personally, I use a shotgun for turkey and rabbits.
Often wanted to try the .22 for turkey. never tried the .22 with rabbits (got an old bolt action savage with peep sights, that makes it real hard to pick up fast movers)
If you've never hunted Turkey before definitely start with a 12ga., full choke ,3-31/2in. loads. I reccomend Federal's "Heavy Shot" turkey loads very highly also.
Try the .22 after you have taken a few birds. As for the rabbits, use whatever you want to and just have fun!
In my opinion, there is nothing better for rabbits than a .410 with #6 shot. Quite a few years ago I had a steady diet or fried rabbit with onion gravy:smile:...all shot with a single shot break over .410 that I inherited from my grandfather. Even though .410 is a bit pricey to shoot today, it's still among the very best for jumping rabbits. (And I do have a few other shotguns to choose from)
Being that a shotgun is legal and a .22 is not legal for turkey here, gotta go with shotgun for turkey and .22 for rabbit.
That being said, if it were legal, I would consider using a .22 for turkey like with squirrel and rabbit shooting the head. With a good rifle/scope if you need it, should be just as lethal and swift as a shotgun without the extra pellets to pick out.
I was never allowed to carry a shotgun squirrel hunting growing up, it was a .22 or you didn't go. You learn to make the shots count when you only have a little piece of lead to start with.
In Tennessee, we can't lawfully hunt turkey with other than a shotgun or bow.
I won't eat squirrel or rabbit, but when I go hunt them with someone that will, I'll carry a .22 if no one is opposed. I do find some to be uncomfortable.
Shotgun for turkey. You'd have to be an incredible shot to nail that bobbing little head with a .22 and turkeys have keen eyesight and are very wary. You'd have to be very still while waiting for your perfect shot. That's hard enough to do with a tightly choked shotgun and a good heavy turkey load shotshell.
Rabbits I think would also be easier with a shotgun.
Hadn't hunted either for a long, long time.
My next door neighbor though when I was in Mississippi took the turkey limit each year with his bow & arrow.
I cant hit a moving rabbit well enough to kill it quickly. I hate watching an animal die a slow death. If I know I cant kill it quickly, I use something bigger.
.22 is fun though. My grandparents have a chipmunk problem. One ran into it's hole about 15 or so yards away. I put the cross hairs just above the hole. When he peeked I shot. The shot plucked him from the hole and threw him a few feet behind it.
I've never shot a turkey. If I were to go hunting, I'd use a 3.5 inch turkey shell. If I went for rabbit, I'd use a 2.75 inch field shot. (both 12ga.)
I always use a 12 gauge, 3 1/2" magnum 4's for turkey. A .22 would be WAY too difficult in my opinion. I do it to harvest the food and conserve the land not for accuracy practice. As far as bunnies, I would think a .22 would be ok but I have only used the 20 gauge with 6's. Been a while since I have been because we no longer have a beagle but hunting rabbits without a dog would be another practice in futility.
Ya, my uncle has not owned a beagle in years. All this though about what firearm to use and I forgot that important point. I'm not sure how others hunt rabbit.
I usually hunt turkey with a shotgun or bow but the first turkey I shot was with a Contender pistol and .22 Magnum. It was a head shot at 125 yards with a 4X Burris Scope on it. Now where I hunt there are so many turkey that I've almost given up on hunting them. It's like shooting a farmers chicken. There are about 300 turkey in 2 flocks of 150 each in the section of land that I hunt on.
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