Hello fellow air gunners, recently I got into air rifle Turkey hunting as we are now in Turkey hunting season. I was able to get to head shots on a couple Tom's at 30 yd with my impact 30 cal using hybrid slugs. put them right down. I been weary to try to use my 22 using the 22 cal hybrid slugs. Has anyone tried to get a head shot at a reasonable distance on a Turkey with a 22 cal?. I'm just curious cause I want to be a responsible hunter and I want to make sure that all my kills are clean without suffering. Thank you
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Turkey headshots with a .22 hybrid slug
- Thread starter Cebola3000
- Start date
What is "reasonable distance"? You cannot expect any kind of focused answer with a vague question.
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What kind of energy are you putting out with the .22??
I have a 42 fpe .22 that at 30 yards I am choosing what eyelash to hit on the squirrel. I would have zero problems going for turkey with said gun.
Only you and your gun can make the call for what is effective and ethical.
I have a 42 fpe .22 that at 30 yards I am choosing what eyelash to hit on the squirrel. I would have zero problems going for turkey with said gun.
Only you and your gun can make the call for what is effective and ethical.
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I put one down with a headshot at 30 yds with a 10.3 gr .177 at 19 fpe. Complete pass through.
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Picking out an eyelash on a squirrel is a far cry from trying to get a turkey to hold its head still long enough to get a shot. Energy isn't the issue. A few hits in the head with #6 shot will kill a turkey IF the central nervous system is hit.
I would aim for the base of the neck where the feathers meet the wattles.
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The crop st the base of the neck if you aren't comfortable with the hesd shot and it will go down pretty quick. I would suggest a hollow point that expands to ensure the Tom doesn't run to far away after the shot.
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As is the neck vertebrae. I've never seen a wild turkey keep its head still for more than a an instant. IMO too much chance for a bobbing head leading to a hit in the beak or other not instantly lethal spot. Base of the neck stays still more than the head.
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50fpe. shooting the crown mk2 grs stock 500mm barrel. using fx hybrid slugs. I'm tempted but not sure if it would be an ethical shot
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50 fpe is sure enough power for head shots. Hitting the head is another thing. Expanding pellets won't expand on the egg shell cranium. There is not enough resistance to make em pop open. A bigger diameter will give more leeway for hitting that off button. Remember that air guns count on placement over power
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Put the crosshairs on the head during a strutt, make sure you are ready to shoot and make a "chirp" or "cluck" noise with your mouth. That head will shoot right up and hold absolutely still for about 3 seconds. Put it right through his thinker and he will be beyond out for the count with a hybrid.
Have seen a lot of turkeys posted this year on the hunting groups from air rifles, from 14gr cphp to 357 slugs.
Have seen a lot of turkeys posted this year on the hunting groups from air rifles, from 14gr cphp to 357 slugs.
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I have killed 2 with a 18.3 G 22 pellet at 20 yards, like others have stated it's getting the pellet on target that is the tough part. Kevin 23 has apparently hunted turkeys before, I have killed close to 60 of them .
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Not with an air rifle unfortunately, Iowa still hasnt come out of the stone age and allowed us air guys to take any "big game". Have hunted them enough with a shotgun though.
Get that thunder chicken in nice and close, and put it right through his brain. Every .22 pellet on the market will do the job, your target is just about the size of your thumb nail or the same size as his eye. Right behind the eye and slightly towards the top of the head is the brain, the brain stem is directly level with the eye just behind it, and then you of course have the neck. I wouldn't do a neck shot with a .22 probably. I would also not try a heart/lung shot, a strutting tom is very misleading to how the body is positioned and where the vitals are.. not like you are launching a big ol broadhead into him. So basically aim high and hit him eye level and you will bag your bird without doubt and if you miss then you likely will not wound him, if you miss low you have a decent shot of breaking the neck or hitting the jugular also.
Closest one I've shot was 13yds, watched my father shoot one at 7yds when I was little. Work him in close, but not too close!
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I took my Hassan bull pup 22 turkey hunting for the first time this season. It was a different pace and ended up using it until I limited out, never carried my shotgun this season. My hunting buddies are not laughing at me any more, I bagged three with it, all mature birds. My longest shot was 62 yards on a stubborn Tom. That shot left my hunting buddy scratching his head and rethinking his choice of weapon as he look at his shotgun which didn’t have that range. The one thing I found hard was getting a constant moving turkey head to hold still. The perfect shot was presented on all three Tom’s when they are in full strut and give a profile(side) shot. That red head is perfectly still at that moment, Lights out faster than a shotgun!
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I am new to airguns this year and hunted turkeys with a Taipan Veteran Compact in 25 cal. and I must say it was an amazing hunting experience. I hunted a total of 7 days straight and killed two good Gobblers. Both were head shots. 1st was 30 yds. 2nd was 20 yds. Spot and stalk sniper hunting these velociraptors is the funnest thing EVER. The key to head shots is waiting for them to being the puff-up strutting which allows then to stay still for more than a second to allow you to get a good steady shot. I shot two shots and had amazing results. I gotta give thx to @Blackpaw for the use of his Taipan 25 cal. Compact airgun for the mid-Apr hunt. I have since been purchased a Taipan Veteran Long in 25 cal. and could not be happier. Here is a couple pics of this seasons success.
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