Ok guys, tomorrow I'm going out for turkeys, there all around my area, flying over like lancasters over Germany, so what's the consensus, head or body shots?
Turkey hunting
- Thread starter dirtbikerick
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Make sure it legal to hunt with Airgun.. not leagl in my state.. ( at least I don't think so)
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I agree with MarkT that you need to check your state hunting regs. Airguns guns aren’t legal in Tennessee for turkey.
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I have a lot of experiece hunting turkey with rimfires (legal in Florida) and next spring air guns .20 and up will be legal. I’d recommend head shots for most air guns.
Body shots work when you have an explosive firearm round like a varmit round. The shot has to be to where the wing connects to the body at broadside. You’ll break the wing at the shoulder and frag the vitals behind it.
It would be hard to find an airgun that performs similarly. A big bore Polymag might do the trick or a light swaged bullet. I’ve been experimenting with .30, 41 grain Rat Snipers and they fragment heavily and make an explosive wound channel in ballistics gel at 50 yards, about like a fragmentin .22LR does just with a bigger caliber.
In fact any big bore might do the trick, I couldn’t say. Whenever I’ve had an issue shooting one in the body where the wing connects, its been because the firearm roundwasn’t explosive when it hit and instead punched straight thru without fragmenting. But that’s been exclusively with .20 and .22 firearms. Small wound channels when they don’t explode. A .30 or .45 pellet or bullet thru there might put them down fine.
Body shots work when you have an explosive firearm round like a varmit round. The shot has to be to where the wing connects to the body at broadside. You’ll break the wing at the shoulder and frag the vitals behind it.
It would be hard to find an airgun that performs similarly. A big bore Polymag might do the trick or a light swaged bullet. I’ve been experimenting with .30, 41 grain Rat Snipers and they fragment heavily and make an explosive wound channel in ballistics gel at 50 yards, about like a fragmentin .22LR does just with a bigger caliber.
In fact any big bore might do the trick, I couldn’t say. Whenever I’ve had an issue shooting one in the body where the wing connects, its been because the firearm roundwasn’t explosive when it hit and instead punched straight thru without fragmenting. But that’s been exclusively with .20 and .22 firearms. Small wound channels when they don’t explode. A .30 or .45 pellet or bullet thru there might put them down fine.
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It’s legal in California but no springers. Gun must be Air or gas powered
https://legallabrador.org/california-turkey-hunting-seasons/#Hunting%20methods%20for%20California%20turkey%20hunting%20seasons
https://legallabrador.org/california-turkey-hunting-seasons/#Hunting%20methods%20for%20California%20turkey%20hunting%20seasons
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I killed three last year and was with other hunters using Airguns that killed a total of 8 birds. Center mass breast shot. 25 cal, didn't get past the bone. Side shots didn't penetrate enough to kill quickly.
Two of mine were heads shots, one with a .22 Ranchero, and the ranchero was the cleanest kill.
We shot one with a .30, mid back, right behind the feathers, breaking the spine, dead read there
Headshots are a bit of a misnomer. I wounded ( for a short time) a bird that was a headshot, but missed the brain. You have to hit the brain or eye- period. Anything less, and you'lll get a runner. This was the one that had the frontal breast shot when it turned towards me after taking a .25 cal pellet right below brain. My third shot went into the back of the head, brain pan, and dropped it. If I showed you a picture of where that first pellet hit, you'd swear it was a clean kill. Like chickens, I don't think the birds need much brain activity to flee if severly wounded, something to consider if in tough terrain.
Our guns have quick folow up shots- a definite asset.
Traditional heart/ lung shots broadside, won't penetrate with .30 cal or below, unless you're extremely lucky.
BTW, we had a good kill with a neck shot, but that shooter is amazing, knew exactly what he was doing.
Two of mine were heads shots, one with a .22 Ranchero, and the ranchero was the cleanest kill.
We shot one with a .30, mid back, right behind the feathers, breaking the spine, dead read there
Headshots are a bit of a misnomer. I wounded ( for a short time) a bird that was a headshot, but missed the brain. You have to hit the brain or eye- period. Anything less, and you'lll get a runner. This was the one that had the frontal breast shot when it turned towards me after taking a .25 cal pellet right below brain. My third shot went into the back of the head, brain pan, and dropped it. If I showed you a picture of where that first pellet hit, you'd swear it was a clean kill. Like chickens, I don't think the birds need much brain activity to flee if severly wounded, something to consider if in tough terrain.
Our guns have quick folow up shots- a definite asset.
Traditional heart/ lung shots broadside, won't penetrate with .30 cal or below, unless you're extremely lucky.
BTW, we had a good kill with a neck shot, but that shooter is amazing, knew exactly what he was doing.
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Great info guys, I'll I guess I'll use my 30 bobcat then. I live in Scotts valley ca and it's legal to hunt with air rifles.
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Penetration with a .30 really shouldn't be a problem. At 80fpe muzzle energy, a .30 44.75 JSB will shoot clean thru 1 foot of ballistics gel at 50 yards.
The question is whether the vitals are getting properly fragged or not. Its easy to miss the vitals, and its easy to punch a small hole thru the vitals that doesn't disable the bird.
Most pictures on the internet showing shot placement on turkeys are wrong. First, theprojectile should never, ever, be going thru the breast meat. If it is, then the hunter is shooting them too low. The breast is way below the vitals. Second, besides a spine shot, the only appropriate non-brain shot is where the wing connects to the body. Not to the left, not to the right, and not above or below. Right where the wing connects at broadside, and no other position but broadside. Any where else and you likely won't get the vitals.
That's video of me hunting with rimfires. I used poorer cameras then so resolution isn't great. In person, you can see the there's a line in the feathers going down the side of the neck to where the wings connect. Makes it easy to find.
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Head shot! I bow hunt them, always taking head shots. Turkeys have a pretty hearty body, and the feathers are pretty thick. Only time ive taken a body shot was with 12ga, and messed it up more than I wished.
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dirtbikerick Have only hunted turkeys a few times, from my experience in my younger ( dumb a-- ) years & I will admit it as most won't. I shot a tom with a 22 lr powder burner with hollow points, he was hit 5 times in the chest & recovered to his feet each time & ran off. It took two of us searching for at least 2 hrs to find him, from the last time he went down he ended up about 200 yds away into the woods with dense under growth. Needless to say that never happened again, they are tuff birds. No idea what your shooting but myself would be a well placed head shot & be on top of him as fast as I could , they cover ground fast very fast when frighten. If you have luck & I hope you do make some turkey jerky you wont regret. Same process as deer & elk. That was a hunting experience many moons ago. Well best of luck to ya !
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Love all the insight! Turkey is opening here in NorCal next weekend and I'm looking forward to trying my luck again.
I skinned, and also plucked our birds. The tastiest was plucked, doesn't take but 5 minutes. All kinds of recipes online, but out of all of the birds we cooked, they all did best by soaking them in salt, garlic and onion flak brine for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator. My wife is not a wild game eater, unless it tastes like Safeway or Whole Food fare. She loved (and everyone else as well) this traditional bake:
I skinned, and also plucked our birds. The tastiest was plucked, doesn't take but 5 minutes. All kinds of recipes online, but out of all of the birds we cooked, they all did best by soaking them in salt, garlic and onion flak brine for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator. My wife is not a wild game eater, unless it tastes like Safeway or Whole Food fare. She loved (and everyone else as well) this traditional bake:
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Nice, thanks for all the info guys, I went out calling, got one gobblers attention but he sounded real far away and down a a really brush thick valley, it's raining right now, patience.
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Turkey season in California doesn't open until March 31. As mentioned, head shots aren't the best bet. Aim for the base of the neck. All of the turkeys I've hit at the base of the neck didn't go very far, maybe a few feet. Even when hit in the head, it won't always drop them. You have no chance catching a running turkey. All of my turkeys have been taken with either an FX Royale or Taipan Mutant, both in .22. I take them to a local smokehouse. Nothing better than a smoked turkey
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What species are you going for ? We have 3 sub species in Wash. State (Eastern) on the west side & (RioGrande & Merrian ) on the east side. Should clarify the state is divide by the cascade mts. same goes for Oregon this is where we get east side or west side from .
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