I've looked for turkeys this entire season. Haven't seen any. Thought I was going to get skunked for the 3rd time in 42 years (not a bad record).
It was 3 days left of season and the weather was miserable. High 30s with 15 mph sustained winds and gusts to 27mph (per Caldwell wind meter). I had two choices. Stay at home and watch TV or go sit in the crappy weather. Seeing that I'm now retire (ed) I have lots of time on my hands. Chances of killing anything in front of the TV were slim. Soooo, I dress like I'm going to the North Pole and head to my friends farm (300 acres completely surrounded by National Forest). I'd been here one day in warm, sunny weather and saw nothing.
I figured the best place to sit ( for me, especially, and maybe the game) was in deep hollows on the farm. I knew one that was deep in the woods. There was a 40 yd. X 175yd. strip of green grass in the middle of no man's land. It was cold. I was cold. I sat about 2 hours wondering about by sanity.
Suddenly, I see a single turkey coming out of the woods to the grass. I look at him with my Leica Geovids, see it's a hen, and range it (the one smart thing I've done so far). After all this the turkey enters the woods on the other side of the grass in the woods. I'm bummed.
Thirty seconds later a string of turkeys come out of the same place. I already had my 2-6X Bushnell Elite turned up to 6X and on my Bog Pod PSR. I take another quick look to see if there are beards. Ah!! The third turkey had a nice long one. I quickly drop the Leicas and get on the gobbler. My brain is racing, processing what I must do and where to aim. I put the crosshair about 2" above his back (you'll see why), and fire. Turkeys spread everywhere. One flies straight at me over my head by 30 feet. I thought I had missed, so I swiveled to look for that bird in the woods. It was brushy and I couldn't see it.
I instinctively looked back where they were. I saw a black dot. The Leicas showed it was the one I shot. Yahoo!!
I positioned him for a photo that turned out pretty good. At home he weighed 19 1/2# with a 8" beard. I had used my turkey gun, FA .454 Casull with 260 gr. Speer Mag. HP. This continues my string of NO lost birds with this gun and load in 35 shots.
About all my kills in the past with the .454 have been from 35 yds. (last year) to 55 yards. This shot?? 140 YARDS!!!!!!!!!!

WTG, Doc!

You are the leading expert on handgunning turkeys. I don't know of any others doing it as often and as well as you do. I have done a couple with revolvers, and the results always leave me wanting more. They are hard to kill with conventional handgun rounds. Body shots are not effective. 140 yards is a heck of a shot on a turkey. Great shooting as always!

Outstanding, Doc! Congrats!

WoW,great shooting !

For the way you wrote that I may as well have been sitting next to you...Wish I was....

YOU EARNED THAT TURKEY, CONGTATS, AND GREAT SHOOTING TOO.

That is an AWESOME story and a HECKUVA shot.

Congrats

CONGRATULATIONS!🍾🎊🎈🎉

Your hunting and shooting put most of to shame.

Way to go! That's a long poke at thunder chickens.

Congrats Doc. I bet the cold disappeared rapidly after that shot.

Heck yes! Congrats.

Outstanding Doc!

Congrats nice shooting!

Helluva shot!!

But not surprised with you on the trigger.

Grats

Happy for you

Outstanding as always,CONGRATS!!!!

Awesome Doc!!!!

Wow, congrats.

Nice going Doc!

Nice work Doc!

That's some good shootin!

Great shot!