Been trying to fill my last tag with my Granddaddy's old Mossburg bolt action 410 shotgun and finally made it happen the last day. Couple of birds that my son and I have been playing will most of the season. Were pretty predictable as they roosted in one of two places every morning and ended up in a cutover strutting but refusing to totally commit. As per the norm the last week , no roost gobbling but would gobble a few times once they hit the ground. With no one else gobbling or making an appearance I eased down towards there domain around 8 figuring as it got warmer they would retreat back into the creek bottom to get some shade as they had done a couple Saturdays ago. Was easing in when I heard a hen close by and stopped and was followed a couple minutes later with a gobble at about 100 yards out in the edge of the cut-over . No place to really set up as it as was just small saplings so I stood my ground and waited . Caught site of one the gobblers step into the woods then spied the hen easing up the creek bottom. As she feed back into the cut-over I gave a soft yelp and just waited and watched . The gobbler surveyed the bottom for a good 5 to 8 minutes before finally deciding it was worth a look see and walked across the creek and started up to the saddle . Caught site of me and went alert , was farther than I really wanted but was a now or never deal . TSS is some wicked stuff , bird never flopped , just folded and rolled down the hill a bit . Ended a great season for me and my boys with a tear in my eye and an old cheap gun that means the world to me. My first bird with it but also the gun that I and both my boys killed our first deer with. Another memory made and chasing these birds never get old...

Very nice. Lot of family memories there in that picture and that hunt. Good for you for sticking with the program to get that bird

That is a cool story.. congrats man.. if I can ask .. how far was the shot? I'm thinking about using an old .410 I have access too.. I'm guessing that old gun has no threaded choke in it either??

Thanks

WV , Gun actually has threaded chokes but they screw on the outside of the barrel, it's a model 183. Best I can tell , the gun was made sometime in the mid 50's , grand daddy died in 1968. Was the gun I cut my teeth with and I will turn 59 in a month , have hunted everything from doves to deer and now a turkey. Patterned it at 30 yards before the season and it was acceptable , not really dense as it's not a lot of shot but enough to feel confident . Shot was down hill and thru some trees but I paced more than 30 by more than I am comfortable saying . Again, was a now or never situation and in hind sight I wouldn't have shot knowing the distance but that's the deal with TSS , you run out of pattern before you run out of energy. He folded with out a flop.

Great story, and memories. Congrats!
That TSS must be some wicked stuff.

Congrats. Another good chapter in the story.

Awesome hunt with a very special gun. Congratulations on staying with the plan and making a special memory.


Earl

Very nice. I'm sure it made a warm spot in your life. I think a .410 with TSS 9s has as much shot as a 3 inch 12 gauge with 5s. It's amazing. A word of note, I had to get a root canal because I bit into a piece of TSS. Make sure you check the meat. I messed up and it cost me.
Great bird!
V

Great last day hunt! I killed my first couple of turkeys with the side by side my grandfather left me and it sure is satisfying to get some use out of such a special gun.

I have my grandfather's LC Smith double barrel that l want to take a bird next year

Barry mine is an LC Smith too. I grew up shooting standard high brass loads through it and have shot the 1 5/8 oz magnums but having read some scary stories about ruptured barrels I have gotten a little chicken. I think most of the ruptures are Damascus barrels though and mine is solid steel.