But honey, my new gun really equals 2 guns

The surge in turkey hunting’s popularity has prompted many hunters to go shopping for new shotguns.

If you have the discipline to pick the right shot, the old Winchester Model 12 or Remington 870 will kill a gobbler just as dead as a new-fangled, short-barreled, scoped, shoulder-smashing turkey slayer.

But the newer models do have features that allow a hunter to make the most out of what could be a one-shot season.

Camouflage patterns, tighter chokes, sling swivel studs, weather-resistant synthetic stocks, illuminated sights and the capability to shoot shells as large as 3 1/2 inches (yikes!) are among the reasons to consider upgrading.

If you hunt turkeys in the spring and convert to being a waterfowler in autumn, it’s worth considering a new shotgun that will double for both seasons.

Hunters who have favored durable but budget-priced pump guns are tending to switch to recoil-absorbing autoloaders in this new era of hard-kicking 3- and the perhaps excessively brutal 3 1/2 -inch 12 gauge shot shells.

However, if you haven’t shopped for autoloaders for a while, be prepared for sticker shock. Some brands sell for $1,000-$1,400.

(If your jaw just hit the table, stop here. Check out a Mossberg pump, which you can get all decked out with camo, choke tubes and fiber-optic sights for about $300.)

Barrel length might be the biggest compromise you’ll have to make in using a shotgun for waterfowling as well as turkey hunting. Most turkey hunters prefer shorter barrels that are easier to carry and stealthier to move while an eagle-eyed tom is coming in to a call. Waterfowlers tend to like longer barrels, especially when shooting elbow to elbow with partners in a blind.

A few manufacturers offer interchangeable barrels so you can have a 26-inch barrel with fiber-optic sights for turkeys and a 28- or 30-incher for honkers.

You’ll have more options if you can use a longer barrel for both species.

Top multipurpose models run in the $1,000 range. Rationalize this to your spouse by pointing out that’s only $500 for a turkey gun and $500 for a waterfowl gun. A bargain!

Here are three top options to consider for a 3-inch 12 gauge camo model:

•The Beretta 391 Urika has recoil reduction and will shoot light loads as well as heavy loads. It isn’t as finicky about being clean as some autoloaders. Berettas have a safety on the front of the trigger guard. If you’re not used to this, you’ll probably come to love it.

•Benelli’s M-1 is a recoil-operated gun and doesn’t offer quite the recoil reduction of a gas gun like the Urika 391. Safety is behind the trigger. (Note that a Beretta Pintail is basically a Benelli sold as a Beretta —Beretta owns both companies. It’s a recoil-operated gun that sells for about $800 in camo.)

•The Winchester Super X2 is gas-operated, safety behind trigger. Some serious shooters rate the operation slightly lower than the Berettas. One version of this gun is called the “universal hunter” to emphasize its versatility, although it comes only with a 26-inch barrel.

The all-around turkey-waterfowl gun most likely would have a 28-inch barrel. Doll it up for gobblers in the spring by sticking some aftermarket magnetic fiber optic sights on the rib to get the bead on the first tom out of the roost.

Idaho salmon closure: Beginning today, Idaho is closing the lower Snake River for hatchery-bound spring chinook salmon fishing because of a run that’s still lagging nearly 50 percent less than the preseason forecast.

The closed stretch of the Snake runs from the Southway Bridge upstream to the Heller Bar concrete boat ramp.

Idaho Fish and Game will continue to allow tributary fisheries that target hatchery stocks. Seasons will remain open on the Snake River upstream from Dug Bar, the Clearwater drainage, the lower Salmon River and the Little Salmon River.

More season changes are possible as the run evolves.

Silver lining: The kokanee at Loon Lake were running around 10 1/2 inches long when the fishing season opened last Saturday. They should be plump and perfect for summer fishing.

Essence of opening day: The spirit that lures anglers out for the trout season opener year after year regardless of the weather is difficult to explain to the uninitiated.

But without saying a word, four men ranging in age from 18 to 65 seemed to say it all last Saturday from the restaurant at Klink’s Resort on Williams Lake.

All of them were looking straight out at the action on the lake as an attractive young woman walked off the dock and straight toward the window. At this point, you might have forgotten it was opening day. But as the girl veered to the left, all the heads in the restaurant turned to the right to follow the little boy dragging a 6-pound trout to the scale.