Lastest generation of optics for your turkey gun

The gobbler was coming from my right to left. I had to make a quick turn to get into shooting position. It was 7 p.m. on a cloudy, windy spring day in Texas. I was hunting with Eddie Stevenson, who was calling, and we were set up in a pear/mesquite flat.

Trijicon

It was my first hunt using a Trijicon Reflex RX30 dot-aiming device. I had it mounted on my Remington 870, and I had just replaced the factory trigger with the new 870 Trigger FIX made by Timney Triggers. The result was a 3-pound, creep-free trigger on the Remington, and I wanted a battery-free, illuminated dot sight to test the gun, so I selected the RX30. The Trijicon didn't have an on-off button, and due to its design, allowed me to shoot easily with both eyes open in this brushy Texas landscape.

The gobbler worked his way in, first to a hen in front of me, but she ignored his advances. With some skillful calling from Stevenson, the gobbler turned and worked his way toward me. At 20 yards, he stepped from behind a mesquite tree, I put the amber dot on his head and squeezed the trigger. As quick as a flash, it was over.

The new, light Timney replacement trigger and the fast-acquiring dot on the Trijicon made an awesome team.
Another hunter had a Remington 870 topped with the much smaller Trijicon RMR red-dot sight. I was so impressed with the RMR's small size and function that I put an order in for one.

Trijicon optics are just some of the many excellent sighting options available to turkey hunters in 2010.

Nikon

Just a week prior to my Texas hunt, I took two Alabama gobblers using my 20-gauge T/C Encore shotgun equipped with the new Nikon TurkeyPro 1.65-5x36mm shotgun scope with Ballistic Turkey Reticle (BTR). The BTR works as a ranging tool as well as a shooting reticle. There are two circles in the scope that serve as 40-yard rangefinders. I can say first hand, they work. The fully camouflaged scope offers five inches of eye relief — plenty of distance to prevent scope bite while shooting heavy magnum loads — and the scope works great in low-light conditions.

Leupold

Leupold has been one of the pioneers in dot-sight technology and offers the Leupold Deltapoint Reflex Sight, which has a motion sensor that discerns any movement of the sight and automatically activates the illumination. The Auto-Brightness sensor samples the current lighting conditions to provide optimal reticle intensity, regardless of changing lighting conditions. All this comes in a compact package.

TRUGLO

TRUGLO's Gobbler-Stopper is another dot sight designed with the turkey hunter in mind. It features a 30mm tube with detachable sunshade, red or green reticle illumination, specifically designed reticle for turkey hunting, spare battery storage compartment and an illuminated ring that represents a 24-inch circle at 30 yards. It comes with a lifetime limited warranty.

EOTech

I have an EOTech 512 mounted on my Remington 11-87 turkey gun that has accounted for the demise of a half dozen gobblers, some under horrible lighting conditions. It is the latest in dot-sight technology with long battery life and easy-to-use sight-in adjustments, and it mounts quickly to a Weaver-style rail. It is available in Mossy Oak and Realtree patterns. The system has undergone extensive field-testing on military firearms in the Middle East in the most severe conditions.

Weaver

For those who like a red/green dot scope, Weaver announced their new Red-Green Dot Sight for 2010. It is ideal for quick and accurate target acquisition. The scope has five red and five green brightness settings to ensure accuracy in all light conditions. It withstands water, shock and fog, and comes with a spare battery compartment. It has a 30mm tube and is parallax adjusted for 50 yards, making it ideal for turkey hunting. It mounts easily to the Weaver-style base.

Alpen, Bushnell, Swarovski

If you prefer low-magnification scopes, consider these three new models. The Alpen Model 2035 comes in a 1.5–5x32 wide angle and has a generous 4-inch eye relief. Bushnell has the Trophy XLT in a 1.55–4x32, which has a circle-X reticle and comes in a Realtree AP camo. The new Swarovski 1-6x24EE has an eye relief of 4.72-inches and is available with or without an illuminated reticle.

So many choices

Not long ago, the turkey hunter had few choices in optics for his or her shotgun, and those were not designed specifically for gobbler hunters. Times have changed. Study the field carefully and select the features that best fit your turkey hunting conditions. — J. Wayne Fears

Trigger FIX
If you shoot a Remington Model 870, take a look at the new 870 Trigger FIX from Timney Triggers. The kit makes the 870 turkey gun shoot like a rifle, and it is quick and easy to install, basically a matter of changing the sear and sear spring. You have a choice of springs — two, three or four pounds of pull. It makes the 870 unbelievably fast and increases accuracy. $89.95 at www.timneytriggers.com