Buddy getting into turkey hunting asked me this... Watching videos on YouTube also made me think of it... Seen some horrible decision making on Youtube, that often results in a miss, but sometimes a dead bird, and unfortunately, sometimes a wounded bird.
Lots of advice on calls, calling, decoys, etc., but when do you shoot?
My father gave me some great advice as a kid, that holds true for all the game we hunt: "Do NOT shoot if you think you can get him, Shoot when you KNOW you can get him."
Turkeys look close, but when that first bird is in range, you will NOT be wondering if he is in range.
With the right choke/shot size, birds can be taken out to 40 yards, and with some of the new chokes and "super shot" birds can be taken even further. (I do NOT recommend this).
Shooting with a bead only, 35 yards is within my personal comfort zone, and I am very comfortable at birds at 30 yards and closer. For various reasons, I have taken and killed birds at further ranges, but do not do so purposely.
You MUST pattern your gun, to see where the gun shoots, where your hold point is, and to make sure you have good pattern densities. Many if not most factory shotguns shoot a 60/40 pattern, which means that if you shoot the center of the target, 60% of your pattern will be above, and 40% will be below center (i.e. most shotguns shoot a tad high).
When patterning the gun, use cheap target loads until you get things dialed in. Once dialed in, try an actual hunting load to make sure things look good!
Typically, I will let a bird come, but do not really care to shoot them closer than 15 yards (the closer the bird, the smaller/tighter the pattern is, and the excitement level paired with such a tight pattern might result in a miss).
If a bird is coming towards you, and is in range, there are times to shoot, and times to let him keep coming.
*If a bird is in range in open ground and headed towards me, I let him keep coming.
*If a bird is in good range, and walking behind any obstruction (rock, tree, bush, depression, etc.), I will take him. (I have had birds get behind a small bush in range, never to be seen again)
*If a bird is in good range, but too close to other birds, you HAVE TO WAIT.
*If a bird is in good range, coming closer, but acting nervous, he gets shot (especially if his head comes up, or he putts).
*If a bird is in good range, but behind branches, bushes, shrubs, etc., do NOT shoot. I feel this is where birds get crippled.
*If a bird is in good range but you can only see his head, I would recommend a pass on this shot if you think he will present better. I have missed three birds in 30 years, and all three were birds that poked their head up over a log or rock, and I could only see the head (shooting over the top). You have to actually "aim/point" the gun lower than the birds head that you can see (due to shotguns shooting high), and it is more easily said than done to do this. Also, quite often, the birds head is already on its way down when you might shoot.
When I do get the shot, I prefer their head up... Clucking on a hands free call is a great way... But you can make a vocal noise like "Yip!" or even a verbal "cluck," or whatever... Loud enough to get their attention, not so loud they take off in flight. (just be ready to shoot quickly when that head briefly pops up). I have shot plenty of birds in close in full strut, but getting their head up is preferred with a shotgun.
I'd love to hear from some of the veterans on these forums... And I will not comment on using optics, cause I do not use them.
I don't have the experience most of you guys do, I was just always taught on the Primos videos to shoot when they pop their head up and hold it still for a second so that's what I do.
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Alot of when to shoot is experience.
My advice .... shoot em close .....
It all depends on how he's coming into the setup, running/ walking / strutting etc... if he's dancing all this movement will cause you to take a shot depending on his overall head position... Time and kills will teach you over time as to when to take the shot.
I agree with above statement that experience is gold and the more you hunt turkey the more you learn. Being in range is #1, #2 be ready for a follow up shot they can trick you, they are a tough bird. You never know when you might get busted, their eye sight is exceptional and they act fast. You will reach a point where that trigger finger reacts without you thinking about it. The raising of the head gives you a clean shot and keeps some of the shot out of the breast.
My opinion is exactly what someone said above: only shoot when you KNOW you will kill him. If you call that bird in and don't get a shot, you can call him in again tomorrow or the next day. If you shoot through some trash or misjudge 40 yards when it's 45 or 50 yards, and take a shot and don't get that bird you've just screwed yourself and your hunting partners
I like to force myself to make the bird take 2 more steps closer once I "think" he's in range.
And I will always let him keep coming as close as possible. But as soon as he gets nervous I'll shoot him if he is into the "know" range and out of the "think" range.
My son in law was with me this year. Two gobblers on my side of tree. He could see them because he was leaned back, but could not shoot. It was on me. One of the birds presented a shot at just over 40 - I let him move off. Called them both back and I had another opportunity that I was just not comfortable with. He still fusses at me that I could have killed the bird, but I knew my gun and knew I was not comfortable. I do not regret not taking the shot at all. Your first reaction when the bird drops should not be "shew, glad that worked". We paced it off after and it was 43 yards. I probably would have killed him with my other 20, but this one was not as dialed in and I knew he was at a questionable distance. Got on them the next day and had a poacher mess us up. Such is life.
He later killed a bird at 20 that I called in and I killed one inside that distance. He is not a kid, but new to turkey hunting and I think I taught him a lesson. I hope. All we can do is be an example.
35 yards on in. Extended neck/head shot ideal. Avoid shooting when he's in strut, get the head extended. Standing still ideal. A bobbing/moving head can be tough. Like Greg said, A few under your belt, you will know when.......
I agree with the don't think, know and that the know comes with experience, you just learn to know and it becomes natural. I also agree with the don't shoot if he's too close for your pattern, either let him walk or wait until he gets further out and presents a know shot. Ask me how I know about too close LOL
For me, if for some reason there's doubt and/or desperation in the decision to shoot I'm better off not taking the shot. In my mind the outcome of the shot is a foregone conclusion. Past misses have taught me this more than anything. In the past few years I've passed on many birds well within range but the shot wasn't "right".
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Quote from: Tom007 on May 21, 2023, 05:55:58 PM35 yards on in. Extended neck/head shot ideal. Avoid shooting when he's in strut, get the head extended. Standing still ideal. A bobbing/moving head can be tough. Like Greg said, A few under your belt, you will know when.......
This is great advice. Doing this should result in a dead bird with one shot. I feel like if I have to shoot twice I've done something wrong. I hate the idea of missing or losing a wounded turkey.
When I was a kid I was always told if you can see him blink his eye he is close enough to kill. By the looks of it, we all agree that experience teaches everyone the when to and how far. I don't care to let one get inside 25. Once he is in my comfort zone he's getting a load once I have a good shot. I don't hunt open areas very much, so lot can happen when they get in close. #1 thing for me is I will not go to the woods with a gun I haven't patterned. I have to know.
I only pull the trigger if I KNOW I can kill him. This HAS to be within 35 steps, with my bead on the base of his neck clean, no trash. For the record, I have 35 steps ingrained in my brain, to within a yard. I shoot a 12ga 870 wingmaster, 26in stock beaded full chocked barrel, and lead 6's.
All great advice. I take my laser range finder out with me first light Im scanning trees getting distances. Didnt squeeze the trigger on a gobbler last yr all the trees look the same distance and the excitement of the hunt and all when said and done it was 49yds thats way out of my league. :firefighter:
Bird-by-bird basis.
If they're coming straight in, let them keep coming and take 'em close. Sometimes you get that bird that circles around wide at 40yds and isn't going to come closer, and that isn't a time to wait.
I am not good at judging distance in the moment. Age (69) and some mild cataracts doesn't help. My solution is to determine a ring of death around me when I sit down and stick to it. This has worked pretty well for me in the last few years. Here's a trick I learned that I think helps me. When I sit down everything is skewed from the sitting position looking through the woods. As an old Ruffed grouse and Pheasant hunter I look through the woods at a flush level (say 10 feet) and then I say yup I would shoot a grouse out to that tree and I make a mental mark of it. I repeat this for my circle of death. For you grouse hunters you understand that grouse killing is with open chokes and pretty limited range, so my grouse range is typically 25-35 yards. I often find when I sit down and look at the same trees at the 2-3 foot level it all looks much different, but the range does not change. We are shooting a flat plain and that plain is the same at 8-10 feet as 3 feet. However, visual perspective may be much different. For some reason birds typically look closer than they actually are, so I can ignore visual illusions and rely on my preset circle of death. Of course there are times we have to set up quick or land lay determines our range, but in most cases you have time to preset range markers. Yes, I have shot birds further then my markers, but having the marker gives you a reference point. If I set my marker at 35 and he's a little beyond it I'm still good. I know my gun's pattern and capability and I would trust it to 45-50, but I absolutely do not plan on shots at those distances. My choice shot is 30-35 yards. Setting a kill range 20% inside the capable range of my gun is a fail safe, and you only know this if you pattern your guns.
I carry a range finder and quickly scan some trees around me if there is time. My preferred range is between 35 and 10 yards. I don't like them much further out and I sure don't want them inside of 10 yards if possible. I've considered getting one of the new Mossberg Silver Reserve Eventides and running a more open choke in one of the barrels for close in shots.
Turned into an interesting thread!
My father spoke to me on shooting ducks "if you think you can get him, don't shoot... Wait till you know you can get him." I believe it applies even moreso to turkeys, as they are a far easier target when in range.
It occurred to me this season, that as I am watching a bird come in range, there is that point, in which my brain clicks "he is in range now, and I am comfortable with shooting him." If he is coming in closer with confidence, I let him continue come (to about 15 yards)... My comfort range is about 35 yards, but I have and will take them at 40...
But that bird that starts to get nervous, cause he does not see a hen, or starts to sense something is wrong... I shoot him on the spot (once in my comfort zoen). A nervous bird usually already has his head up...
I wait until I have what I think is a clean shot before squeezing the trigger. I don't hurry shots but sometimes I won't wait long if I think the shot I have is the best at the moment. My shots are always between 20 and 35 yards. I prefer his neck to be extended but I have had good luck getting them in full strut if they don't offer me anything better soon. I tend to really focus more on the full strut shots. I waited too long for one to come out of full strut this year and didn't get a shot at one that was about 25 yards away. Something spooked him and he went from full strut to running full speed away instantly. I've missed opportunities on the head bobbers as well when I was in dense cover. There's always another day.
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As soon as he gets within killing range and I have a clean shot
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It was good to re read that thread.
For me it's when I can clearly see the beard.