Turkey Kill

[Warmouth]

Whose yard were you hunting?



I've had some chit luck on turkeys with archery tackle.

[Triton X2]

You know it is at least bigger than Toby's 2 deer. Good job, MoTurkey.

[Warmouth]

What do you mean "chit luck"?

I shot two toms with archery gear and never recovered either, so I just stopped shooting the darn things. I figured I was just screwing up my deer hunting.

One of the toms I shot was at somewhere in the neighborhood of 60yds. I shot low twice, so low the turkeys didn't even notice, so then I aimed really high, so high that I picked a gap in the tree branches to shoot up through, and nailed one b-side right in the wing. Then he ran off.

[Warmouth]

I don't know about sub par archery gear, that bow worked fine when I bought it new at the age of 14, and killed my first couple archery deer just fine. It was retarded shooting that far though.

I shot at a deer like that too, when I was a teen.

It only took those two shots to turn me very conservative on hunting distance with archery gear.

The other turkey I didn't recover was a dead pan 15yrd shot that looked gold, and the dam thing ran like the devil and I never saw it again. That's why I stopped shooting turkeys. It ruins the whole season to wound/kill one and not recover it.

I'd bet neither one of those birds made it through the night, since both were hit at the wing joint and couldn't have made it up to a roost.

BTW- Whose yard were you hunting?

[Warmouth]

Well I only saw it happen right in front of me, but second guessing from my descriptions about what happened many years ago is quite valid.


The 60yds shot hit square on the wing butt. That bird ran around an open field with the arrow in its broken wing for a couple minutes. I had some old as chit Kolpin b-heads with a cone tip, and got about 3" of penetration, which wasn't near enough.

The 15yd shot was out of sight quick, but that bird was dead to rights, I don't really know wtf happened with it, so again, I quit shooting turks. I'm not out there to wound.

I would consider shooting one though if I was using a 3 blade expandable that was over 2" cut.

[Warmouth]

You're right on there. The feathers flat jack a b-head up, from my experience. Add bone to it, and it just makes it worse.

I wouldn't aim for a turkey in the same spot that I used to aim for them though. They used to say shoot for the wing so he can't fly off, but the vitals are a bit lower in the body than that.

[hunting170]

but the vitals are a bit lower in the body than that.

No they aren`t Dave

[Warmouth]

I don't shoot the fuggers, so it doesn't matter to me. But if I were to shoot one, it'll be inbetween wing butt and the ass, with a 2"+ mech head, just to test my theory.

I don't see it happening any time in the near future though.

[Rafe Hollister]

Uphill, facing away from me, stuck it up her tailpipe and it ripped through the organs and shattered the breastbone.

[Rafe Hollister]

Downhill, facing me, shot was under the breastbone.

[PoisonSnake]

Rafe, for someone that can't kill a deer with a bow for chit, you sure are hell on the turkeys.

[hunting170]

Rafe, for someone that can't kill a deer with a bow for chit, you sure are hell on the turkeys.

Ya think that could be because turkeys are the dumbest game animal in the midwest?

[2BHNTN]

Using a Bowtech at 23yards, montech broadhead, shot mine last year two inches below its ear. Nearly severing its head. I figure if I miss, it will be a clean miss. As luck would have it, I didn't.

[Limbshot]

Nice job Craig. I am hoping to get on some birds down at the ranch during late season. We saw them everywhere down there during firearm season.

You can definitely kill them with archery equipment. 5 of the last 6 turks I have killed have gone 10 yards or less after the shot. The one that went 100+ saw me draw and I was shooting her at 30 yards, when I shot, she jumped straight up in the air, and I ended up hitting her in the thigh. Other than that, one was a spine shot, one was low due to my error in distance estimation, but took out the top of both legs and she didn't go anywhere and bled like a stuck pig. One was a 20 yard shot from the ground with the turkey facing straight away from me with its head down feeding, I shot just above the right thigh and my arrow exited just above the left wing joint, the other two were shots from treestand and I aimed about and inch above the beard and an 2 inches right because of the quartering angles of the birds and all of those birds went down in less than 10 yards from where I hit them. The vitals are not low on a turkey!!! I think the mistake most guys make is running after them right after the shot. I just shoot them and watch. Usually, they will go down quickly if you just let them go.