Uragan .30 , Turkey at 72 yards

Hey Jim it's been a sloooow year. You are always invited to come out, my buddy and I have 4 birds between us in 7 days of hunting. We usually bat 80 or 90% but they are staying on other properties. We can see them, but that just makes it more frustrating. I think we are doing it right- here's a hen that is in our deeks, ended up talking to me 10 feet away. I don't think they are busting us.



@TTNT19, always glad when they go down hard. Hate to see them wounded. 

Wish I knew more about those birds, they make you elevate your game every season- and California has two per year. 

The spring season allows three males, one per day. There is a 5:00 pm cutoff to allow everyone to get to their roosts.

In the fall it's either sex, but only 2 birds. The smaller birds usually cook up better than the monsters you try to gather in the spring..

We started hunting on an unincorporporated property near a small town. The birds would haunt the owners property, covering everything he owned with layers of droppings, like bats in a cave. They destroyed his lawn, gardens, neighboring vineyards, etc...

We could almost walk up them, pretending to hide behind small trees or features within the 80 acres. The Airguns wouldn't disturb the rest of the birds. We wouldn't move after taking a feathered meal, allowing the rest to walk off undisturbed and unaware of what we were doing.

We would interdict their line of travel, laying flat on the ground and used v quiet air rifles and pistols. Taipans, Vulcans, air arm s510, FX ranchero.

Now three years in, we're ghillied up, using decoys and various calls. The week before the season opened, there were 20 + large males on the property. Opening day, my friend swacked a monster bird, 10.25" beard. 15 lbs, fully dressed & skinned .

There were other large birds with him, but we try to let them calm down and forgive us for our sin. We remain concealed and don't rush the animal. They waddle off, but usually return to look at the dead bird, and sometimes desecrate his body in a sexual fashion.

This time, opening day, they all left the AO and to wrap this up, haven't been seen on the property since. We've seen them, but on an adjacent property we call call the Bird Sanctuary. Saturday, there were 16 Tom's playing bumper car, in full display, a mere 300 yards away. 

On the flip side, a property 5 miles down the road, a place we've never seen a bird on before, has so far produced two males for us. They aren't the mighty birds that suburbia produces with the over abundance feed, but exciting to pursue nonetheless. 

Usually a ground squirrel and brush bunny hunting ground, the sudden appearance of these males have been a relief. We call them 'miracle birds'; it's a miracle to see these birds in a place hetherfore unknown to support them .

Here the first bird of the season from that property and the second one a few days later. 

Here is the other miracle- my friend nailed 6 squirrels and a bird to boot. S510 in .22 Cal.

This year, we usually leave empty handed and pass birds on the way out- typical farewell wave and a poke in the eye:



I guess thats hunting in a nutshell? 

Great shot!

Did you have to tune for these slugs?

The Urugan is bone stock, just Charlie Frear's basic new gun setup- I believe he bore pastes the barrel and checks the overall assembly for quality control. It shoots a little hotter than some, 940 fps with 44 grain pellets and 840 with 49 grain Neilsens.

I don't have the total shot count- I don't usually fill to 300 bar, but 25 plus 49 grain shots at squirrels is a full day shooting for us.

I like to hunt with friends- if I take 25 shots with a friend, and he takes at least 25, that's a lot of animals. 

That's with a 250 bar fill, and there is still air in the tank, we just run out of targets..

Good detective work, the two properties that we've been blessed to use are in the East Bay, Antioch and Pittsburg (no 'h' ) area.

I hesitate to share more- We try to bring as many people out as we can but don't want the property owners inudated with requests.

I do a lot of work in Napa and Sonoma county- if the state added turkey Zones, like deer zones, to allow more hunting in areas where it makes sense, it would be a good solution.

Opening up public lands, like Lake Berryessa to Airguns for ground squirrels and turkey, or areas around Livermore, could dampen the flood of birds.

Even the state parks would benefit from pressuring the birds, making them more wild. The birds are a menace on Bay area backroads- Norris Canyon, Pleasanton, Walnut Creek all have commute roads that sometimes choke from the turkeys passage blocking traffic. 

If they spot a shiny bumper, they dwell in front of the car or bike, unwilling to move from their reflection.

They could be wisened up with just a little bit of pressure- the property we're shooting at now is evidence of that