determined

havent seen this subject yet,and i always have made head shots always thinking i could cripple the bird with a body shot.i run scenerios through my head aroung springtime and what if my shot was obstructed or the bird sensed me at lets say 20 yards head tucked in.i dont think i would take the shot but the safety is off and im excited.i know the turkey is well protected and a large bird.what do you guys think,have you ever made a body shot and with what results?

mobow

If the bird is on strut with it's head protected, putt to get his head up. A body shot will just not do it. Sadly I repeat this story, but live and learn. I hit one 3 times with a 3" load of #4's, the farthest shot being 25 yards away. Rolled the bird across the ground all 3 times, he got up and flew off. I never did find him. The moral of the story is this: Unless you're bowhunting, hit em in the head or don't shoot at all.

determined

mobow,i know you ideally want to get his head up,thanx for that advice,you give a factual account of a body shot and thats what im looking for.truthfully i am unsure if you can or cant,thanx again.

mobow

I either did, or I am misunderstanding you. The bird I referred to was shot in the body 3 times, and he got away.......

ShallowRio

Its like shootin a duck or goose on water, its not just unethical, it dosn't work. For some reason those layers of feather will not be penatrated. I guess its like kevlar??

determined

i understand mobow and shallow,they are to well protected and it does not sound like a good idea even at close range,thanx for your input.

JW

And I am another one!

Body shot - will result in no dead bird but one that will die that you will not probably find!

You ask about an obstructed view. Learn from our mistakes - don't sit down in a bush like I did. Trust your camo and make sure you have good open shooting.

And as said learn how to Putt. That call done at the exact time of the shot can make all the difference. Have I body shot a bird - yes it happens and I lost that turkey though I know full well it died in the cedar swamp. I hunted for days for that Tom.

Putt calling.

Know that a Tom will come quickly out of full strut upon hearing this either from you or a hen is a vital key to a good shot if needed. I have used both. My own Putt call and that of hens.

For the hen part knowing when you can move and not move will make all the difference when the hen does the alarm call.

I had worked a Tom for over an two hours playing cat and mouse. He was close, less than 30 yards but I still could not see him. Along comes this hen from behind me and I had to stop all calling. She went directly to him. Once out of sight I still tried to coax that Tom to me, with as might guess, no success. Then I must have hit a nerve with that hen as she answered me. So I changed tactics and mimmiced her note for note - cluck for cluck. About the third time I cut her off loudly on my box her she came catawolling the whole way to me. I had the gun up and ready but the Tom stayed out 25 yards walking from opening to opening in full strutt sorta paralell and gobbling. The hen came to within 10 feet of me and stopped. I needed to move the gun 2 inches to my right to the next opening the Tom was to walk into. But I just froze as the hen was all eyes on me. I knew that when I did she would Putt! So when the Tom hit that opening and turned to me in full strut I moved slow and easy. The hen putted - the Tom came out of strut and stuck his neck straight up and the gun was on him - end of story.

Since that day I have called in over 6 different hens that brought Mr. Tom with her. So it works and works well knowing this fact. And again a body shot is a no - no at any time.

One of our code of ethics is to make the best quick killing shot we can. And to KNOW our target and beyond!

JW

bushmaster_5bko

Always take the head shot, Your better off taking it cleanly than wounding it and having to live with that on your chest

buttonbuckmaster

I fully agree that head shots are the way to go......but.....is it me or doe some of the guys on tv shoot the birds in the middle of the back? It looks like alot of the turkeys taken on video are body shot. Maybe its just me, but it appears that way some times, even when I watch it in slow motion?

quiksilver

At 10-15 yards or less, I take a body shot. My pattern is far too small to make an effective head kill at that close range. Granted, I have taken them in the head at extremely close range, but I've missed them at less than 5 yards.

At 5-15 yards, your pattern is probably smaller than a baseball, which leave little/no margin for error. If you want him bad enough, drop down on his wings or the base of his neck and crush him. The shot may not be lethal, and you may have to snap his neck. Not for the faint of heart, I suppose.

I've missed at really really close range a couple times, and it's very frustrating when it happens. A turkey's head is almost constantly moving, and while that may be a non-factor at 20 yards, at 5-10 yards, one quick turn of his head means the difference between agonizing defeat and tagging out.

So, for those reasons, I will take the body shot at pretty much anything under 10 yards.

A total whiff at 5 yards is a tough pill to swallow, trust me.