By Glen Wunderlich

Charter Member Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA)

The turkeys are back!  In my neck of the woods turkeys are numerous – that is until late fall when they perform their disappearing act.  I don’t know why they leave (or, where they go for that matter), but leave they do.  In any event, the generous hunting seasons begin in three weeks.

For most hunters it means shotguns with tight chokes and heavy payloads.  Traditional ammo has been improved immensely over the years.  In the ‘70s copper-plated lead pellets were the go-to choice in shotshells and still work well today.  In fact, the 12-gauge Winchester Long Beard shells in No. 4 to No. 6 shot with its unique buffering was and has been my chosen loads for years never having let me down.  And, I’m talking legitimate 50-yard lethality and beyond.  What more could a hunter desire?

Ammunition manufacturers have stepped up their offerings to include tungsten alloy shot.  In so doing, they’ve also stepped up the cost of drumsticks to some $10 per shot!  That’s right.  One 5-round box of Federal Premium Heavyweight TSS turkey ammunition in 12-gauge, non-toxic tungsten is going for $47.23.  Good thing my friends at Midway USA have marked it down from a list price of a whopping $74.99.  Step right up!  And, no wonder it’s available, too.  I’m wondering if solid gold might be more affordable.

It’s hard to argue with results, however.  Per pellet size, tungsten is heavier than lead and does not deform like lead.  These factors allow manufacturers to fill the hulls with much smaller shot which translates into more shot on target.  The baseline for performance in TSS shot is that 50-percent of the shells’ payload is within a 10-inch circle at 40 yards.

To effectively take a gobbler at a given range, a good load of anything must deliver at least 7 pellets in the head and neck region of a turkey; tungsten can do this easily at 40 yards, but how much energy will the tiny pellets produce when they arrives?  That is the question.

On a recent crow hunt, I carried a 12-gauge shotgun afield stoked with traditional 1 1/8-ounce of lead shot in No.9 size.  At one point in the hunt I took 5 crows in 5 shots with the tiny pellets, but some birds needed follow-up shots beyond 40 yards.  The energy simply was not sufficient at moderately long range.

The small pellets will naturally shed velocity quicker than larger pellets; as with any ammunition, there are trade-offs for every variation.  Even though pattern density is impressive for the smaller TSS shot, energy is questionable and may not be sufficient to be ethical beyond 20 yards.

In fact, Bryce Towsley in writing for American Hunter magazine points out the conundrum of the lighter TSS shot relative to turkey hunting.  He states, “My limited experience supports this with the TSS, as turkeys shot at distances beyond 40 yards with No. 9 TSS were not 100 percent kill rate and had to be dispatched.”  In conclusion, he states No. 7 TSS loads would be a better choice, but the best bet is to get closer.

At $6 to $10 per shot, I find TSS ammo cost prohibitive, when less expensive ammo can get the job done in fine fashion.  Availability is still an issue, so make sure to check retailers before assuming they’ll have whatever your preference is.