HUNTING
New Turkey Shotgun, Deer Rifles Introduced
Turkey season is dead ahead in California, with five-plus weeks of hunting opportunity. (GEORGE GENTRY/USFWS)
By Dave Workman
S
pring wild turkey hunting is just a few weeks away in California, with the general season running from March 28 through May 3. Since 1877, five subspecies have been released in the Golden State, and today Merriam’s and Rio Grandes are the most numerous. The thing about turkeys that drives me nuts is that I can drive just about anywhere, any other time of the year, and run into flocks of the buggers. But during the spring season, they can be as stubborn and elusive – or just plain hard to get – as any game I’ve ever hunted. You’ve still got plenty of time to hone your skills with various turkey calls, and get your camo clothing all set. I know people who hunt turkeys
the same as other folks wait all year long just to shoot prairie dogs; they hunt nothing else, and when the time comes, they go for broke.
ONE OUTFIT THAT is ahead of the game this year is Stoeger. At the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade, or SHOT, Show in January, Stoeger expanded its popular M3500 shotgun series with the introduction of the Predator/Turkey Special, a rocking semiauto chambered for the 3½-inch 12-gauge magnum. Featuring a “SteadyGrip” pistol grip buttstock for a rock-solid grip while the ported barrel reduces muzzle rise and recoil, allowing shooters to get back on target quicker. It will take shells from 2¾ inches up to the big magnum loads without
adjustment, thanks to the Intertia Driven action. The M3500 is drilled and tapped to mount the included Weaver 93 base. A fiber optic front sight sits atop the 24-inch barrel that is fitted with the Mojo extended predator and turkey choke. With fewer moving parts, the Inertia Driven system is the fastest, simplest, cleanest, strongest and most reliable operating system in the world. While this shotgun is capable of holding four rounds in the magazine, don’t load up with more than three for bird hunting. Stoeger finishes this scattergun with Mossy Oak Overwatch camo. It weighs 7.5 pounds and has an overall length of 46 inches. Load up with No. 4 or 6 shot – you shouldn’t need a 3½-incher; most of
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