More and more turkey hunters are taking advantage of scopes on their shotguns. If you’re looking for a scope for your next hunting trip, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve tested and reviewed all of the most popular shotgun scopes around to find the best of the best.
Best Shotgun Red Dot Sight for Turkey Hunting
Here are the 5 best shotgun red dots for turkey hunting:
- Vortex Optics Strikefire II RedDot - Best Turkey Shotgun Scope
- TruGlo Gobble Stopper - Shotgun Scope For Turkey Hunting
- Sig Sauer Romeo 5
- Athlon Optics Midas TSR3 RedDot
- Bushnell Trophy TRS-25
BEST SHOTGUN RED DOT FOR TURKEY HUNTING - Comparison Table
Name | Dimensions | Magnification | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
Vortex Optics Strikefire II Red Dot | 13 x 6 x 3 inches | 1 x | |
TruGlo Gobble Stopper | 9.3 x 7.2 x 1.7 inches | 1 x | |
Sig Sauer Romeo 5 | 4.72 x 3.03 x 0.76 inches | 1 x | |
Athlon Optics Midas TSR3 Red Dot | 3.7 x 2.3 x 3 inches | 1x | |
| 5.4 x 3.4 x 2.2 inches | 1x |
Let’s take a look at some general info about this type of scope to give you an idea what to look for, and then we’ll dive right into some recommendations.
Why a Scope on a Turkey Hunting Shotgun?
The scoped shotgun is used mostly in the Midwest and back East for states that require deer be taken with shotguns rather than rifles.
The requirement is because of the short range of the shotguns keeping close populations of people safe—most deer hunting with a shotgun using slugs, sabot, or otherwise. The laws, (this is a general statement and not legal advice) allow 00 buckshot along with slugs.
For the article, we are going to look at shotguns dedicated to turkey hunting equipped with scopes, not holographic optics. We will look into red dot sight as this particular choice and what makes them an excellent alternative or not.
The shotguns we will look at are 12 gauge options that shoot three-inch magnum turkey loads. This is the most common option for turkey hunters. The ten gauges are fantastic, but that is not the most common so that we will narrow a focus to the 12 gauge.
Shotgun scopes must have high mountings, so they have fast target acquisition, (unlike reflex sights that are more suited to handguns and mount low), the shooter may not have time or opportunity for a solid cheek-weld (or anchor point) that is needed with low mounted optics. If the mounts are not high enough for a quick shot, then the bird is missed.
The scope will allow for more accurate shot placement on the turkey. This allows the shooter to take advantage of new ammo manufacturers and the super-tight turkey chokes for all dedicated bores or interchangeable choked shotguns.
The range and pattern have improved dramatically, so a magnified optic will genuinely shine for wary tom turkeys. The days are numbered for some of these gobblers in the turkey woods.
The best red dot sights are also great for fast target which helps with shooting moving targets.
Some General Things to Keep In Mind About Turkey Gun Scopes
Movement of any kind will startle the turkey and end that opportunity to take the tom. A turkey has color vision 3x the power of a human and covers 270 degrees, but poor night vision, so bagging one in the early morning twilight or at dusk may give you an advantage, but the scope has to do its part in gathering light even in low light situations.
Turning turrets and eyepieces, working with adjustable parallax, all that super scope stuff will give your position away, and ruin your chances. Most red dots, while not parallax free really, have so little issues at normal ranges that this isn’t a problem.
Scopes mounted on a Mossberg with the safety on the top of the receiver need to be sure that working that the tang safety is not impeded.
These scopes can be mounted on pump-action shotguns, but a follow-up shot will be nearly impossible due to recoil, operating the action, and requiring the target. Plus, if you decide to use a bipod to hold the gun for the shot, working that pump with a bipod attached to a Picatinny rail will be hilarious, please send video.
New semi-auto shotguns come drilled and tapped for scope or other optics (not all but most) accept a Picatinny rail style scope mount. That rail will make putting the extended eye relief scope in any position comfortable for the shooter.
Finally, brightness controls are a must in our opinion. Adjustable brightness is great for shooting in the kind of lighting conditions you get into when you’re hunting turkey.
We’ve tested a number of scopes from Amazon and other retailers to find the best options out there for turkey hunting. These are the shotgun scopes that will serve you best when it comes time to bag that bird.
5 Best Shotgun Red Dots For Turkey Hunting
1. Vortex Optics Strikefire II RedDot - Best Red Dot Scopes
Up first, we have the Vortex Optics Strikefire II Red Dot. This scope is built like a tank, and with that comes a bit more weight, but not a ton. It’s typically found on rifles, but it works a treat on top of shotguns as well.
The tube is 30mm, made from aluminum alloy, and coated in flat black. Turrets are flat screwdriver or coin adjusted and capped. The aluminum housing is robust enough to handle even the roughest of recoil.
The reticle is a 4 MOA dot and comes illuminated in Red and Green at the push of a button. The power adjustments are on the rear of the scope and have ten adjustment levels. The lower two reticle adjustments are compatible with night vision.
The main body is one piece, fog proof, and waterproof, Nitrogen purged and o-ring sealed.
Vortex rates this optic as shockproof with a recoil resistance of Extra High. The unlimited eye relief plus the fully multi-coated lenses offer an unobscured point of view. It also comes with low profile lens caps to keep the lenses free of scratches.
The scope comes with a cantilever mount that makes room to use a multiplier (rifles and carbines) and or night vision, along with leaving the iron sights for back up if needed. Maybe hog hunters will use this option, but turkey hunters probably not, but if they feel a need, who am I to stop them.
Here is an add-on for the Vortex; that is a great idea. Vortex calls this the Kill Flash Anti-Relective device; it's a glare reducer that screws into the objective and will keep any reflected light from alerting the turkey of your presence.
Vortex Optics Strikefire
The price of the Vortex Optics Strikefire varies, so check the latest price at
2. TruGlo Gobble Stopper - Shotgun Scope For Turkey Hunting
This TruGlo Gobble Stopper is cool, and look at the price, how can you beat that?
The outside of this scope is a matte finish camo from the factory.
The tube is 30mm, made from lightweight CNC aircraft-grade aluminum. Waterproof and fog proof. Get this, shockproof to a tune of 1000g that ought to do it.
The windage and elevation turrets are click adjustable and capped. The turret caps are equipped with built-in lanyards so the caps will always be with the scope, and not living under a rock or brush.
The illuminated reticle is dual color (red and green), brightness-adjustable. This reticle is the only one listed as specifically designed for turkey hunting. The reticle is an illuminated ring that represents 24 inches at 30 yards, how freaking cool is that! This makes it absolutely perfect for turkey hunting.
The Gobble Stopper also has a built-in extendable sunshade, and flip-up, see-through caps. The caps are equipped with built-in lanyards so they don't get lost in the field.
The lenses are multi-coated and listed as delivering 95% of available light to the shooter's eye. This excellent light transmission is great for turkey hunting as you’re often dealing with subpar light conditions.
The eye relief is unlimited, there’s no parallax, and it offers a WIDE field of view.
The scope has an integrated weaver style mount or you can mount to Picatinny rails. Also, the scope uses 3v-CR2032 batteries and carries an onboard spare.
TruGlo Gobble Stopper
The price of TruGlo Gobble Stopper varies, so check the latest price at
3. Sig Sauer Romeo 5
Sig Sauer has a sweet little red dot that will fit this hunting function like a glove.
The Romeo 5 has a 2 MOA illuminated reticle, with ten levels of illumination, 8 for daylight, and 2 for Night Vision.
Another optic on this list that has motion detection to wake the scope from sleep mode. Sig Sauer calls this the MOTAC and will put the scope on sleep mode to conserve battery life, and the manufacturer claims 40,000 hours on one battery.
The eye relief on this optic is NOT infinite as the others state but listed at 20mm. The ultra-low parallax states: point-of-aim is point-of-impact. What the ultra-low parallax offers is the red dot will stay parallel with the bore regardless of your eye position behind the scope.
The body and parts of this optic are flawless, easy to operate and exude high-quality manufacturing. The lenses are fully multi-coated, and the waterproof rating is to immersion up to 1 meter deep for fish hunting, I suppose, not to mention fog proof.
The Romeo 5 ships with a low mount and 1.41-inch riser will help to co-witness on an AR platform if that interests anyone and an integrated Picatinny interface.
Sig Sauer Romeo 5
The price of Sig Sauer Romeo 5 varies, so check the latest price at
4. Athlon Optics Midas TSR3 RedDot
The Althon Optics Midas TSR3 RedDot has a great featureset that starts with its illuminated reticle and automatic sleep mode. When the scope detects movement, the reticle will wake up from sleep mode, and after no action for 5 minutes, it will go back to sleep mode.
The illumination has ten brightness settings for daylight and three settings for night vision. The reticle is a 2 MOA dot.
The manufacturer claims that on a medium setting, the battery will last 50,000 hours, how they test something for 50,000 hours I don't know.
The lenses are fully multi-coated, effectively reducing reflected light and offers the brightest picture to the shooter's eye.
The body is one-piece, aircraft-grade aluminum. The body is also heat-treated for strength.
Nitrogen purged for waterproof, fog proof.
The shockproof rating is pretty impressive as well, 600g for 1000 times!
The scope includes a Picatinny rail mount as well
Athlon Optics Midas TSR3 RedDot
The price of the Athlon Optics Midas TSR3 RedDot varies, so check the latest price at
5. Bushnell Trophy TRS-25
The Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 riflescope comes with a black matte finish, and it is tiny, weighing in at 3.7 ounces.
The lenses are fully multicoated, including the Amber Bright High Contrast Coating. This Amber coating works like the yellow glasses they sell on TV. What this coating can do is help distinguish between a brown tree and a brown critter.
The body of this optic is O-ring sealed, Nitrogen purged for fog proofing, and Bushnell claims it can be fully immersed in water and not damage the scope in any way. The manufacturer rates this as shockproof BUT does not offer any G rating like the others. The body also has a low Picatinny rail mount built-in.
The reticle is a 3 MOA red dot and has 11 brightness settings.
Bushnell Trophy TRS-25
The price of the Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 varies, so check the latest price at
Final Thoughts
So, now that we have looked at a few options on shotgun red dot optics and have a better idea of what to look for, maybe that turkey hunt is not so daunting for everyone. I know turkey hunters are very dedicated to taking their birds and will go to many lengths to fill a tag.
Hopefully now you have a good idea of what to look for in a turkey shotgun scope. All the options here are great choice for turkey hunter looking to bag that trophy bird this year.
And on a final, personal note, a big Thank You to the enormous efforts of the Utah DWR for bringing back the wild turkey population and keeping turkey hunting alive in this great state.
What do you think of these turkey shotgun scopes? Is there one you like more than the others? Let us know in the comments below! And if you’re looking for more shotgun scope ideas, take a look at our list of the best shotgun scopes.
