Tombo Martin is one of the stars of Buck Commander on Outdoor Channel, a former major league baseball pitcher, graduate of Bay High and resident of our area. If you have a question for Tombo send it to AskTombo@gmail.com
Q: This will be my first season turkey hunting. The rules where I hunt allow shotgun only, no rifles. I have a Remington 12 gauge with several different chokes but my friends are telling me I need a special turkey choke. They cost more than $30. Is it really necessary? What difference does it make exactly?
Clay
Tombo: In my mind this is how I got started learning about chokes because when I started turkey hunting, I didn’t know a lot about it and I still don’t know a whole lot about it. But I learned the first time I tried to get a pattern without a turkey choke it was disastrous.
Especially on anything past 30 yards, if you don’t have a turkey choke you’re really just giving the gobbler that much more of an advantage of getting away.
A turkey choke is designed to concentrate the shot over a longer distance, giving you a better chance of hitting the gobbler in the head and neck area. Other chokes have different names, but a turkey choke is exactly what it says it is, there’s no guessing involved, it’s for a turkey load and you need it to hunt turkey.
The best one I’ve heard or seen is Kick’s Gobblin’ Turkey Choke (by Remington). I’ve only shot one gobbler in my life, two years ago, at my place and that was at 50 yards, which really is a stretch. I didn’t think he was going to come any closer and I had three shells — I was ready to use them all — and the first one hit him in the head.
That was a long shot and I can see why people get addicted to it. When you call them in yourself and they come running in from the woods and bob and strut right in your face and gobble, that’s a special feeling that runs through you.
