Turkey body shots v.s. head shots

[Timberland Taxidermy]

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Some good info in this thread, but lots of bad info in my opinion. The wing butt is about the worst place you can hit a turkey. The vitals are straight up from the legs as some have suggested. There is nothing behind the wing butt other than breast meat and keel bone. my favorite shot on a turkey is slick feathered facing away, so you can put the arrow right in his back. (Low in his back, in the wing primaries) My least favorite would probably be facing me strutting. I also would suggest facing the decoy AWAY from you. A gobbler never approaches a jake or another gobbler from the front. I have hours of video evidence to prove this. This will get the bird looking the other way so you can get a good back shot, or get drawn for a good head shot. I would also suggest lowering your poundage to 50 or 55 lbs. Keeping the arrow in a turkey is a good thing.

[kyturkeyhunter4]

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Yes! You won't have any problems killing a turkey with a body shot. When you get Moore comfortable then you can move to the head shots. I've killed plenty of turkeys with body shots.

[Dan Mallia]

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As much as ther head moves around I dont think Robin Hood could pull off a head shot  .

It's doable........

Just get em in strut or when they aren't walking.

[kyturkeyhunter4]

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I like the Texas heart shot.

[Premier Turkey Calls]

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Yes. Broadside shots at the base of the wing with big broadheads are very deadly. Head shots are risky. Shoot all the weight you can comfortably handle. Pass through shots on turkeys are harder than deer in my experience.

How are head shots risky? If you even touch the head he's dead, if you miss its a miss, and if you hit his body with a large broadhead like a magnus bullhead, he will be hurting in the morning but he'll live another day. With a body shot if you miss the vitals he might die but you won't find him. Even with a hit on the vitals you might struggle to find him. With a head shot you can see the outline of your target. With a body shot you just have to hope that you studied your diagrams. I see no risk in head shots. I see a lot of risk with body shots.

[CtRider]

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Yes. Broadside shots at the base of the wing with big broadheads are very deadly. Head shots are risky. Shoot all the weight you can comfortably handle. Pass through shots on turkeys are harder than deer in my experience.

How are head shots risky? If you even touch the head he's dead, if you miss its a miss, and if you hit his body with a large broadhead like a magnus bullhead, he will be hurting in the morning but he'll live another day. With a body shot if you miss the vitals he might die but you won't find him. Even with a hit on the vitals you might struggle to find him. With a head shot you can see the outline of your target. With a body shot you just have to hope that you studied your diagrams. I see no risk in head shots. I see a lot of risk with body shots.

+1

[drenalinld]

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I will clarify by risk I meant risk of not getting the bird. Not sure what a broad head cut to neck or head that does not hit brain or sound would mean. I don’t think head/neck shots are 100% miss/kill but agree more risk of wounded bird with body shots.


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[Premier Turkey Calls]

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The way I see it, with a head shot you can see the outline of your target and I would much rather miss a bird 10x with a head shot and know that he would live than miss 1 body shot and wound the bird. Plus the added bonus of 0% meat loss with a head shot. Why wouldn't you choose head shots?

[CAPTJJ]

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When I used a compound, to shoot headshots I needed to get longer arrows and Bullheads or at the time Guillotines were popular, so I went with a large mechanical instead, a 2" Hammerhead. Same arrow, same tune, pins, etc.

Switched to a recurve and thought about Bullheads again, research showed they may not work well with my 45# bow. Went with the biggest 3 blade fixed I could find, a 150 grain Snuffer, and they do as much damage as the mechanicals did.

[kyturkeyhunter4]

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I would feel a lot more comfortable with the body shots vs head shots. That gives you a little better percentage in hiting that bird vs that head shot. 

[Premier Turkey Calls]

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I would feel a lot more comfortable with the body shots vs head shots. That gives you a little better percentage in hiting that bird vs that head shot.

Hitting the bird and killing the bird are completely different. I would miss a head shot any day over a miss on a body shot. If you miss a head shot in any direction he lives. Even if your head chopper hits the body, it will likely bounce off. If you miss a body shot in any direction you still "hit" the bird and now he's wounded. The body shot vitals vs head shot vitals, inch for inch, are nearly identical in size. Then you add a large diameter head chopper broadhead into play and that equals a better percentage of "killing" the bird. Plus an added bonus of 0% meat loss!!!

[CtRider]

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My own experience with bullheads - hit one low in the wing and it bounced off. We watched him out of range and he was fine.

Hit one in the head...lights out, folded.

[CAPTJJ]

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Accuracy is really what matters, not head or body. Both are pretty small targets, make sure you can hit where them where you need to. That's why I like them close, inside 10 yds with my recurve.

They don't go far if you hit them right....

[fallhnt]

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Body shots for me.

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[Bowguy]

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Yes. Broadside shots at the base of the wing with big broadheads are very deadly. Head shots are risky. Shoot all the weight you can comfortably handle. Pass through shots on turkeys are harder than deer in my experience.

How are head shots risky? If you even touch the head he's dead, if you miss its a miss, and if you hit his body with a large broadhead like a magnus bullhead, he will be hurting in the morning but he'll live another day. With a body shot ifu you miss the vitals he might die but you won't find him. Even with a hit on the vitals you might struggle to find him. With a head shot you can see the outline of your target. With a body shot you just have to hope that you studied your diagrams. I see no risk in head shots. I see a lot of risk with body shots.

This is crazy. There’s no magic. Hit the brain spine and it’s dead. Try hitting him in the face, you might shoot his beak off and it’d possibly die of starvation. Bet lots of “near miss” head shots are cutting birds.
There are pros and cons to both w an adult but there are no touch an area and it’s dead that’s not actually vitals.
If you’re unable to learn where to shoot on a body shot a good head shot is fine. A bad one though is just as horrific make no mistake