The MeatEater Crew's Turkey Gun Setups

Steve, Clay, Cal, and Janis share how they setup their dedicated turkey guns.
#fueledbynature #meateater
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[@AkPattyMcFatty]

Y’all need to do this with every hunt

[@tonymau2925]

Yes!

[@chandlercampbell9146]

Agreed, cause I can't for the life of me figure out what Steve is shooting on his medium to big game hunts. Same gun, looks like a savage, but I want to know!

[@isaackelly1090]

Cal would pick the most obscure and interesting gun

[@Brycenwhorton]

@isaackelly1090. No kidding 😂

[@internetcatfish]

He might be the only person to ever set up a shotgun like its a precision rifle.

[@natet.5813]

His bipod costs more than his gun does 😂

[@amorton94]

Single-shots are very popular for turkey, hence the name of that shotgun being the Rossi Tuffy Turkey. That shotgun is actually out of stock everywhere currently. Also, nothing weird about it being in .410 either. .410 has exploded in popularity for turkey in the last few years thanks to TSS. The bipod is a setup different than most, but it makes sense.

[@GameWarden]

not exactly, rossi tuffy turkey and the stevens 301 have exploded in popularity for turkey hunting, due to how lightweight they are. There are facebook groups dedicated to using them for turkey hunting.

[@fireplusbirdfilms6517]

I'm an adult onset hunter. Called in a turkey last year for a friend and yesterday I bagged my first bird. The MeatEater crew has been a big part of my turkey journey. Can't thank ya'll enough for helping introduce me to this exciting and super fun pursuit. It's made spring something extra worth looking forward to. Love the different gun setups too.

[@outdoors-fun]

Cal gets it. That 410 is a beast of a turkey gun. I got one to take my son when he was old enough to hunt. He got his first turkey with a 7in beard at 41 yards shooting TSS with that little 410. It weighs 3lbs and the back section of the stock is removeable to shorten the stock for youths.

[@mirzaadil6955]

Clay's set up-- wetherby element is the best.

[@snapcaps12g57]

Awesome job folks!!!

[@Robert-Bobby-Rob]

We use 20 gauge Remington 870’s the Special Field model. They have fixed choke barrels 21” long. Straight English style stocks. Beautiful guns and easy to swing with the 21” vent ribbed barrels with two beads. They also make them in semi auto. I use .20 for all bird hunting from dove to geese and turkey. I do shoot trap with a 12 gauge Remington 870 Special Field. I have been told that some people don’t like shooting trap next to me because of the short barrel. And if you shoot trap at night it throws a flame. We did have a rifled barrel made by Hastings for 12 gauge Special Field but can’t get it to shoot right.

[@mathewtuttle8011]

Bought a weatherby element 20 gauge turkey edition last year. Put on a rail and Vortex red dot. Light and short for my mobile setup, and it will be perfect for my kids when they start hunting!

[@MeatPopcicle]

I like the bipod/jacket blind with Cal’s set up.

[@gunrock08]

Man, those are some sexy turkey guns. And man, shells, metals, and weapons in general have come such a long way. Love it. Good luck this season fellas!!!! Looking forward to the videos!!!!!!

[@briansteele1378]

More of this please, always interested in other people's setups.

[@tbconnor]

Cal the use of the leafy top on the bipod is a Pure Gold Hot Tip! I use a similar Swagger bipod on my gun AND I have an old Phantom Leafy Top to use! 💥💥💥

[@christianspain3015]

That is a nice Rossi setup

[@Bringyourquivertotheriver]

Steve’s high mount is straight up ridiculous

[@yeahbee8237]

It is straight out of the 70s

[@davidskinner570]

It looks atrocious but cant blame him. Can't beat having the back up sights.

[@Bringyourquivertotheriver]

@@davidskinner570 I personally think a reddot on a low pro pic rail is pretty damn reliable. Been on several cross country road trips with one on my 870 with no issues, i witness mark the pic screws and reddot mounting screw (crossfire). A reddot mounted that high seems to me like it is begging to get knocked, pryed , or levered off. Janis is more of the gun guy of the two and i am aligned with his rig.

[@yeahbee8237]

@@davidskinner570 He would still have backup sights with a qr mount...

[@davidskinner570]

​@@yeahbee8237 yeah, taking your scope off and carrying it around in a bag or your pocket for the rest of your hunt is ideal.

[@PepperGipper]

Cool tss commercial

[@esrahansenoutdoorsandselfr563]

Cals rossi is epic i love single shots and 410s!

[@josephwoods421]

Clay is the man. No red dot with the Weatherby.

[@michaelhammontree9389]

Yeah, I’m glad to see this finally! You guys do the gear you use but never the shotgun/rifle setup. Please do this as much as possible! I’m always wondering what rifle is Steve using lol

[@TuckerMcCannon]

Nice setups! Super good advice for chokes and loads! No pump actions though huh? My personal preference would be a pump 20 but no dots and no slings, slings just flop around and get in the way. Thanks for the info hope you all get to punch a few turkey tags this spring season!

[@2112CO]

Steve is the man!

[@2112CO]

I made this statement a minute into this video but all of yawl are the man.

[@boonecountyautomotive3986]

Clay saying 12s have more recoil my 2 20ga kick like mules compared to the 12s i got lol great video and loved seeing everyones setups

[@anactivemarketcrash742]

Clay is so cool

[@traviswilliamson8688]

TC Encore with a 20" Katahdin 12g barrel (carlson xtra full) with No 5 or 6 Winchester Longbeard XR. Topped with truglo gobblestopper.

[@darrellcrowson8588]

Hah. Go Cal! I have the exact same setup this season and now i feel vindicated😊

[@ernstcoetzer809]

Go Clay!!!

[@SirAlford]

My set up for turkey and waterfowl is a Weatherby 18i with a Black Mamba choke.

[@andrewboore3899]

Cool video Would love to see your guys small game rifles and your deer/ big game rifle setups.

[@LukeTunkel]

Awesome, that Rossi's what I'm probably going to be setting up for my daughter, for some reason I was under the impression they didn't have an interchangeable choke system so that's cool. She's tiny, so I plan on shortening the stock and just replacing it as she grows if she hasn't grown into a 20 by then

[@paulbernitt4280]

I would think that the height of that red dot would pull you up off of the but stock which could effect your normal shooting style. I love the fiber optic iron sight set up. I shoot a standard 3 inch #4 shot with a tight choke. My Benelli 12 guage is good out to 50 yards although my shots in my area are at about 30 yards max. Gobble, Gobble!!

[@willterry5839]

Got my first turkey this last weekend I’m now addicted.

[@stephenbarrosse831]

What a wild pick by Cal. I appreciate a single shot. But i have never seen one that looks like that.

[@jhilgartner17]

Surprised you don't run a GBRS Hydra😂. Love it brother

[@jordangryg5442]

hey steve , can you do more gun videos on your collection or just other guns you use ! find this very cool to see what a pro like yourself uses !

[@Itsnateagain817]

835 Ulti Mag. Geese, Gobblers, Cassowary, Peacock, whatever. Bang bang!

[@amorton94]

Cal having the exact gun I've been wanting for awhile now is cool. Unfortunately it is currently out of stock everywhere.

[@leskrug9266]

Let's see if I can make this quick. So I started out with the original Mossberg 835 ultimag shotgun 12 gauge turkey choke and then I upgraded to the altimag with the ported barrel, and then I put a aftermarket pistol grip and forend on it from spec ops, and then I upgraded to a red. Site which I didn't like anymore. So I just upgraded this year, to a Delta point pro with a Chevron triangle in it which I took that off of my 460 Smith& Wesson pistol, I still shoot the original Federal 3 and 1/2-in Magnum number fours and number fives cuz I bought 20 some boxes because they were on sale for $6 a box of 10 back in the '90s. I don't turkey hunt that much. So, I think I'm good yet!

[@MsRandomfunnystuff]

ive got some high end 3.5in 12ga in the safe but this year i used my pink camo youth 870 20ga and i tell you that turkey couldnt tell me a difference between a 12 and a 20. i used 3in remington turkey loads and got in to about 10 yards, it was lights out for that ol boy

[@blakedavis2447]

been using 20 ga forever. used a 12 ga in my last turkey hunt but ill switch back to 20 once i get another one

[@mattlaliberty2863R]

Have fun bro

[@timebert9467]

Janis is going to struggle in the rain with that sight. I've been there.

[@jonc4050]

1st day second season here i come

[@benwilkerson5762]

What’s the barrel length on Cal’s gun? Super cool gun!

[@uncertainzee]

Cal rocks!

[@matthewmurray4159]

I'm running the same mossberg 935 I've had since i was 15 but I'm looking to upgrade. I wanna feel confident at 50 yards if I need to. Considering going to a 20. Any advice would be great from you fellow bird chasers

[@igorchumakov7584]

The Beretta is always the best!

[@dangerousdylan6262]

Over priced especially for something like turkey hunting lol

[@kylekasper6342]

Cal the Hipster of turkey huntin

[@RenegadeBeef]

Mossberg 500 in the house!!

[@CrosbyXX]

Mossberg 835 …. Cheap/reliable/ deadly accurate. Before that it was a mossberg 500 for me as well with undertaker choke

[@spenbour16]

Sparc solar runs independent of the battery in the light and does not charge it, minor difference though

[@brandonpeters1618]

Interesting everyone’s going with smaller sized loads (.410, 20 gauge) Makes sense, I like it

[@DakotaBurgener]

What does Brent Reaves use when he goes turkey hunting?

[@NoPlanProjects]

Brent just gives the bird a good stare down and they keel over.

[@DakotaBurgener]

Lol epic!

[@jacobcampbell1548]

Clay is the best

[@ernstcoetzer809]

Would love to see Steve mount that gun to shoot the red dot… looks awfully high!!!

[@jamesely6740]

Hell of an elaborate ad. Lol...

[@GeardUpNorth]

Do you know of anywhere to buy a stock like the one Cal has on his gun?

[@driftlesshunter9200]

Simply add the same adjustable fiber optic sights and a good turkey choke to a $200 Mossberg Maverick 88, & it will do the same thing that a fancy custom shotgun will do. There are better TSS loads for less money than the over priced Federal loads.

[@BusterCheeks1776]

I know it varies gun to gun and barrel but what # size load would u prefer? Thick woods mostly

[@colekemp5922]

I use the exact same gun and choke as Clay. Haven’t gave any issues 14:10

[@westernsoutherner1]

Killed my first 2 on a Lefever Nitro Special side by side. Serial number said it was from 1915. Gave um the full choke barrel. Sold the gun and regret it.

[@AdventureOne]

The mount on Steve's gun is a bit ridiculous. Get that RDS lower and it is an awesome setup

[@user-jg1ze2ur6g]

Great video, however I am seeing a lot of criticism of Beretta QC and customer service. I have never owned a Beretta so this is unknown to me. I have several pumps but I’d like to get my first semi auto.

[@BrianTankersley-tx3js]

Good thing you got that red dot so you can shoot with one hand😂

[@timothynovitski9133]

does anyone shoot 20ga copper lead?

[@jdmredteg]

Cal coming in with the budget old school rig...yani got the girl rig (daughters so no judgment here)... and Steve has the gucci gun (id expect nothing less from the boss man). 👌

[@flibble89]

Tucker Carlson said on JRE he likes bird shooting and fly fishing. You should have him on as a guest.

[@travisbowers5143]

I'm curious why about 90% of 'dedicated' turkey shotguns are semi-auto. I should make a compilation of all the YT videos where the gun goes 'click' due to the action not being closed all the way(sometimes due to trying to close action quietly, or just dirty). I would wager to say about 90%(or more) shots at turks are singles, I get follow up happens or you get two shots but thats the exception. Single shot and pump guns are pretty much foolproof, cheaper and lighter then semi-auto. Just think its really weird the vast majority are semi auto when there are so many downsides for turkeys.

[@galinswigart]

I never understood it either. I'll take a pump or a break action 10/10 times over a semi. I don't want to have to snap that bolt forward in the woods, and doing it slowly and quietly is a recipe for misfires and jams.

[@D_Boone]

Love a double barrel. One barrel choked real tight for long shots, and one pretty open for close shots. No risk of being under or over choked.

[@chadf9030]

Maybe because of reduced felt recoil

[@galinswigart]

@@chadf9030 it’s negligible. There is a slight difference but not nearly as much as people make it out to be.

[@gierhedd75]

​@@chadf9030 I would think if recoil were an issue, maybe just a softer butt pad is in order. My old Steger actually had a counter weight in the stock which tamed the 3.5 inch magnums pretty good.

[@crossbowhunter9118]

Can you guys do a turkey calling video please

[@GoldCountryTrapping]

Hunting turkeys is the art of predicting what an animal will do next, when that same animal is so dumb it doesn't know what it will do next.

[@timthompsondp]

That TSS 9 shot is over $15 a round....

[@XP-pe6qm]

It only takes 1 shell to put a Tom on its back. 😂

[@JDubb284]

Don’t know what brand you’re buying. Mine was about 9$ a round. 2 shots, 2 dead birds for me.

[@frankiejerardenno2678]

❤great gunshot display gentleman, Callahan should go Kojac mode and shave that 70slook away , and if your days are cold,well that's what beanies are for! WeR your choosing or took or whatever you call them ! ,just a tip that will make you stand out from. The pack!AWESOME HUNTING GUYS❤🎉🤘🏽

[@taylorwaddell3546]

Note: Steve hits the turkey in front of him by putting the red dot where it was roosted the previous night

[@daeoutdoors4658]

I’m the Missouri boy that still shoots the 870

[@joshireland2257]

They saved the best for last. I'll take Clay's setup over any of them.

[@Reeteshxd]

hey, by any chance do you require a video editor ?

[@hondablood3]

20 gauge is the electric truck of shot gun shells

[@cr250racer09]

I wanna see turkey bow setups 😉

[@sherlockbonez]

Wouldnt think people still use a see through mount.

[@andrew348]

Thought wrong

[@jeremyacton254]

Dude, you’ve gone to the dark side! How in the world do you see through that optic you have to take your face completely off the comb of the stock to look through it. 😂

[@carmentascione4802]

I was thinking the same thing, but when you're sitting on the ground. Sometimes, getting that perfect cheek well is difficult. Having a dot to see can help on fast shots that you didn't expect to have. But this is just a guess.. so Don't know

[@tiputipu777]

Why dont you guys just run active ear pro.

[@paulopimentel2523]

🇧🇷👍

[@roberthyatt342]

that riser is so high up on Steve’s it’s wild, i get his point, but that’s ridiculous

[@girdlebugboys]

Step one, grab you Remington 870. No need for a step two. 😘

[@evanf7334]

Not the vortex spark😭😭 even a holosun would’ve been better lol

[@tehawennakediabo3313]

it's on a 20 gauge for his kids lol

[@4xhoser]

Is that a bad optic? I’m new to red dots

[@tehawennakediabo3313]

@@4xhoser if your new to red dots it's a good choice but everyone has their own opinions. Maby well ask @evanf7334 for his.

[@spencerwilliams1483]

@@4xhoser basically all vortex red dots are trash. A 20 gauge has minimal recoil but still, you want something that will hold zero.

[@evanf7334]

@@tehawennakediabo3313Wow thanks captain obvious. That’s not the point, vortex red dots are notoriously bad. If you’re gonna spend hard earned money on something get a red dot that won’t take a dump with a single fall and doesn’t have a gimmicky solar panel that does nothing

[@Limp_Bizkiteer]

Why don't you guys use solar powered red dots?

[@saltwateriv5735]

What in the SAM HELL?

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

#9 shot for turkey? Is that a commom thing now?

[@Chameleox]

With tungsten or bismuth shot, yes. But the cost per shell is nuts. You’re gonna feel it in your pocket more than your shoulder.

[@fattboi5256]

Hello

[@RainesReport]

no one up to the bow challenge?

[@michaelwinckler3211]

Vortex commercial lol

[@joneshat11]

Friends don't let Friends put red dots on their turkey guns!!

[@joneshat11]

@@eduffy4937 If you need a red dot then you’re probably the same guy that shoots 2 boxes of shells to get 3 ducks!

[@UandWMan]

red dot being that high up makes it useless imo just use the irons

[@dangerousdylan6262]

Spending $1000 plus on a turkey gun is absolutely ridiculous 😂😂😂😂

[@MrBanolicious]

Nothing ridiculous about spending your money how you want.

[@DEVILDOG1964]

THX FOR NOT TELLING US WHAT COINSTRICTION YOUR CHOKE ARE! CHOKES ARE THE BIGGEST VARIBLE YOU KNOW THAT!!

[@GrovewoodAdventures]

All the other setups are pretty lame/ ridiculous (steves), Cal is running something closer to what ive got which (20 guage version) is obviously the coolest set up of all of them

[@GrovewoodAdventures]

The tripod is a little over the top but whatever

[@GrovewoodAdventures]

Also, you're probably gonna triple the cost of the Rossi by giving them this promo 😢

[@GrovewoodAdventures]

One last thing, Clay is cooler than everyone else at MeatEater just throwing that out there 😂

[@joshuadouglasarchery]

I’m here to laugh at the guys who are triggered by Steve’s riser mount/solar optic.

[@calebproctor744]

I need my 10 gauge validation and this video did not help

[@paulhenry8586]

The 10 gauge was the original goto man. You don't need any reassurance of that. When I bought my first turkey specific gun it was the H and R single shot 10 gauge and from there I went to the Remington 1100 SP 10. As a matter of fact my brother in law has an old ithica turkey slayer in 10 gauge that I've been begging him to sell me

[@calebproctor744]

@paulhenry8586 I took a bird on opening weekend with my 10 gauge this year. An absolute cannon. The fact you can also buy TSS for it makes me thing I need a scope with the way they are hyping .410 TSS!

[@Intermtn9736]

Sounds like Beretta is/might be a new pay to play sponsor soon…

[@mattburke9308]

Today's video is brought to you by Federal ammunition and vortex optics.....

[@Randy_Savage_ohyeah]

Steve if u miss a turkey with that fancy @ss set up ya better not show it on tv/video….you’ll get roasted in the comments.

[@seanflorian4653]

Vortex red dots are pretty awful

[@spencerwilliams1483]

They must be sponsored or something.

[@djchaisson]

@@spencerwilliams1483definitely!

[@mphprecision6922]

Shooting a shot gun is like pointing your finger. They put a gold bead on the end of your barrel so you buy more ammo. Remove the gold bead. Also shooting a shot gun is a diminishing skill. The less you do it the worse you get.

[@BrianTankersley-tx3js]

Stop slamming those shotgun shells down on the counter 3:35 to 3:45!!! Making me nervous