When it comes to shooting turkeys, there are only a few spots you can hit one for a quick clean kill. For turkey a proper shot is essential. Turkeys are very hard to blood track, and a poor shot often leads to unfilled tags and a lost wounded bird.

If hunting with a shotgun, you want to aim for the base of the turkey’s neck; that way if the turkey ducks at the last second, you still hit his head. when hunting with a bow, you want to aim for either the base of the neck or the middle of the wing; a hit to the head is hard to pull off but will result in instant death. While a hit to the middle of the wing will result in n a lung shot.

Shot/arrow selection 

For shotguns and arrows, you need to have the right broadheads/shot size. If you have too light of shot, you will wound the bird and not have a quick kill. likewise, with the wrong broadhead, you will not kill the bird fast enough to recover it.

Shotgun shot size. For shotguns, it is pretty easy to go into a sporting store and get the appropriate shot. But it is still a common misconception of what you need for shot size. You need turkey shotshells with shot sizes from 4 -6 shots. 4-6 shot will allow you to get the most range out of your gun, with enough BBs to get a good pattern. 

If you use too light of shot size, like 7-9, you will get a good pattern and a lot of BBs on target, but you will not get max range out of your gun.

Arrow and broadheads. For arrows, you need the right broadhead to get a quick kill. There are only a few ways to kill a turkey with a bow. You can go for a headshot or a lung shot. Headshots require a lot of skill and are hard to pull off with a bow. For headshots, you want a broadhead that will decapitate the turkey, killing it instantly ( an example of these broadheads would be the Magnus bullhead). For lung shots, you can use any broadhead. turkey are animals with light bone structure so a mechanical broadhead will work, but a fixed broadhead is recommended. 

Shot placement for shotguns

When it comes to shotguns, it’s pretty easy to kill a turkey, all you have to do is shoot for the head. 

Turkeys are always moving their head so you need to aim just below the head, so if he ducks before the shot you still kill him. You want to aim for his wattles on his neck. This shot will allow for a clean neck/headshot resulting in instant death.

The blue crosshair where you want to aim with a shotgun.

This shot placement will not change no matter how Turkey is facing. If he is facing away all you have to do is imagine where the wattles are on the other side and bring that line around the turkey’s head.

You don’t have to be exact as long as you aim below the head a good 2-4 inches, you will be fine.

Shot placement for bows

Bows are a lot harder to use than shotguns. The vital area of a turkey is no bigger than your hand, so it’s recommended to limit shot distance.  Headshots are very hard to pull off because of how small their head is.

 

Aiming for that blue crosshair will ensure a killing blow.

For headshots, you want to aim at the base of the neck. This will decapitate the bird and will drop it on the spot with the right broadhead. If you go for a headshot you need a decapitating broadhead.

Aiming for the blue crosshair will result in a double lung shot.

When it comes to aiming for the vitals on a strutting turkey, you want to aim for the upper part of the wing. A strutting turkey will have about 3 inches of top feathers and 4 inches of breast feathers that if you hit there it will result in hitting nothing but feathers. So make sure to aim for the upper middle of the wing

Shot placement for turkey facing towards.

For frontal shots, you want to aim in between the base of the neck and the beard. If your arrow hits in this area it will go straight into the lungs. This will result in a very fast kill, and the turkey will most likely go down within sight.

Shot placement for non-strutting broadside turkey.

When a turkey is not strutting his vitals are pushed up against his backbone. You want to aim for the same spot on the wing as if he was strutting. This shot will allow your arrow to go through the lungs.

Shot placement for turkey facing away.

On a facing away turkey you want to aim midway up the turkey on the spine. This shot is one of the deadliest shots on a turkey with a bow; because it will break the turkey’s spine and go through the lungs.

On a strutting turkey, you want a Texas heart shot. This shot will go through both lungs and will often break the spine killing the turkey. 

There you have it, the complete guide on where to shoot a turkey. By using these tips you will have much better success. With this guide, you will now know how to shoot a turkey in any situation.
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