sighting in your turkey gun?

[Franklin7x57]

I'm a where the feathers meet the neck shooter, too old to change now. My question is should I try to get the bottom of my 10" pattern to hit there, then the rest of the pattern would hit head???
Or will this lead to shooting over some birds? Trying to keep shot out of the breast. I'm shooting a 20 ga. with TSS if this matters.

[mississippislip]

I shoot for waddles also and I would rather have my dot centered in my pattern incase I move or the bird moves, saying that I haven't had a very big problem with pellets in the breast maybe one or two now and then but nothing extreme   

[btomlin]

I would also center the pattern for the same reasons, M-slip stated.

[brennan]

I would zero the center of the pattern. If you zero in the bottom of your pattern it could be tough for close shots...


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[Treerooster]

Yep. I want the center of my pattern hitting where I aim. If I want to shoot high I can aim higher.

In the heat of the moment I don't want to have to figure out or remember where my pattern hits.

[Tom007]

I zero all my guns aiming at Waddell. My max effective/comfortable range is 35yards on in. I have been very successful with this formula, very little flopping. It just works for me....

[Ihuntoldschool]

No.

[mcw3734]

I'm also a 20-gauge TSS user, with a red dot. I zero at the center of the 40-yard pattern (max-ish range) and place the dot at the bottom of his skin, basically the wattles. With the entirety of the dot remaining on skin.

As long as his head is outstretched, I haven't had any too many problems with pellets in the meat. I still check carefully, biting into TSS is no fun.

[runngun]

I have always put the bead/dot/cross hair on the top of his head/bullseye. I want my patterns to center the POA. Different from most folks but I shoot pistols a lot at I shoot combat hold. Which means I want my bullet to hit where my front sight is.

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[Dougas]

 I aim for and center the pattern on the greater caruncles commonly known as the wattles for me also. When I aimed at and had the center of the pattern on the head, I did a lot of over shooting. I over shot one bird to every three I killed until I lowered my aim to the wattles.

[Number17]

Where the neck meets the feathers, that big fleshy bulbs are the major caruncles.
The major caruncles are not the wattle and there are not wattles (plural), just one wattle. The wattle is the dewlap flap of skin that goes from under the chin to the lower neck.
Aim at the major caruncles and center your pattern there.

Waddell, like Bill Jordan's little sidekick? Why do so many guys want to shoot him?

[Dougas]

Pheasants have wattles. Turkeys do not.
When speaking of the greater caruncles or as was mentioned major caruncle, which are one and the same, they are often referred to as wattles. It has been my experience that when talking to most hunters, they have never heard of greater or major caruncles and have only heard them called wattles. That's why I always refer to them as greater caruncles also known as wattles. The dewlap is just that, the dewlap and is not a wattle.

[RutnNStrutn]

I've always shot for the mid-neck, halfway between the head and wattles.

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[Hook hanger]

Always aim mid neck above the red nut sack on his neck.

[Number17]

Pheasants have wattles. Turkeys do not. The dewlap is just that, the dewlap and is not a wattle.

I'll let you do your own google search. The dewlap and wattle are synonymous in turkey anatomy from scientific literature, to game agencies, to hunting magazines. They are the same thing.
Every piece of loose flesh above a turkeys feather line is a "caruncle". Wattle (dewlap), snood, majors and minors are all caruncles by definition.
For some reason the major caruncles have become known as the "wattles" to most.
So a wattle or dewlap is a caruncle, but not all caruncles are wattles.