EDIT to simplify the question - for those of you who have successfully hunted wild turkeys with a PCP airgun, what has been your preferred ammo?
Last edited:
- The AGN App is ready! Search "Airgun Nation" in your App store. To compliment this new tech we've assigned the "Threads" Feed & "Dark" Mode. To revert back click HERE.
Wild Turkey Hunting - Ammo Feedback
- Thread starter mtnGhost
- Start date
here's my opinion, and keep in mind I have no exp. with airgunning turkeys. you should be taking head shots on turkey, in which case anything that will hit the mark is fine. knock down power and turkeys are 2 things that I've never seen go together. they are not tough. however, they will run with a body shot, and if you don't hit the right spot they will fly. use whatever gun/caliber you can put into a quarter at the distance you're hunting, also try a turkey call to bring them in closer.
Upvote 0
Turkeys are near as tough to kill as a groundhog, but both require a well placed shot with an air rifle.
This groundhog never flinched at 87 yards with a .22 Zan 30.5 Gr slug perfectly placed from my FX Panthera.
Any of the combinations you mention will do their part if you do yours.
This groundhog never flinched at 87 yards with a .22 Zan 30.5 Gr slug perfectly placed from my FX Panthera.
Any of the combinations you mention will do their part if you do yours.
Upvote 0
Yep, this isn't my first time turkey hunting (hunted many with shotguns and a 30-30), but this is the first time that I've had a realistic chance at wild turkeys with an air rifle.
Head shot would be nice, but not realistic in the conditions this season at this range (if I were setup closer, it would be a different storey), so I'm going more for the base of the neck to ensure a solid impact. My thinking is this - the energy transfer is substantial with 50.15, but I'm just not confident the Hybrids are going to get the job done.
Upvote 0
we cant hunt turkey in alabama with an airgun, but if we could........
i would use my uragan-1 .30 with JSB knockout slugs 50.15gr.
they perform better than any other slug or pellets i've tried.
its been DW performance tuned for 105fpe with the ko's.
i would use my uragan-1 .30 with JSB knockout slugs 50.15gr.
they perform better than any other slug or pellets i've tried.
its been DW performance tuned for 105fpe with the ko's.
Upvote 0
What is the twist rate of your TJ barrel?
Why are you concerned about Hybrids take down ability? They mushroom in the most aggressive way (apart from .35) from the whole Hybrids line.
Why are you concerned about Hybrids take down ability? They mushroom in the most aggressive way (apart from .35) from the whole Hybrids line.
Upvote 0
looks like a bush about 1/2 way to the tall grass , maybe a closer shot . and with the surrounding trees i would opt for head shot. Would the 62's sever the neck ?
Upvote 0
Seems like 90 yards is an awful long shot for a spring gobbler looking for love. Are you calling and using decoys?
Upvote 0
Yep, I'm about as good as one can be with friction and mouth calls. The jakes and hens out here are easy to call in, I can also make them stand in place for 2-3 mins when the conditions are right. The big toms are either fired up dominating one another or they're just totally M.I.A. I've only been here for a matter of months, but I'm dialed in to the big gaggle in the area. I know when ans where they roost, when they forage, where they forage, and their various calls / clucks / yelps. Shot a video of >70 of them walking rank and file this past winter:
MTNGhost on Instagram: "Lots of future meals running around my new backyard #turkeys #whitetail #deer"
48 likes, 5 comments - mtnghost_gunner on November 6, 2022: "Lots of future meals running around my new backyard #turkeys #whitetail #deer".
www.instagram.com I knocked down some brush with my weed whacker today, and then I stomped down some new game trails for them entering the kill zone. No less than 5 minutes after I put away my weed whacker, a jake finally entered the yard:
Anyway, I don't want to derail my own thread lol. I just don't have much confidence in the Hybrids to drop one of the monsters unless it were a head/eyeball shot, which isn't realistic at a moving target at range in the wind. They don't seem to have that energy transfer that I think would be best for these guys. They would have to penetrate through a LOT of feathers and skin and I just can't see them retaining energy. At 50y - maybe, but I think 50y is a realistic max for Hybrids in this scenario.
Now when I say "monster", I mean they are enormous and they look like they're protected by a layer of buffalo hide. I'm planning to get a couple of the really big ones (there's MANY of this size). These here are what I would call an average size, so stack on another 20-25% and you'll probably understand why I'm thinking 50gr would be more appropriate:
MTNGhost on Instagram: "Wild turkeys invading today!!! Shot this with my GoPro through my new @zerocompromiseoptic 4-20x50 with the MPCT3x reticle. Fine tuning the M12 F2.8 Backbone lens, but it's getting there #wildturkeys #turkeys #westvirginia #ze
61 likes, 6 comments - mtnghost_gunner on February 11, 2023: "Wild turkeys invading today!!! Shot this with my GoPro through my new @zerocompromiseoptic 4-20x50 with the MPCT3x reticle. Fine tuning t...".
www.instagram.com @beerthief the 62gr create an enormous exit cavity. I shot a coyote at 100y with them at 850FPS (MV) and it destroyed it. In my mind, the 50.15 would have the greatest chance of breaking the neck from the hydrostatic shock without destroying a bunch of meat.
Upvote 0
I have taken some wild turkey with my .30 Cal with the JSB 44.7 grain and with the JSB Hades.
Next time for sure I will use JSB Hades. They fall stone dead.
Next time for sure I will use JSB Hades. They fall stone dead.
Upvote 0
You're smart to question it. I have lost more birds than I care to count after hitting them HARD with a .308 Texan. If you don't shatter a leg, they'll fly. If you don't break a wing, they'll run. I hit a bird two years ago three times with a .30 JSAR Raptor. It stayed down after the first shot for minutes, then got up and ran. I hit it solid two more times but it's adrenaline carried it down into the underbrush and was lost.
Head shot or nothing with sub .35 cal guns. Guys will say different and that's fine, but my experience is that if you can't head shoot them with a non-big bore (and even a non-Texan pellet/slug shooter is hardly a big bore...just my opinion) then you need to wait or get them closer.
Head shot or nothing with sub .35 cal guns. Guys will say different and that's fine, but my experience is that if you can't head shoot them with a non-big bore (and even a non-Texan pellet/slug shooter is hardly a big bore...just my opinion) then you need to wait or get them closer.
Upvote 0
the big issue is not many people know where to hit a turkey. a turkey has small vitals, and turkey can dead run. I've even had them try to dead fly, that's interesting if you've never seen it. turkeys are soft targets and their feathers are not that tough if you're hitting the right spot. look up where to hit a turkey with a bow and if you can hit those spots at 100 yds then use whatever you want.
also, throw out some grain or corn in a spot you want them to stop in, that will keep them busy for a few.
also, throw out some grain or corn in a spot you want them to stop in, that will keep them busy for a few.
Upvote 0
Yep like they say - hit'm low, watch them go. Hit'm high, watch them die.
Yeah, I'm almost considering using .45 round ball with my Texan.
Upvote 0
Don't overthink it. Use as much horsepower as you can shoot accurately and know your dope chart. It's not any more complicated than that. The turkeys don't have desktop pc's to calculate ballistic info. I have turkeys run after being hit with a 250+ gr. .45 caliber slug. I've also planted them with a .25 out of a Benji Armada. Light tackle sport is for fishing, not hunting. Use as much power as is reasonable for the situation. If you shoot lighter slugs better than heavier, use lighter. The miniscule amount of difference is negligible given the set of variables involved of shot angle, range, moving birds, etc.
No caliber, power setting, or slug choice will replace the confidence and accuracy built on lots of practice and familiarity with yourself and your gun. Stay within the capabilities and practicality of both and run with it. If that means 50 yards and under, than you might have set something up closer and make the necessary adjustments.
No caliber, power setting, or slug choice will replace the confidence and accuracy built on lots of practice and familiarity with yourself and your gun. Stay within the capabilities and practicality of both and run with it. If that means 50 yards and under, than you might have set something up closer and make the necessary adjustments.
Upvote 0