How to humanely finish a crippled bird

[Zobo]

Dispatching a cripple? Ask Boney, he knows

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[mcw3734]

Maybe I'm misreading the posts, but it sounds like the majority of you are trying to "finish" something that is already dead.  If you're talking head up and eyes blinking, by all means do something to end it.  If you are just trying to stop the flopping because you think that's somehow humane, you've been misinformed.  Flopping isn't an indication of life.  The only reason I grab those birds is so they don't beat the heck out of themselves and look bad or roll down a hill or mountain or into water.

Thank you Hobbes. If I wasn't clear, this is what I was thinking in my original post. Yes, they can flop around quite a bit even after their skull and vertebrae are turned to mush. And that's fine. I'm referring to situations where eyes are blinking and head up (or close to being up) and his head in neck are still in that ? shape that gives the impression he's still in control. This is the situation I meant to portray.

[kytrkyhntr]

Pops taught me to step on the neck and grab the feet.

[Hobbes]

Maybe I'm misreading the posts, but it sounds like the majority of you are trying to "finish" something that is already dead.  If you're talking head up and eyes blinking, by all means do something to end it.  If you are just trying to stop the flopping because you think that's somehow humane, you've been misinformed.  Flopping isn't an indication of life.  The only reason I grab those birds is so they don't beat the heck out of themselves and look bad or roll down a hill or mountain or into water.

Thank you Hobbes. If I wasn't clear, this is what I was thinking in my original post. Yes, they can flop around quite a bit even after their skull and vertebrae are turned to mush. And that's fine. I'm referring to situations where eyes are blinking and head up (or close to being up) and his head in neck are still in that ? shape that gives the impression he's still in control. This is the situation I meant to portray.

Yeah, I understood what you were referring to.  It was some that followed that gave me that impression.  When folks start describing how they'd finish a gobbler the same as waterfowl, I start to suspect that they've not grabbed hold of many gobblers that still had the ? shaped neck that wanted very much to stay alive.  The shiv trick will work, but wringing a gobblers neck is a little more difficult than geese.

Good description by the way with the ?

[g8rvet]

Agree Hobbes.  Maybe some of these guys are stronger than me, but a full grown gobbler that wants to stay alive would be a tough neck wring.  I have wrung necks on 13# Canadas and that is not simple.  The brain is right behind the eye on a gobbler and an easy stick.  The wing flopping changes when you hit that spot on a live bird, it is very obvious. 

[silvestris]

I stand on his head, reach for my tote rope, make a loop on one end and place it over his head,  and tie other end to a branch and let gravity do the rest.  Hang um high.  Feathers stay pretty.

[Hobbes]

Agree Hobbes.  Maybe some of these guys are stronger than me, but a full grown gobbler that wants to stay alive would be a tough neck wring.  I have wrung necks on 13# Canadas and that is not simple.  The brain is right behind the eye on a gobbler and an easy stick.  The wing flopping changes when you hit that spot on a live bird, it is very obvious.

I've grabbed some that still had their head up enough that I had to do something but they weren't a threat.  There has been the rare occasion that grabbing him by the head would have meant spurs to the body.  On those rare birds, I avoid letting those spurs get to me.  However, I've mad some poor choices before too, go caught up in the circus and tackled a bird or two through the years.  . A man can never come out of that looking very smart.

I'm not sure why I'm really worried about Spurs anymore,. It's a rare thing to have a merriams with enough spur to hurt anything.

[bigriverbum]

some good suggestions in this thread. some i didn't know about.

but really, what you should do comes down to understanding the life left in a bird in any situation

sometimes an immediate 2nd shot is called for. sometimes a knife to the brain. sometimes just a foot on the neck to keep them from unnecessarily flopping their way down the hill.

glad to hear i'm not the only one concerned about not causing unnecessary suffering for the animal

[g8rvet]

I always step on their neck before the knife to the brain.  Never been spurred in the leg, but I have not stepped on the head of one with a ton of life left.  He would probably get a quick followup shot in that situation. 

My son shot one two years ago with a muzzleloader.  I was right near by.  He hollered to come quick.  The bird had sat up as he was rushing to him and they both froze.  He looked too much alive for a foot stomp, so Tom got another load from my ML once I got to him.  Son was scared to take his eye off him to reload. 

[catman529]

Grab him by the neck like a chicken and wring his neck. Or shoot him again, or use your knife. Pick one.....It's not rocket science, just put it out of its misery quickly if it's crippled.


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[saltysenior]

Ruger Blackhawk w/ hollow points...

[WV Flopper]

 Since you started with wanting a better way than stepping on their head..... I suggested you shoot it.

If you are not opposed to stepping on ones head, which you are now eluding too. Put the sole of your shoe over the turkeys head to where his neck/head attachment is right at the edge of your boot. Grab the two legs and lift, hard, fast. With a lot of force, you won't pull his head off.

This will break his neck. He will flop afterwards, but is dead, and will stop flopping. If you did it fast enough with enough force.