I may never hunt another wild turkey as long as I live. There's just no way that another hunt could come close to the adventure of my first--and the "Benelli On Assignment" cameras caught it all on tape (see sidebar).

When I arrived in South Texas in mid-April to test a switch-barrel 12-gauge Benelli Super Black Eagle II on wild hogs and turkeys, I fully expected that hunting a four-legged beast would be a "gimme" and that the Rio Grande turkey tag would be the true test to fill. My initial assumption couldn't have been more wrong.

Simply shutting down the Kawasaki Mule ignited a burst of pre-dawn gobbling from a roost in an old oak tree about a quarter-mile away. It was quite an exciting sign that punctuated the first few minutes of the hunt.

We made our way down the trail to a clearing beside the tree and found a large, hollow bush that we could get into without being seen. Still under the cover of semidarkness, Benelli's Joe Coogan managed to post a Jake decoy with just enough time to join the cameraman and me in the bush as eight birds took flight. They landed about 125 yards away and immediately began strutting and courting a single hen. Sporting a veritable horse's tail for a beard, the largest Tom stepped up and took control.

SPECIFICATIONS
Model:	Benelli Super Black Eagle II
Purpose:	Turkey (slug barrel optional)*
Manufacturer:	Benelli
Action Type:	Semiautomatic
Operation:	Inertia Driven recoil
Magazine capacity:	Three rounds
Receiver Material:	Aluminum lower, steel upper
Gague, Chamber:	12 gauge, 3 1/2 inches (12 gauge, 3 inches*)
Barrel Length:	24 inches
Barrel Features:	(1:28 twist)*
Sights:	Ventilated rib with front and mid bead, receiver drilled and tapped to accept Weaver base; (adjustable rear and fixed-blade front sights)*
Barrel Finish:	Advantage timber; (matte blued steel)*
Safeties:	Mechanical
Trigger Type:	Single
Stock:	Synthetic
Stock finish:	Advantage Timber
Drop at heel:	2.25 inches; (2.50 inches)*
Drop at comb:	1.38 inches; (1.63 inches)*
Length of pull:	14.38 inches
Checkering:	Airtouch molded into foreend
Pistol Grip:	Rubber-coated SteadyGrip
Recoil pad:	Black ComforTech Gel
Sling studs/swivels:	Sling loops in stock, swivels: swivel on cap
Weight, empty	7.3 pounds; (7.4 pounds)*
Overall Length:	45.6 inches
Accessories:	Owner's manual, five Crio Chokes, choke-tupe wrench, stock-shim kit, case; (optional slug barrel/receiver MSRP: $535)
Price:	$1,650
*All parenthetical information above refers to optional rifled slug barrel/receiver

A smaller bird strutted our way to investigate the decoy after a bit of encouragement from Coogan's call. A quick slap of the decoy with his wing was just enough to put off the gobbler, and he turned to walk back to the pack. An easy opportunity through a clear field of fire notwithstanding, Coogan and I exchanged a knowing look that granted him safe passage.

As if the smaller Tom reported his findings to the rest of the flock, one by one, they disappeared into the far tree line almost as quickly as they showed up. We were busted. But I had no idea the show was far from over, and in 10 minutes, I was to receive the surprise of a lifetime.

"GOBBOLOBBOLOBBOLA!" ripped off the big Tom that had somehow silently circled around behind us. Let's just say that hearing that thunderous disruption of silence about 7 or 8 feet over my left shoulder caused me to nearly jump out of my skin, and I'll leave it at that. Amazingly, not one of us moved a muscle. Still unaware of our presence, the big Tom led two companions straight along the edge of our bush on our left. My shotgun was pointing 120 degrees away, and the hole in the bush would prevent any kind of shot from my left shoulder, where the gun rested.

Enter the SteadyGrip (April 2006, p.66). Slow as molasses on a winter day, I brought my right hand back to my left hand, replacing it on the Super Black Eagle II's vertical SteadyGrip. Just as slowly, I moved my left hand out to the forend as I transferred the butt to my right shoulder. The leader, then about 30 yards away, soon had a 3 MOA red dot resting on his neck, courtesy of a Burris SpeedDot.

A mere 45 minutes into the hunt, my first turkey, a Rio with a beard just shy of a foot long, was on the ground being trounced and kicked by a pair of vindictive would-be heirs to the throne.

The hard part out of the way and after much celebration, we headed back to the 100-yard range at camp. I swapped out the original shotgun barrel for a blued-steel rifled slug barrel in a matter of minutes. It was a simple process of disassembly and reassembly with the slug-barrel/receiver unit, which was topped by a Burris scope. I decided that was as good a time as any to get my accuracy testing done.