dunno... just sayin...

I own the Beretta Xtrema II - love the gun. The recoil on that when shooting a 2-3/4" shell is less than the felt recoil of my 20 gauge Benelli Nova. As for the heavier loads, well, of course they kick more, just not as much as they might in another gun. The 3-1/2" loads still leave a mark on my shoulder and are not loads I'd want to shoot all day long. I also own the Browning Cynergy, and love that gun as well. The recoil on it isn't as good as the Xtrema, but pretty close, enough so that I don't mind shooting it anyway. I'm definitely recoil sensitive and the main reason I purchased those two shotguns was due to their recoil control. I've not regretted either purchase. I couldn't say how they compare to something like the SBE II, though. I haven't shot one of those, but some day I'll shoot one so I can have a better idea and comparisson.

Dude! Why didn't you ask ME all those questions! Gah! Answer all of those, Robert, and Tucker will have some good advice for you.

Do you by chance have a dealer in your area that will let you fire the gun before purchasing it? I know we've got a couple in our area so that might be an option for you as well so that you could actually see what the recoil is like on a gun you are going to purchase. I hate recoil, with a passion and so I know how your little guy feels. My first shotgun was a 20 gauge Nova and that wasn't bad at all, though I'm guessing this might be somewhat limited by price - maybe if you can give a price range of where you'd like to be at it might help give a better answer. There are definitely guns with less recoil, but I can't see an 8 year old holding up something like a Beretta Xtrema 2 due to the weight of the gun, that and it's $1500 or there about. There are going to be guns with less recoil, but they are potentially going to cost more, but then again some of the guys on here might have some great suggestions as far as some nice recoil pads go or reducers for your existing gun. You might check out some of the LimbSaver products, and you might also consider a pad for his shoulder as well. Here is a whole list of manufacturers that make some type of recoil reducer. As for the gun, it might be ok with one of the above added in, but I'll leave that to some of the other guys that know more to coach you on that. Hope that helps a little and I'm sure some other guys will be along shortly with some better answers. Keep checking back with us and let us know how your hunts go!

Toucan? Sam would be furious! That's a Puffin if I ever saw one.

Dude, why are you measuring his dohickey?

Any time, my little brutha from a different mutha.

Here is a fairly good description I found once upon a time. And I quote: How to Make a Turkey Fan Mount -- by Rob Ramsdale -- If you want to save a fan mount like the one shown, here are the basic steps to follow. As with any taxidermy mount, the quality you end up with depends on how well you take care of the fan feathers. Take extra care in the field and transporting the fan and your finished mount will be that much better. 1. Lay the turkey down on a bench or table and starting about 6" or more from the base of the tail, make a cut through the skin on the back and begin skinning down to the base of the tail. The reason I start about midway up the back is you never know how many feathers you're going to want for your eventual mount of the tail. It is much better to start off with too much back skin and remove them later than to find out you wish you had more of the back feathers. Error on the safe side and take a lot of back feathers to start. 2. Carefully skin the bird's back all of the way down to the tail and then cut down through the base of the tail to remove the tail with some of the back skin still attached. 3. Lay the tail fan off to the side and finish dressing the bird. 4. Once you have the bird cleaned, go back to the fan and start by scraping all of the flesh off the skin and then proceed to the tail. 5. The tail fan takes some time to get clean. You want to remove all of the flesh and fat possible by cutting or scraping with a knife and even using a wire brush to get down between the feather quills. You also need to remove the piece of the backbone that is still attached to the tail. A pair of pliers will help you twist the tailbone out which will allow the tail fan to lie flat when you mount it. 6. After the cleaning is complete, you have the option of washing the fan if the feathers got dirty or were messed up on the tips. If you've ever shot a bird that rolled down a mountain or shot one in the rain you know that often the tail feathers are a ragged mess when you get to the bird. They can be fixed, as long as they aren't broken, by simply washing them. Start by dunking the cape, tail feathers and all, into a tub or sink of warm water that has Dawn or some other mild grease-cutter/cleanser mixed in with it. Swish the feathers around really well and work any noticeable dirty or greasy spots on the feathers between your fingers. It's amazing how much dirt the turkey feathers can be carrying and a good wash and clean water rinse will really make your feathers shine. After the fan is rinsed, you can use a hair dryer set on low to gradually dry and fluff the feathers. I don't own a hair dryer so I generally pin the tail up in front of a fan and just let it dry that way. It doesn't take long and I check it once in awhile and help get the feathers "combed" back neatly by running the feathers through my finger tips. If you kept really good care of the feathers on your way in from the field, you can often skip this step. 7. After the feathers are dry, rub the bare skin and tail section with borax (You can use 20 Mule Team Borax which is a laundry additive you can find at WalMart.) Don't skimp on the borax since it will help dry the skin and preserve it so the bugs won't attack it. 8. Take the treated skin and lay it skin-side down on a board or stiff piece of corrugated cardboard. Work your way around the fan pinning the feathers into the position you want them to dry in. This is one place you can actually cover up a broken or missing tail feather by spacing the rest of the feathers out enough to cover the extra space. 9. The fan should be check periodically during its drying period of around 3 - 5 weeks. You may need to add more borax during this time. 10. Once it's dry, remove the pins and shake off any excess borax. There are many commercial kits out there with nice wood panels to mount your turkey fan on. I prefer to mount my own using a simple wood stand which I then cover in leather. Good luck with this project. I hope this will help you create a lasting memory of your favorite turkey hunting adventure. /end quote Article found here: http://www.wildturkeyzone.com/articles/fan.htm

74 yards, or 74 feet? Hmm. While that is technically an impressive shot at 74 yards, most (if not all) turkey hunters would tell you that that isn't an ethical shot as there is a good chance at wounding the bird rather than killing it cleanly.

Great idea.

Yes, you just inject it with a needle. As for his regression - he's a baby, dude. He wants to play and have fun, not go to school. Were it me, I wouldn't expect a whole lot out of him, but the time you do spend with him I would try to ensure that you are having fun with him and that it's a positive experience for him or you could instill some fears into him. I am "no" sort of expert though, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Congrats! ...........

Here is one designed for puppies. Here is an article on how to train your dog to retrieve wounded waterfowl. Something you might try once Tank gets older.

Very cool. They do make some smaller ones, just so you know, for puppies.

Cool! .....

Jump time.

Site that I found them on. The plans.