Came across something interesting while cleaning this year's skulls. It's not odd for me to find other folks pellets in birds I kill but this was a first.
Looks like someone read into the long distance hype you see the manufacturers advertise and had one get away.
The bone started to regrow around the pellet. One of my #9s were lodged in this bottom jaw.
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I'm sure we would see many more like this if people took the time to clean them. Very tough and resilient birds!
That's fascinating! Thanks for sharing.
That is pretty wild. The pellet looks larger than your TSS pellet? Could you approximate what size/type of shot it was?
Thats really cool
I find pellets fairly regularly when cleaning birds, but have never cleaned the heads.
Would have been cool for a collection!
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All the more reason to know your equipment and ammo's capabilities and learn what not to do. I do understand we are killing these animals. The idea is to make it humane. That looks like it was probably excruciating to endure. That looks like a large lead pellet, how far did the "hunter" shoot to only get that much penetration? :OGturkeyhead: :OGturkeyhead: Z
Quote from: zelmo1 on July 01, 2024, 03:17:17 PMAll the more reason to know your equipment and ammo's capabilities and learn what not to do. I do understand we are killing these animals. The idea is to make it humane. That looks like it was probably excruciating to endure. That looks like a large lead pellet, how far did the "hunter" shoot to only get that much penetration? :OGturkeyhead: :OGturkeyhead: Z
I agree 100%
I knew dang well I didn't miss!
I usually find old pellets and bone disfigurations in the legs and once in a while the wings. If one shoots the head at close range, you don't have that problem.
Quote from: zelmo1 on July 01, 2024, 03:17:17 PMAll the more reason to know your equipment and ammo's capabilities and learn what not to do. I do understand we are killing these animals. The idea is to make it humane. That looks like it was probably excruciating to endure. That looks like a large lead pellet, how far did the "hunter" shoot to only get that much penetration? :OGturkeyhead: :OGturkeyhead: Z
My thoughts exactly.
No point in riding a high horse! If you have ever missed a turkey,"You probably left a mark!"
We have all missed. My point is that people are sometimes reckless and dont think clearly. And coincidentally, I ride a donkey. :funnyturkey: Z
Quote from: WV Flopper on July 02, 2024, 09:34:51 PMNo point in riding a high horse! If you have ever missed a turkey,"You probably left a mark!"
No high hose at all, it you are close enough that pellet should penetrate enough to kill. I disagree in part with the last statement, it would depend on how far you missed by.
Quote from: zelmo1 on July 03, 2024, 10:16:50 AMWe have all missed. My point is that people are sometimes reckless and dont think clearly. And coincidentally, I ride a donkey. :funnyturkey: Z
:TooFunny:
In a man's lifetime of turkey hunting he will encounter many scenarios. Most have results to the hunters expectations, some do not.
Life and death are not always as obvious as they seem! I have seen some odd things in my day turkey hunting.
You can trust that I hunt more than a few times each spring.
People make mistakes, daily, multiple. But it's not always the obvious mistake.
Pellet looks large to me. Maybe it's not! Sure does look like at least a 6 or even a #4. Not to many of these long range TSS hunters wasting money on TSS 4's or 6's.
Quote from: WV Flopper on July 03, 2024, 02:35:09 PMIn a man's lifetime of turkey hunting he will encounter many scenarios. Most have results to the hunters expectations, some do not.
Life and death are not always as obvious as they seem! I have seen some odd things in my day turkey hunting.
You can trust that I hunt more than a few times each spring.
People make mistakes, daily, multiple. But it's not always the obvious mistake.
Pellet looks large to me. Maybe it's not! Sure does look like at least a 6 or even a #4. Not to many of these long range TSS hunters wasting money on TSS 4's or 6's.
Not everyone shooting to far is using TSS I never even suggested TSS
Definitely tough resilient birds. A game of millimeters by the looks of this photo. Nice work on the skull, I never did one, I think I'll try... if I ever shoot one. :funnyturkey:
Looks like #4 to me.
Gobblers can be out of range for TSS or Lead. So "shade" can be thrown either way. The point is 1) whichever you shoot, know your target including its range....
Have taken a couple with broken and rehealed bones, and a number of them carrying old pellets, but that is truly amazing!
Looks like a lead shot to me, how do you guy clean a skull? I tried it once by hang the head up in a tree to let it decay, went back and it was gone!
I always said 3 in the head he,s dead maybe not. :firefighter:
wow! :o
thanks for sharing
Quote from: 3bailey3 on July 05, 2024, 06:33:19 PMLooks like a lead shot to me, how do you guy clean a skull? I tried it once by hang the head up in a tree to let it decay, went back and it was gone!
I believe it to be a lead 5. Here's a picture of a larger pellet I pulled out of a birds head/neck when I was cleaning it from this past spring as well. I'm not 100% sure this was the same bird but it's highly probable.
To clean the skull, I cut some holes in the bottom of a zip lock bag to let fluids drip out then cut a larger hole on both sides of the bag to let bugs get in. After a month or two in the woods I'll soak the head in peroxide for a couple days.
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Some other pellets I pulled from a bird this past spring. Believe these larger pellets to be TSS 7s but could be wrong.
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Thanks for the tips on cleaning one!
I've found a 22 bullet under the skin of a tom i harvested once!!
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Yes that's right, he didn't miss. He was too far away and the pellet didn't penetrate the skull. It doesn't take a lot of pellets to kill a turkey at appropriate distance.
They weren't misses, they were conservationist warning shots! :turkey2: