ORIGINAL: mauser06
even if legal, where the heck are you going to have her aim???
a turkeys head is small and ALWAYS moving...
a 22 rim fire to the body will just lead to a wounded and never found turkey...
sure it MIGHT work with a perfect shot...but i would never recommend it...
lots of ways to make a shotgun not recoil much...
or at the very least you could pattern the gun, teach her how to properly hold it and shoot it..let her shoot some really light field loads...then put the real turkey loads in when shes hunting...she wont notice the recoil when shes hunting if shes holding the gun right and it fits her...(that would be with a youth 20ga...) the big thing with kids is the stock is usually too long (stocks are cheap enough you can buy one and have it cut down to fit her) and the gun doesnt fit the kid and the kid doesnt hold the stock properly and it knocks the snot out of them...same with adults...ive watched alot of grown mean get the poop knocked outta them from guns that they shouldnt have...holding it properly and having it fit properly is 90% of the battle....i watched a 20yr old guy get whacked in the face over a 243 this rifle season...bloody face and all...but ive seen him shoot before...hes afraid of recoil and doesnt hold the gun properly so in turn, he makes the matters worse by not holding it right...
Very good advice, I have a 6 year old that just killed his first turkey. The thing with kids is that you don't want them to hear the gun or feel the recoil. My son never shot turkey loads until he pulled the trigger on his longbeard. He shot #8's and I wouldn't let him shoot with out his ear muffs. Have them were bulky clothes or a hunting coat, this helps with the recoil. My brother in law didn't use ear muffs and shot turkeys loads the first time and he is scared to death of it right now. Good luck, it is very rewarding watching your child kill their first turkey.