Do you shoot them when they are puffed up or do let them deflate?

[LeviSS]

I know people who wait or cluck a time or two until they un-ruffle their feathers and I know people who shoot them at first sight.  What do you do?  Does it matter?

[Trevor2]

I don't like to shoot em with their head tucked and puffed but I will if situation ever arises

[chatterbox]

Better to wait till they come out of strut and stick their neck out. Puffed up is too risky IMO. Too much risk of a body shot and a wounded bird.

[Crappiepro]

When I first started turkey hunting, I didn't know you couldn't shoot one in full strut, needless to say the 30 yard shot I took only knocked off 3 feathers LOL. That bird was gone at a flat run. I looked everywhere for that bird and he was gone. So yeah, I dont shoot them when they're even ruffled up alittle. I will wait, make a call to get them to extend that head and neck out no matter how close they are. Good Luck Crappiepro

[redleg06]

Dont blow your load prematurely..... better to wait for the kill shot

[trkehunr93]

Cluck, cutt, cackle, yell "Hey you!" do anything to get them out of strut.  It burns me up when they shoot them strutting on TV!   

[BrowningGuy88]

I will only shoot a strutting bird if me and a partner are trying to double and the other one is somehow fixing to be unshootable (behind bushes....). I haven't ever lost one strutting, but I have seen them lost. Also if I am going to shoot a strutter, I want him quartering to me so I can aim right behind the head to get head, neck and backbone.

I have lost one strutting too! I forgot about it. Hammered one facing me dead on, but I had to shoot so far back over my shoulder that the recoil realy moved my line of sight. After I recovered he was just simply gone, blood and feathers everywhere, but no bird!

Daman

[magicman]

I've only shot one in strut and it went down hard. The only reason I shot it like that is because he was leaving my shooting lane and was pretty close to me. I like for for them to be out of strut though.

[TRKYHTR]

As long as you got a clear shot on his head you can kill him. Doesn't matter if he is struttin or walkin. The only problem with shooting them struttin is you will mess up alot of feathers and if your going to mount it thats not good. I had a buddy that went to Mexico for a Goulds and he shot his Goulds in full strut looking at him. He killed the turkey dead but in the process he broke 8 tailfeathers. Not good. I like to get them out of strut if possible but I'm not totally against shooting a turkey in strut as long as I can see his head.

TRKYHTR

[hobbes]

Oh I "deflate" em alright.

The majority of guys on this sight are shooting HTL and discussing how much better it penetrates, even showing photos of it penetrating the entire breast of a turkey.............it will penetrate feathers as well.   For that matter, lead will kill em that way too. There are two downsides to shooting a strutting bird

1) you can' t see as much of your target area because he's tucked it back (but its still all there)

2) I hate raking all the feathers out of a bird with a load of #6's.....if you want to take him to the taxidermist.......you just started the whole process off on the wrong foot.

[hobbes]

 "eight tail feathers" shot out of a Goulds............Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggggg.  I'd have beat my buddy with a stick for that    after I cried for a while.

[Ozark Ridge Runner]

It all depends on how far away they are.  If they are inside 25 yards and I need to get them shot I will let'em have it while in full strut.  Over that distance not so much.

[bowhunter84]

i dont like to shoot them when they are strutting

[doepee]

full strut if I have to but they got to be side ways to me, prefer out of strut

[deadbuck]

I will take a broadsided strutting shot anytime, but I don't like to shoot them strutting facing me.