Where do you aim on his head?

[Twowithone]

Top of wattles.

[TurkeyReaper69]

Half way between where neck feathers meet wattles and the top of his head.

Don't take my advice though, I have missed more turkeys than carter has pills.

[Number17]

It is interesting that all these seasoned turkey hunter don't know the difference between the wattle (dewlap) and the major caruncles.
A turkey only has one wattle. I tend to hold just above the major caruncles given a choice, but I've killed quite a few sneaky ones where I could only see the white cap.

[Wigsplitter]

Where the skin meets the feathers

[Marc]

By some of the replies, I wonder if we are being consistent on the anatomy?

The Wattles (or dewlap) are the flap of skin, similar to a half-moon than hangs right under the head.  The caruncles are the bumps all over the neck, but probably most prominent at the base of the neck...

I googled the terms, Wattles, dewlap, and caruncles...  Seems that different sources have different definitions???  My reference is that the dewlap and wattle are the same half-moon flappy skin directly under the head...  Caruncles are the bumps on the neck, most prominent at the base of the neck/head.

[MK M GOBL]

By some of the replies, I wonder if we are being consistent on the anatomy?

The Wattles (or dewlap) are the flap of skin, similar to a half-moon than hangs right under the head.  The caruncles are the bumps all over the neck, but probably most prominent at the base of the neck...

I googled the terms, Wattles, dewlap, and caruncles...  Seems that different sources have different definitions???  My reference is that the dewlap and wattle are the same half-moon flappy skin directly under the head...  Caruncles are the bumps on the neck, most prominent at the base of the neck/head.

I kill them where the skin meets the feathers at the bottom of the neck (major caruncles) with the shotgun.

Of course, sometimes you get them in too close and this can happen at 11 steps and Long Beard Loads.


MK M GOBL

All my dedicated turkey guns have scopes with the Circle-X Reticle, easy to explain the kids and newbs where to shoot. *Pictured as I call it "The Circle of Death"



Which leads to the funniest thing I ever heard while turkey hunting.

I am on a Youth Hunt with a friend's wife and daughter, the three of us are in the blind with daughter in between me and her mom, as the morning goes, we end up having this tom come out in the field a bit after fly down, the tom sees my decoy and is making his way fast to us, my decoy is set at 15 yards. I tell to get the gun up on the rest and get ready, he's coming fast. We get the gun set (and mind you we practiced this on paper the day before) as the tom nears the decoy she says "where do I shoot him" I whisper back "like we practiced, bottom of the neck" she is looking through the scope and again asks "where?" again and I said see the lumps of skin right where the feathers are, she say yup and I say get right there and shoot, granted this bird is now at 15 yards and spinning around at the decoy. And then it happens, the little 10-year-old girls voice says, "So I shoot him right in the turkey balls?" I could hardly get yes out and contain my laughter at this point. I look over at mom and she's rolling her eyes and almost balling laughing too. Don't know how but she did it and killed her tom!

After all this and talking with her (mom) I find out they have a big old yellow male lab at home and hence the definition

Sorry but you'll never look at it the same LOL


MK M GOBL

[g8rvet]

Most folks call the caruncles the wattles.  Some actually mean the wattles (dewlap - just under the chin to the neck.  Cattle have a dewlap too, but it runs from the neck to the sternum area - hence the confusion). My little 410 is sighted in to shoot him in the eyeball.  After shooting the third Apex Ninja round, I said close enough and am taking it hunting.

[Gooserbat]

I don't...aim at the wattles or as I tell kids aim at the bubbles on the neck.  The lower neck is much more stationery than the head. 

[Gobbler428]

Just aim at the bottom of the "red thing".

[eggshell]

There are as many answers as there are guns, to this question. The main point should be to pattern your gun and know where it shoots. If you do this it doesn't matter nearly as much where you hold from the eyeball down to where the neck goes into the body. As long as the largest of your shot is hitting a lethal zone. The lethal zone to me is anywhere from the top of the head to just below the feather skin line.

I personally don't like shot in my meat. I aim with the head sitting just above my bead. My gun kills well like that.

[Uncle Tom]

eggshell, I like that....very good point. Shot mine Saturday and lowered my red dot like 2" where my swarm of shot hits higher at 40 yards getting it out of the meat.....but still enough shot in head,vert to kill him. This way if you misjudged a 40 yard shot and it a little further you would still get a killing shot. I shoot a 20 ga Stevens 301 and with hand loads of #9 TSS it very tight and those shot are very hard, do not want to bite down on one of them. Have heard of guys breaking a tooth and not good . Thanks for your reply.

[Tom007]

Waddles

[captfire]

 I PUT MINE ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE NECK IF HE DROPS HIS HEAD U STILL PUT IT IN HIS HEAD...

[deadbuck]

Right before the shot instincts take over and  I go in kill mode and am not sure exactly where the bead is when the trigger is pulled.

[Marc]

All my dedicated turkey guns have scopes with the Circle-X Reticle, easy to explain the kids and newbs where to shoot. *Pictured as I call it "The Circle of Death"

MK M GOBL

I do not shoot a gun with a red dot or scope...  But I would think that you would set the point of impact where the gun actually shoots?

With a bead, most shotguns shoot a tad high, so I am a tad low (that same circle of death where the feathers meet skin you refer to).  But with a dot or scope, why not set the point of impact so that the gun shoots flat, and aim where you want to hit (or just a tad lower)?

(I am not arguing with your strategy, just wondering)