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As turkey season is quickly approaching, I highly recommend that all turkey hunters hit the range before heading out to the field. As far as ammunition goes, I’ll be shooting the Winchester LongBeard XR 3 1/2” in 5-shot. One of the reasons the LongBeard XR is so effective has to do with the ShotLok technology that helps hold shot together for much longer distances protecting the shot during in-bore acceleration. One easy tip I always recommend is if you’re debating between various loads and chokes be certain to check out the Winchester Pattern Board App where you can compare turkey loads right on your phone or tablet and determine which would be best for your setup.

Take the time to hit the range with your turkey gun to ensure everything is ready and in tip top condition for the upcoming season. I like to shoot my turkey gun off a lead sled, that way I significantly reduce the recoil and can truly see how the gun is shooting without much human error. A big decision most turkey hunters need to make is if they’d be better suited for a run & gun hunt or a blind hunt. I also like this if I’m bringing kids or new hunters into the field with you as it allows for a little more movement on those wary gobblers.

The best thing we hunters can do is to understand how big the vitals are of the animal we’re chasing and at what distance we can consistently hit that mark both in a practice situation and in the field. We all understand the importance of ensuring we have great optics, gun, ammo, etc., but items as elementary as quality rings and bases often get overlooked. You spend a ton on your gun and your scope – you need to invest in high-quality rings and bases. Winchester ammunition has come out with such a huge variety of ammunition built specifically for the animal you’re chasing that this may be a great time to hit the range and put some Varmint X or Deer Season XP to the test.

I often have a hard time deciding which way to pose a mount, but luckily with this system you can adjust each mount however you need and switch them back and forth. As if these Full Range Hanging System mounts weren’t nice enough, they announced this year at ATA a way to utilize home corner spaces. Another great option if you’re running out of room for shoulder mounts would be to switch over to European skull mounts. Skull Hooker makes a wall mount and also a table mount in case you have other options like a desk or counter to set your European mount on and save a little wall space.