This is tricky to say without causing a lot of consternation, but don' t forget that a turkey also has a spine along its back. The object of the shot is to strike a vital area, generally the spinal column, with a sufficient number of pellets as to fatally wound the bird. Since other vital areas (heart, lungs, e.g.) are not easily or accurately accessed by shotgun pellets, most shots are centered on the head/neck area. However, I' ve seen many turkeys killed where, typically due to the angle of the shot, the fatal pellets actually struck the spinal cord along the back of the turkey, not the head or the neck. (In fact, most back spinal cord shots produce an " instantly dead" bird, rather than the " flop around dead" bird hit in the head/neck area.) The problem with shooting a turkey in the back is that you are also very likely shooting it in the body, and potentially ruining/placing shot in the meat you want to eat!! Secondly, of course, is that a full body shot (rather than a shot that is centered on the back/spine) will not likely kill a turkey, but will only wound it. My point is to be aware that if you do not have a good shot at the head/neck area (for example, if your only shot is of a tom walking away from you), you can still kill a turkey (if it is in range) by aiming at the top of the back/body (in the area where the wings join, near the area where the neck joins the body), but be aware there is a price to pay, potential spoilage of the delicious turkey.