Non lethal hit

[Dazzler]

So I finally got one that played out according to plan, however I was able to seal the deal. Hindsight I should have waited to see if he would move closer. It was early and between my eyes and the bottom I was in, I got excited and felt confident.

End result is I shot low (I assume). He went down, but by the time I got to my feet and headed that way, he ran off. No blood. No feathers. I looked for a good while for any sign. Nothing.

I've always been told they are tough and can deflect shot off the feathers, but I felt awful. Chalking it up to one of many learning experiences as a new Turkey hunter.  Turkey scope is going on as soon as my base is delivered. This should help my vision in lowlight and help in judging distance.


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[owlhoot]

That stinks.
A question or two.
Did you pattern your gun with the load and choke you hunted with?
If so was that pattern hitting poa/poi ?
What gun, shell choke combo were you using ?
How far out did you shoot , if known ?
These are lessons learned from a bunch of us, and also there is a lot of information on here in turkey guns sections to help you out with cleaning the barrel and choke, and patterning loads.
Basically what happened with your shot is you did not get penetration into the brain, spinal cord area.
You may already know all of this ?

[Paulmyr]

Make sure you check every deadfall and brush pile in the turkeys exit route. Wounded birds will hide in these. My brother hit one years ago that flopped over and ran off. Showed up at the diner for lunch and gave us the story. I asked him if he checked to brush piles and deadfalls. The answer was no. We went back to look again. On the way in to where he set up we hear something running through the leaves and and this little thump like noise. The woods edge was fairly thick.I quick jumped inside the wood line to look around. I was standing next to a small brush pile in pretty open woods and I didn't see anything. We proceeded on to his set up and looked around. Didn't find anything so fanned out, My dad my brother and me, and worked out way back to the truck.

The running through the leaves and thump noise was still bugging me so I cut out of formation and worked my back to the wood line. When I arrived the tom was standing next to the brush pile I was previously at. He turned to run away and kept running into the square welded wire fence that border the wood line. I didn't have a gun because I already filled my tag. I ran over to the bird still running into the fence screaming my brother's name. I tried to grab it by the neck and that bugger ducked, spun, and ran right between my legs. I was in hot pursuit still screaming out for my brother. The bird catches air and glided of out of sight.

Brother shows up wondering what all the commotion was about. I explained what just happened and he couldn't believe it.

I must have been standing not 3yds from him earlier when I heard them noises and jumped into the wood edge and never seen him.

Anyways, check every deadfall and brush pile if this happens to you again.

[Dazzler]

That stinks.
A question or two.
Did you pattern your gun with the load and choke you hunted with?
If so was that pattern hitting poa/poi ?
What gun, shell choke combo were you using ?
How far out did you shoot , if known ?
These are lessons learned from a bunch of us, and also there is a lot of information on here in turkey guns sections to help you out with cleaning the barrel and choke, and patterning loads.
Basically what happened with your shot is you did not get penetration into the brain, spinal cord area.
You may already know all of this ?

TC 20gauge with stock choke. Shooting Winchester longbeard XR.
I checked it at 30 yards and the pattern was good. Not sure the count. The shot was at least 30 but under 40 yards.  It sucks cause it would have been my first bird ever.

I'm going this week to put a little more range time in with the scope I just picked up. The Turkey reticle is said to assist with ranging distance on the fly. 

One thing I've read is people complain about the TC fiber optic sights being too big they cover too much target when it comes to turkeys. I'm not sure if that is all FO sights, but I see what they mean after the other morning. My Winchester 120 has a single bead, but I've only used it for squirrel. 


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[fallhnt]

I called in ,and arrowed,a fall longbeard a couple years ago that had a lot of shot in it. It was from spring as our fall gun season hadn't started yet. They can be tough.

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[owlhoot]

That stinks.
A question or two.
Did you pattern your gun with the load and choke you hunted with?
If so was that pattern hitting poa/poi ?
What gun, shell choke combo were you using ?
How far out did you shoot , if known ?
These are lessons learned from a bunch of us, and also there is a lot of information on here in turkey guns sections to help you out with cleaning the barrel and choke, and patterning loads.
Basically what happened with your shot is you did not get penetration into the brain, spinal cord area.
You may already know all of this ?

TC 20gauge with stock choke. Shooting Winchester longbeard XR.
I checked it at 30 yards and the pattern was good. Not sure the count. The shot was at least 30 but under 40 yards.  It sucks cause it would have been my first bird ever.

I'm going this week to put a little more range time in with the scope I just picked up. The Turkey reticle is said to assist with ranging distance on the fly. 

One thing I've read is people complain about the TC fiber optic sights being too big they cover too much target when it comes to turkeys. I'm not sure if that is all FO sights, but I see what they mean after the other morning. My Winchester 120 has a single bead, but I've only used it for squirrel. 


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Well sounds like you did the work. That sight give you any trouble patterning?
The scope should be good. Dial it in and practice and you'll be good to go. Good luck.

[vt35mag]

If you are aiming for their head, instead aim for the neck and have its head sit right on top of the front bead. Less apt to miss left or right and you will throw less of your pattern over its head.
That is if you end up shooting at another before going to the scope.

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[longbeards]

Turkey are tough!! If you dont hit the neck and head chances are they are going to run off,,,,you probably killed that gobbler.

I agree with Paulmyr, go check any cover that they could have gotten under!! My bet is there was a small branch between you and the bird...it deflected your pattern.,,,It doesnt take much!!!

I crippled one the year I retired,  In Montana, he was as close as he was going to get, I shot him at 40 yards and didnt see a thorn branch in the way,,knocked him down and he was off,,,by the time I got out of the river bottom he was a 100 yards away,,,at 61 he easly out ran me......I followed him as best I could and in searhing the river bottom he ran into 3 hours later....found him!!! I did a lot of hard praying that day!!
If you are close I would go search..... if you are lucky you didnt hit him hard!!

In ending I will tell you after chasing gobblers HARD since 1981, it has happened to everyone!

I shot handload no 9, TSS in my 20,,, but at 40 yards Longbeards No 6 is deadly!!

[TrackeySauresRex]

That's a bummer for sure. Field birds are tough to judge in yardage for me and I've made mistakes but have been lucky. Look at the trees around you to help judge your distance if your in the woods.  This will help get your bearings a little bit with your range.

[g8rvet]

I shot one at about 30 yards and to my shock it did not go down.  He stumbled and jumped back up, but was heading toward me, at about 20 yards I squeezed and nothing happened. I looked at my gun and it had not ejected the shell all the way. I reached up and cleared it and the bird veered to my right.  Before I could get on him, he fell out stone dead, not a flop.  After I picked him up I noticed beard strands falling.  I had shot him low. When I cleaned him I had a pellet in the heart and he bled out in those few seconds.  Got lucky there.  It was a new gun and I was leaning weird for the shot.  I killed one 11 days later leaning against the exact same tree and I made sure my form was better! 

[Dazzler]

If you are close I would go search....

It's been two days, but I will go see what I can find.


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[Kyle_Ott]

Very few hits are non-lethal for a turkey.  Sometimes death is more immediate and other times it's latent, but most of the time, I believe the turkey perishes.

[silvestris]

Agreed.

[Turkeytider]

Very few hits are non-lethal for a turkey.  Sometimes death is more immediate and other times it's latent, but most of the time, I believe the turkey perishes.

I agree, and it`s why I NEVER shoot at a bird beyond 40 yards and will try mightily to work them inside of 30. If I can, I like to be able to see their eyes blink. I range every set up to landmarks. This is because I have an almost irrational fear of crippling one and know that if I did it would ruin a season for me.

[Hobbes]

I would say that some of them definitely die, but I've killed birds with shot in them that wasn't my own that seemed none the worse for wear.  I'm not condoning wild long shots but I think you are assuming that more of them die than really do.