By Jon Zinnel — Federal Ammunition
As tens of thousands of turkey hunting enthusiasts head afield this spring, the exalted tom turkey awaits. A seasoned turkey hunter, I look forward to taking my 6-year-old daughter on her first turkey hunt to observe the waking of the woods this spring. Her enthusiasm is a whole new level compared to the weathered old-timers I usually hunt with. She has frequently been to the range with me and is ready to go with a .410-bore Tri-Star Viper G2 loaded with Federal Premium Heavyweight TSS. But we'll get back to that.
The shooting sports industry is driven by innovation. You can see the evidence across all industry product lines: everything from ammunition, firearms, firearm accessories, optics, and cameras. This innovation can raise questions of what is too much compared to what is seen as "standard" when pursuing game. For this article, I plan to focus on turkey hunting and the technology advancements specific to ammunition. New technologies have increased the distance at which you can ethically harvest a turkey, but they have also reduced the number of birds lost to poor shots or performance.
I am fortunate enough to sit with a great group of professionals on the Wild Turkey Hunting Safety Task Force who look at current and future concerns regarding the safety of all turkey hunters. The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) has resurrected this group after its last meeting in the early 2000s. As you can imagine, many things have advanced since then and warranted many hours of discussion. Some specifically discussed topics were hyper-realistic decoys, reaping/fanning, shotshell, and firearm accessory advancements. Other things discussed were safety regulations, mentoring, and fair chase.
Unfortunately, some advancements can cause controversy, and that creates divisiveness. We, as hunters, have done a poor job of sticking together and educating ourselves about personal decisions we each get to make in how we want to pursue game. There are also challenges for state game agencies in setting regulations while monitoring population levels and harvest success projections to be sure we have abundant game for future generations. For some hunters, it is as simple as connecting to their 40 acres of pure timbered bliss, while others relish the pure enjoyment of chasing turkeys on public lands with less opportunity of successfully harvesting. To them, it might not be about the harvest but more about the experience. Each hunter has reasons for purchasing the tag and devoting time, effort, and finances to their experience.
Here are a few basics on the shot materials that are most common in turkey hunting ammunition. These details can also be referenced for upland and other species. My good friend, co-worker, and turkey hunting guru, J.J. Reich, Sr. Manager of Press Relations for Federal Ammunition, assisted me with breaking down the basics.
Tungsten Super Shot (TSS) is a very dense shot that is 56 percent denser than a standard lead shot, allowing you to use much smaller shot sizes (#9 or #10, for example), which increases your pellet count per round. Tungsten does come at a price, being the most expensive material loaded in a shotshell to date. The density equates to better patterning with more pellets on target and higher penetration for ethical harvests. Most straight tungsten loads are north of 18 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc) density, but some, such as HEVI-Shot tungsten blends, are around 12 g/cc, which still deliver great energy at a lower cost.
Bismuth is known to be brittle, but with a blend of tin and other metals, it becomes a much stronger alloy that makes for a great shot for turkey hunting. It allows the hunter to have a denser material than a standard steel shot but not yet get into the price point of the tungsten loads. Ultimately, it is an excellent option for turkey hunters seeking nontraditional, budget-friendly ammunition that packs the knockdown energy needed to kill turkeys. Bismuth can have different blended materials but most commonly comes in at 9-g/cc.
Lead or copper-plated lead is the standard for historical turkey hunting shot and is still as effective today as it was at inception. Most lead or copper-plated lead is loaded with a buffer to decrease pellet deformation and allow for a more consistent pattern downrange. Copper-plated lead shot further improves the shot's ability to resist deformation and helps the shot transfer higher energy to its target for a more ethical harvest. Lead shot also comes in various forms, which vary in density based on antimony content, but the industry standard is 11-g/cc. It is a very affordable and forgiving material, allowing it to dominate the market.
The innovation of more modern shot materials, coupled with the technology of today's wads, has allowed many hunters to shift to sub-gauge shotguns. This combination offers benefits such as decreased weight and less recoil while maintaining high performance downrange. Many immediately think of the shot material as the main innovation, but the wads, such as the Federal FLITECONTROL Flex wad, allow for a more controlled release of the pellets and a higher performance with your pattern downrange.
And that brings us back to my daughter and her ability to shoot well, the desire to "be with dad," and her interest in harvesting a turkey. With today's technology putting together so many options for her to be proficient, I have determined to wait one more year before she is behind the trigger. She will spend many days afield with me this spring and fall to better understand the harvest process. I bring this up because, with this forward-thinking innovation, we would have the options available today if she was ready behind the trigger. We as a community need to embrace innovation with an open mind and be sure we respect others in the field and respect those State Wildlife Agencies as they build their management plans to be sure all future generations have abundant resources to enjoy.
It comes down to personal preference and desires, as well as always considering your ethical compass when making decisions while hunting. For example, I might practice to a certain distance with my turkey shotgun to know the performance, but ethically, I will choose the distance for harvest to stay within my ethical desires as a hunter. I hope that we come together to support each other and celebrate ourselves as hunters and a true community of the most passionate outdoorsmen and women there are.
2023-2024 Voice of Leadership Panelists
Jon Zinnel, Federal Ammunition
Dan Forster, Archery Trade Association
Brent Miller, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation
Rick Brazell, First Hunt Foundation
Mark Peterson, Worldwide Trophy Adventure
Michelle Scheuermann, Bullet Proof Communications
Facilitators
The Voice of Leadership Panel is an appointed group of outdoor industry leaders who have volunteered to contribute their voices on crucial hunting and outdoor recreation issues to inform, inspire, and educate participants within our community.