dispatching turkey

cnimrod · March 17, 2010, 10:21 AM

being a novice turkey hunter - taken 2 but not cleanly, Of course hit em hard, close and well goes without saying but if you're off... what's the best way to admin the "coup-de-gras". a second shot at close range kinda ruins the pictures afterwards.
tx
c

bcarver · March 17, 2010, 10:30 AM

stomp on the head, breaking the neck.

crghss · March 17, 2010, 10:36 AM

If there is any chance he'd runoff you need to put another round in him. Could aim for the head but make sure you hit him.

But if you can get your hands on him, I had one that was flopping around, got behind him, put one hand on his back. Then with other grabbed his neck. Then broke his neck.

knoxville · March 17, 2010, 11:08 AM

ring the neck nimrod

cnimrod · March 17, 2010, 11:28 AM

ding dong

Daryl · March 17, 2010, 07:27 PM

A .22 pistol loaded with CB caps works well for domestic turkeys. One shot to the back of the head at point blank; feet in the air and head to the ground.

Should work equally well on a wild one if you can get your hands on it.

bamaranger · March 17, 2010, 09:26 PM

been many a foot race in the spring woods between man and a turkey, and I'll bet on the bird.

If that bird's up and looks the least bit oriented, shoot him again. You should know if you're in trouble before you get into turkey burger range. Aim for the head, again. I have held off a smidge and intentionally "fringed" a cripple at close range. I also missed one that way and had to shoot a third time.

The time honored way to dispatch a flopper that you reach is to stomp the head, or stand on his neck till he quits flopping.

highvel · March 17, 2010, 09:30 PM

Never had it happen to me, I've heard tell of such a thing though

Fat White Boy · March 17, 2010, 10:36 PM

But they never miss on TV!

dropthehammer · March 18, 2010, 09:18 AM

+1 for bamaranger. If the bird is or gets back on his feet, shoot again.

waterfowler · March 18, 2010, 08:10 PM

Ehhhhh, try ringing its neck. It works well

artsmom · March 18, 2010, 10:15 PM

Okay, here's a true story:

I was turkey hunting in Nebraska, I'm at the end of the shelterbelt (a long row of trees planted for a windbreak) and my uncle is at the other end. I hear him open up, and knowing his shooting abilities, get ready for turkeys to come by me. Sure enough, a whole flock (fall season, hens are legal). I shoot once, but my swing catches a cedar. Shoot the second barrel of my over and under, turkey is flopping the rest jump the fence. I run up on two birds left behind, grab the livleiest one...wait a minute, I shot twice, missed once so where did this one...All Hell breaks loose. This jake (about 14 pounds) had gotten hung up in the hog wire fence and couldn't back out before I got there. He's 100% healthy, and luckily his spurs are still nubs, but his toenails dig in to my gut. I get worked over really good by the wing joints, hitting my nose. Not hard like a punch, but brings tear to your eyes and knocks the snot loose. It also sent my eyeglasses flying. The flight feathers actually cut my face a couple of times. I can't get disengaged enough to give him a good swing to break his neck (think of the jerk of a hangman's noose), so I pin it to the ground with my knees and use my Gerber LST pocket knife to pith it like a frog in biology class.

My uncle watched this whole fiasco. He said it's a good thing I won by a knockout, because the bird won all the early rounds.

Other guys have leopard stories, charges by elephant or Cape Buffalo, Grizzly Bear run ins...I have a turkey story. It isn't even a 20 pounder.

Oh, so how best to dispatch a turkey? If in doubt it will run or fly, definitely shoot it again. If you roll a turkey and the head pops up, you definitely shoot again, because it's gonna be heading out. If the head is down and it is fluttering, get over there as quickly as possible, and if it is alive grab it by the neck, give it a good swing, and then jerk back the opposite direction, and it snaps its neck.

FrankenMauser · March 18, 2010, 11:34 PM

....Just never stomp the head of a fowl that some one else shot....

My brother winged a Sage Grouse about 15 years ago - with his last shot. Not only that, but we were about 100 yards from the game warden; with only shotguns legal for that species. There wasn't another shotgun between the six hunters (we were out for rabbit).

I laughed for a good two minutes, while watching him try to catch the bird. Finally, I ran up, stomped its skull, and presented him with his trophy.

To this day, my brother, my dad, and my stepmother all give me crap. ...Because he decided to mount one of the most average, and boring looking, grouse I've ever seen - screwed up wing, skull, and all...

4406v · March 19, 2010, 11:08 AM

When you grab ahold of an almost dead turkey make sure to grab his feet in one hand and grab him firmly around the neck.Be prepared for the wing beating that will take place as he expires.Turkey hunting is fun but killing one stone dead doesn't happen easily.

March 17, 2010, 10:21 AM	#1
cnimrod Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2009 Location: NJ/NY Posts: 152	dispatching turkey being a novice turkey hunter - taken 2 but not cleanly, Of course hit em hard, close and well goes without saying but if you're off... what's the best way to admin the "coup-de-gras". a second shot at close range kinda ruins the pictures afterwards. tx c

March 17, 2010, 10:30 AM	#2
bcarver Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2007 Location: Jackson,Mississippi Posts: 838	foot stomp on the head, breaking the neck.

March 17, 2010, 10:36 AM	#3
crghss Junior member Join Date: July 1, 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 537	If there is any chance he'd runoff you need to put another round in him. Could aim for the head but make sure you hit him. But if you can get your hands on him, I had one that was flopping around, got behind him, put one hand on his back. Then with other grabbed his neck. Then broke his neck. Last edited by crghss; March 17, 2010 at 11:45 AM.

March 17, 2010, 11:08 AM	#4
knoxville Member Join Date: December 31, 2009 Location: pocatello,Id - rock springs,wy Posts: 83	ring the neck nimrod __________________ To hunt the ghost in the darkness you must first find were he sleeps

March 17, 2010, 09:26 PM	#7
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,303	There's..... been many a foot race in the spring woods between man and a turkey, and I'll bet on the bird. If that bird's up and looks the least bit oriented, shoot him again. You should know if you're in trouble before you get into turkey burger range. Aim for the head, again. I have held off a smidge and intentionally "fringed" a cripple at close range. I also missed one that way and had to shoot a third time. The time honored way to dispatch a flopper that you reach is to stomp the head, or stand on his neck till he quits flopping.

March 17, 2010, 11:28 AM	#5
cnimrod Senior Member Join Date: September 24, 2009 Location: NJ/NY Posts: 152	ding dong

March 17, 2010, 07:27 PM	#6
Daryl Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2008 Posts: 2,350	A .22 pistol loaded with CB caps works well for domestic turkeys. One shot to the back of the head at point blank; feet in the air and head to the ground. Should work equally well on a wild one if you can get your hands on it.

March 17, 2010, 09:30 PM	#8
highvel Senior Member Join Date: January 21, 2010 Location: Powhatan VA Posts: 633	Never had it happen to me, I've heard tell of such a thing though __________________ Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.--Mark Twain "I have opinions of my own 'strong opinions' but I don't always agree with them."--George Bush

March 17, 2010, 10:36 PM	#9
Fat White Boy Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2005 Posts: 1,276	But they never miss on TV!

March 18, 2010, 09:18 AM	#10
dropthehammer Senior Member Join Date: January 26, 2009 Location: Suburb of Cleveland Ohio Posts: 108	+1 for bamaranger. If the bird is or gets back on his feet, shoot again.

March 18, 2010, 08:10 PM	#11
waterfowler Senior Member Join Date: January 31, 2010 Posts: 115	Ehhhhh, try ringing its neck. It works well __________________ If guns are outlawed, only the outlaws will have guns

March 18, 2010, 10:15 PM	#12
artsmom Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2005 Location: Nebraska Posts: 334	Okay, here's a true story: I was turkey hunting in Nebraska, I'm at the end of the shelterbelt (a long row of trees planted for a windbreak) and my uncle is at the other end. I hear him open up, and knowing his shooting abilities, get ready for turkeys to come by me. Sure enough, a whole flock (fall season, hens are legal). I shoot once, but my swing catches a cedar. Shoot the second barrel of my over and under, turkey is flopping the rest jump the fence. I run up on two birds left behind, grab the livleiest one...wait a minute, I shot twice, missed once so where did this one...All Hell breaks loose. This jake (about 14 pounds) had gotten hung up in the hog wire fence and couldn't back out before I got there. He's 100% healthy, and luckily his spurs are still nubs, but his toenails dig in to my gut. I get worked over really good by the wing joints, hitting my nose. Not hard like a punch, but brings tear to your eyes and knocks the snot loose. It also sent my eyeglasses flying. The flight feathers actually cut my face a couple of times. I can't get disengaged enough to give him a good swing to break his neck (think of the jerk of a hangman's noose), so I pin it to the ground with my knees and use my Gerber LST pocket knife to pith it like a frog in biology class. My uncle watched this whole fiasco. He said it's a good thing I won by a knockout, because the bird won all the early rounds. Other guys have leopard stories, charges by elephant or Cape Buffalo, Grizzly Bear run ins...I have a turkey story. It isn't even a 20 pounder. Oh, so how best to dispatch a turkey? If in doubt it will run or fly, definitely shoot it again. If you roll a turkey and the head pops up, you definitely shoot again, because it's gonna be heading out. If the head is down and it is fluttering, get over there as quickly as possible, and if it is alive grab it by the neck, give it a good swing, and then jerk back the opposite direction, and it snaps its neck.

March 18, 2010, 11:34 PM	#13
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	....Just never stomp the head of a fowl that some one else shot.... My brother winged a Sage Grouse about 15 years ago - with his last shot. Not only that, but we were about 100 yards from the game warden; with only shotguns legal for that species. There wasn't another shotgun between the six hunters (we were out for rabbit). I laughed for a good two minutes, while watching him try to catch the bird. Finally, I ran up, stomped its skull, and presented him with his trophy. To this day, my brother, my dad, and my stepmother all give me crap. ...Because he decided to mount one of the most average, and boring looking, grouse I've ever seen - screwed up wing, skull, and all... __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

March 19, 2010, 11:08 AM	#14
4406v Member Join Date: May 14, 2009 Location: Ellwood City,Pa Posts: 58	When you grab ahold of an almost dead turkey make sure to grab his feet in one hand and grab him firmly around the neck.Be prepared for the wing beating that will take place as he expires.Turkey hunting is fun but killing one stone dead doesn't happen easily.