Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting Long Range shots?

Curious what your longest successful shot on a turkey is. And the gun, load, and choke you used. As well as the longest distance you have confidence in shooting at a bird.

All mine have been 40 and under. Most well under. I typically hunt thick forest. But I have been scouting a new state forest and WMA and it very much resembles a South Carolina or Georgia pine savannah. Large, mature pines, actively managed and burned, so very, very little undergrowth. The terrain is a bit hilly, with ravines with water and thick cover. It's a NWTF area and their signs are near the roads. I've seen birds and signs on both the forest and the WMA.

I MAY hunt there this weekend. We'll be in the middle of our 2 week winter season. If I do, I hope for a close shot, but I can definitely see the possibility of a longer range opportunity. I'm thinking my 10 gauge and a load 2 1/4 oz load of #4 and an extra full Briley choke. It puts a helluva dense pattern on paper at 40 yards. And I'm thinking I could stretch it a bit if necessary.

This is the sort of terrain I'd be hunting in.

My 3 longest are over 50yds. One was a gross misjudgment of distance and the other 2 I knew I was good. All 3 were with #7 shot. The longest was a new area on the mountain I’d never been in some fog one morning. The bird pitched down to my right and went over a small depression I didn’t know was there. When he popped out I shot and he folded. I ranged it later at 58yds - Mossberg 835 with hevi13 #7’s and a Stardot .676 choke.


The other two over 50yds were 52yds and 52yds. One was with a Remington 12 gauge 870 and Hevi13 #7’s with a Kicks .660 choke and the other was with my Remington 870 youth 20 gauge and Federal #7 Heavyweights and a Primos Tightwad .570 choke.

All the birds had broken wing bones on the opposite side from the #7’s. I got rid of my 835 and my 12 gauge just sits in the safe now. I carry my youth 20 most of the time and I have a 410 with 9.5tss I carry some as well.


Every other birds I’ve killed has been 35yds and under.

Just remember, the better you can see, all the better they can see! Good luck and enjoy!

My longest "successful" shot was 40 yards + a bit of a range mis-estimation.

Going into my 46th spring season, my lifetime average shot (compiled across every bird I've ever shot, spring & fall) is 28 1/2 yards.

I know I'll step on toes here. And quite honestly...... I don't care and am not interested in the arguments or justifications. But any shot outside of 40 yards + an honest margin of mis-estimation isn't a "successful" shot whether the bird dies cleanly or humps off to die under a brushpile.

Turkeys ain't groundhogs. They aren't "targets of opportunity". Vermin to be popped whenever possible. They are regal game animals that deserve and demand an ethical, fair chase opportunity. They deserve to be fairly & squarely defeated before they are taken. All the excitement in a spring turkey hunt happens inside 40 yards. A guy who can't call one to 40 yards or less has not been "successful". If he's routinely and knowingly taking shots at 50+ yards, he's a turkey "shooter". Needs to buy a varmint rifle and shoot prairie dogs or groundhogs.

Having been at this as long as I have........ I am not ashamed to say that I still can be pretty badly fooled by distance in some open woods. But, I began carrying my compact bowhunting rangefinder a couple decades ago. It all but eliminates the turkey shooter's crutch of mis-estimation. "I thought it was 40 or 42 when I shot, but it ended up being 66 yards...... " Bullchit.

Last year in Iowa was one of my longest,..55 yards.

Remington 20 gauge 870 compact, Aimpoint H2, Timney trigger, Indian Creek .555, Apex #9’s. It’s an absolute hammer at 40 yards.

Yoder, that's the brutal truth. I don't know if I'll hunt there this weekend or not. But I do the same as you. I take my laser rangefinder and mark trees so I know what's how-far and too-far. Any place I have a stand or blind for deer hunting, I've done the same. I know how far a tree, or stump or whatever is so I know to let an animal get inside whatever I've decided is the max distance I'll shoot. Kinda like when the 19th century British army in Africa put out distance markers before a battle so they knew when to start shooting an advancing enemy. Laser distancing trees when I sit down is akin to that. I would do that here.

When I see a bird at 40 yards, that head looks mighty small to me. I've taken body shots on fall birds before, but those were birds taken during deer hunting, and whatever I shot them with passed through. This special winter season we have is much like spring season in that it's just turkey season - nothing else, and I can hunt them like it's spring. They're much quieter in the winter than the spring. But they come in to calls. I'd avoid an intentional body shot during this short winter season like I avoid it in the spring. And past 40, I just don't see how I avoid plastering the body. Even with a tight choke and big shot.

And as far as being a hunbter versus a shooter - there's lots of that going on regardless of the animal. I just don't see the fun or the sport of killing a game animal outside of its sensory range. Others' MMV, but it doesn't appeal to me.

Don't throw stones! 63 yds with a 20 gauge. TSS #9. This was a breakdown in communication between myself and my nephew who actually did the shooting. Bird came in silent and caught us. He didn't completely freak out but definitely smelled a rat. He walked out of my line of sight and I couldn't see him anymore. My nephew the hunter who was 10 kept telling me he had a clear shot so I said to kill him.
I got to my feet after the dust settles looking for a flopping or flying turkey didn't see either one. After looking a lot further then I imagined possible I found the turkey stone dead at 63 yds confirmed by a range finder. I would have never given the green light had I known he had walked that far after I last saw him.
50 yds is the new 40 yds with some of these turkey guns/loads. By no means am I advocating any old joe to pop off at anything within 50 yds. However the right setup and it's not out of the question

I don't think anyone is throwing stones. There's not one of us who have hunted anything that very occassionally wasn't tricked by distance or made a bad shot on something that was inside a reasonable range. Intentionally pushing beyond a shooter or a gun's capability at the expenses of an animal is different. Heck, I saw a video on YouTube of a guy claiming he could kill deer with buckshot at 100 yards.

I was just curious as to what others experiences were.

TSS has changed a lot of things about hunting with a shotgun. The old mark of 40 yds or less seems to no longer be the standard. I know a guy who have killed hogs with tss "buckshot" at 80 yds... which is absurd. It certainly made a believer out of me. Like most things in life just because you can doesn't necessarily mean you should

Never ever thought I'd use a 20ga for turkey, let alone with #9 shot! But here I am... lol!

Way back when I started, if an 8ga would've been legal...

But I agree, a turkey IS a regal game animal to me too!

I admire your ethic there Yoder. I heard tell if an old fellow that wouldn't pull the trigger on a gobbler if it didn't strut and gobble within 40 yards. A bird could walk into his lap and if it didn't both strut and gobble he wouldn't fire

I know a guy who hunted with him and would put him on a bird. Bird would come in and walk around for 10 minutes at 20 yards and he wouldn't shoot. When asked why, he'd just say, "The bird didn't do right "

I'm not at that level of sportsmanship yet. But I will say, there's nothing like one gobbling in your face to get the old ticker thumping.

Not throwing stones. Just calling it as see it.

A 10 year old will get a break on missing a judgement. Hopefully it was a teachable moment for all involved.

I'm not "purist" enough to pass a bird I called into my lap just because he doesn't strut. I will NOT stalk, belly-crawl or bushwhack to kill one. It's a game of skill. Mine against the bird's. 40 yards is where "My skill > his skill" and I feel justified in taking him. I like 20-30 yards better.

I've got at least 3 shotguns that are EASILY 80 yards capable. One of them with lead shot. But, because the gun WILL...........does NOT mean the guy holding it SHOULD.

With turkey populations in the dumper in a whole lotta places..........maybe if "50 yards is the new 40 yards" in regards to advancements in chokes and shells........maybe 30 yards should be the new 40 yards in regards to a hunter honing his calling and setup skills.

Signature worthy.

Longest made was 45 yards, walked and guesstimated.

10 ga NEF - turkey extra full- 3 1/2" Winchester black
box premium #6 2 1/2 oz.
Bore polish and LFC cut with red fluorescent bead

Paper plate at 50yds had 85-90-95 holes consistently

Hadn't done any of that in a long time.
No place to go anymore and not pay a grand to
kill a turkey. Fun while it lasted. Got pretty fair
at calling and still being observant for rattlers
underfoot

The 19oz’s lighter than my 12gauge setup is pretty significant. Especially on hunts like a few last year being 3-4 miles from the truck.

Longest was 42 yards. Thought for sure he was on my side of the 40 yard mark in the open early spring hardwoods. Like Yoder, began toting a small range finder which I use to measure to landmarks.

[quote=
I'm not "purist" enough to pass a bird I called into my lap just because he doesn't strut. I will NOT stalk, belly-crawl or bushwhack to kill one. It's a game of skill. Mine against the bird's. 40 yards is where "My skill > his skill" and I feel justified in taking him.[/quote]

One of my proudest birds, I kind of bushwhacked. Only bird I ever found to roost in what I believe was the same tree. On the edge of a cliff-like drop off and a gas well opening.

I had scouted him and new he roosted near the opening. Set up one morning and had a sudden call of nature. There i am with my pants down and squatted and for whatever reason I look up behind me and there's this gobbler looking at me. A real Gene Nunnery moment. Well he pitched out across the steep hollow. And that was that.

I went back a few days later and set up on the other side of the opening. It was only scrub locust and nothing to hide in so I laid on the ground. I heard him gobble on the roost in what I believe was the same tree. I made a couple of yelps....cause I had to. He flew down and soon walked out in the opening where I could see him. Wasn't 20 yards. Little bugger only weighed about 16 pounds and had both spurs broken off.

One of them I'll never forget.

Sorry if this was a derail....

Do you feel stalking to within 40 yards of a turkey doesn’t take skill?

Personally, I don’t call them much anymore. When they’re lovesick they’re about as challenging to call in as a drunk is to a bar. Easy, though I still do it sometimes.

I get MUCH more satisfaction out of stalking/belly crawling up to feeding birds and getting them killed than I do calling them to me.

To the OP, if I remember correctly my longest (via shotgun anyway) was about 60 yards with my BPS 10 gauge and some random factory turkey load with I believe lead #6 shot. Full choke, but not a special ‘turkey’ choke. It straight up rocked his world.

I called him into maybe 10 yards but he came in behind me. Once I realized he was there, he took off running. I stood up, spun 180 degrees and let him have it as he sprinted away.

Boom. Big ‘ol Idaho tom.

No. Not really.

Spring green-up........foliage......field edges.........

Nope. Not really. Then factor in these setups that'll kill to 70 yards and beyond. Stevie Wonder could stalk that close. I don't see the sport or accomplishment in it. But, maybe someone else does.

As an aside...... In my home state, stalking and bushwhacking aren't even legal spring methods. Rule book say that the bearded bird must be "called to the hunter's location".

That works. Our experience and preferences differ.

Good to go…
👍

At the end of the day, they're just another bird to me. No more or less deserving of respect or a quick death than anything else. Whether deer, turkey, woodchuck or coyote makes no diffrence to me. They're all just out there trying to survive. I don't like to make anything suffer.

The excitement of turkey hunting to me is the art of calling a gobbler to my setup. There's nothing like that up close and personal spittin" and drummin" while they dance around struttin', add to that a few gobbles, nothing like it. My shots average 25 yds.. 870 Remmy, Indian Creek choke tube, 3 in #5 Longbeard shells

65 yds 835 3 1/2 Winchester #6 ext range

I was in TX and was over the lip of a rise between two fields. The birds came in and I dropped one at about 5 yards. I shot another one that I thought was about 40 but when I went to pick it up, I thought "man that is a long 40 yards". I walked it off and it was about 57 yards. Both birds were killed with a 20 gauge and #9 TSS shot. Both went down stone dead, but if I had known that the one bird was that far off, I would never have pulled the trigger.
That is the longest shot I have ever taken and even though I killed it clean, I still wish I had never taken that shot. I had patterned my gun and knew it shot very tight at 40 but that is as far as I have shot so I have know idea how it does at longer distances.
At the end of the day you have to live with yourself and if you feel good making longer shots. I know that my gun will kill longer than 40 yards but I don't want to shoot them that far. I would say that most of the birds I kill are around 25 yards and I am very happy with that. I feel that my pattern has opened up enough to give me a little wiggle room if I am off just a hair on my hold. Much past 35 yards, I always wonder if I can get him in a little tighter.

Do you feel stalking to within 40 yards of a turkey doesn’t take skill?

Personally, I don’t call them much anymore. When they’re lovesick they’re about as challenging to call in as a drunk is to a bar. Easy, though I still do it sometimes.

I get MUCH more satisfaction out of stalking/belly crawling up to feeding birds and getting them killed than I do calling them to me.

To the OP, if I remember correctly my longest (via shotgun anyway) was about 60 yards with my BPS 10 gauge and some random factory turkey load with I believe lead #6 shot. Full choke, but not a special ‘turkey’ choke. It straight up rocked his world.

I called him into maybe 10 yards but he came in behind me. Once I realized he was there, he took off running. I stood up, spun 180 degrees and let him have it as he sprinted away.

Boom. Big ‘ol Idaho tom.[/quote]

Truth. I'm all for getting the job done. Turkey hunting vs turkey killing. I like to eat them to much to play with my food. Not near as ate up with it at this point in my life. Same goes for "reaping" whatever you wanna call it. So I'm a bad guy because I crawl out into a field and fan a gobbler in that has no interest in my calling? BTW it doesn't always work.. but when it does its a blast. If you wanna sit in the bushes and call for hrs that's cool too. If its legal I'm all for it.

Don't judge, its not something I normally would do.

Beretta xtrema2, xxx compnchoke, 3 1/2 tss 7

Several years back we played with this one turkey on and off all season, last weekend, still with a hen, she comes out and starts taking him away from us as usual. Ive been pretty successful calling to hens and that usually gets the job done but she wasnt having any of it. He's in a field pretty as can be at what I estimated 60 yards. Been pretty impressed with the tss so felt good about it with my setup. Had a buddy with me and I decided to try it. Joked disappeared in the grass when I shot, didn't even flop. 78 yards. After the kill I walked off to the side looking from where I was sitting to where I shot the turkey, looked like a long rifle shot. Eyes played tricks on me that day.

Yep. Good to go !!

Well-stated. Well-played.

Great pics !!! Congrats !!!

Great bird and nice gun. The 3" #5 LB round is great. I have a bunch of boxes of 3 1/2" #5 LBs and wish I could just trade them for 3". 3" is perfect. 3 1/2" isn't needed and is a recoil bruiser.

This thread is just a turkey hunter dick measuring contest, get out there and hunt, have shot turkeys from 6 to 75 yards, sometimes they come in sometimes they don't. Know the capabilities of your shotgun, do your best and the instant you are confidant of a killing shot, kill him! Don't bitch cause someone else shoots 41 yards. Especialy after you admit you have shot them farther but didn't know it. Is it more fun shooting one at 39 yards than it is at 41.
You have to admit though, those longer shots are taken at extremely cautious gobblers, they take much more finesse on the call and thee suspense is indescribable, those 2 YO's that run over ya are exciting, but everybody knows those 4 YO's do not just run too the call on average,, at least not here in wv.

Exactly what MY post was NOT.

Sometimes they come in. You won. Sometimes they don't. Don't still try to "win". Respect the bird. Respect the sport. Let him walk. Kill him tomorrow or the day after.

Yes it was, no matter how you spin it, you will not shoot one beyond 40 yards, yet you admitted to shooting one at 66 by mistake, were you still trying to win as you say at 66? calling BS

Well, I won't be killing anything tomorrow. It's supposed to be 16 degrees with the wind chill and I am just not feeling up to that. I'll try and go next Saturday. If not, then I'll have two tags to try and fill in the spring.

Please..........do me AND yourself a favor.

Go back and re-read this discussion.

Same here, several high dollar dedicated 12ga turkey guns, have become safe queens. Been handloading and rocking the 20 w TSS the last 12 years.

That statement is in quotation marks. It is a generic statement I used to illustrate what we've heard turkey shooters say a dozen times or more to help justify a slop shot. The "turkey shooter's crutch".

Re-reading it, myself, I can see where you may have misunderstood my context. I'll word subsequent stuff better.

One of them at my kid's house. 😂😂😂

Crazy, ain't it ?? The 20 gauge I'm shooting now cost almost 10X less than the 3 1/2" 12 gauge semi it replaced.

I shot a turkey with a benelli super black Eagle with 3 inch Winchester longbeard xr. It flattened it at 59 yards I love the Winchester Ammo.

I agree 100%.

your entitled to state this, but I am entitled to my opinion also and that is I call bullshit on you and anyone who shares your opinion. Every animal we shoot regardless if its a turkey, a deer, a groundhog or a coyote deserves the same respect as any other critter. So you think those "Regal" game animals you speak of arre any different from the others who struggle every day to survive?

49 yards for me. 870 12ga with some fancy ammo (but not TSS), though I can't remember what exactly.

Turkeys are not native to my State. Oregon Dept of Fish & Game imported them. They first tried Merriam's and the planted populations (I believe mostly around the town of Hood River on the Columbia) didn't do as well as hoped. Then they switched to Rios and ALL of the plants took off. They kept transplanting more and those took off as well. They are common as rats now all across the State. To be honest, folks who live near large populations of them really have come to hate the birds as they roost and crap all over everything, dig up gardens, etc etc

Killed a bird at 62 yds with a BpS 10, an undertaker choke and 21/2oz of copper plated 5s , 20 years ago. Aint hunted them since I moved out west, The birds here I can call up to the side of my truck , and they are usually in town so , no sport.

You can call BS, that's fine. I try to thin out the ground-hog population on private farms to help the land owners from flipping tractors and their livestock from breaking legs. I try to kill every animal ethically, but unfortunately some whistle-pigs do get wounded. Coyotes need to die anyway possible. Cruel maybe, but they are just killers.

Last Turkey I killed was 55 yards. I misjudged the distance. Flattened the turkey.

That right there is a matter of opinion and in mine a complete load of horse shyt. Turkeys are dumb birds and ugly as hell. They don't taste particularly good and they're no more or less deserving of anything than any other animal or bird. I pay for a hunting license, I'll shoot my turkeys however/wherever/whenever I want within the game laws with no shame or regret. I've blasted them out my back door a time or two and they've been a target of opportunity while hunting small game/upland birds many times.

Coyote's just being a coyote. WTF do you expect them to do ? They're predators, just like you.

I have killed a few birds over 50 yards, although I really do not like shooting them that far. The fartherest one, and I actually put a tape measure on it because I knew it was long, was 58 yards. The gun was a Benelli SBE2 with an Indian Creek choke and Winchester Supreme 3 1/2 inch number 5 shot. I quit using that gun a few seasons thereafter because it kicked too much and the temptation was always there to take those long shots. I much prefer to let that turkey come into 40 yards or less, and make a sure thing shot, than brag about how far I killed one.

Three gobblers were walking down a track. I was in the treeline next to the track. A pasture lay beyond. I brought my gun up as the gobblers went behind some trees and waited with my eye to the scope. One of the gobblers appeared in my scope a short while later, right where I had been planning. I shot. The turkey fell over and did not move. I ejected the shell from my pump and started getting up to retrieve the carcass. Then the stuff hit the fan.

The details are here:

Last Tag Filled Amid Mortal Combat

Bottom line: I shot a bird at 80 yards. It knocked him out, but didn't kill him. I ended up in hand-to-hand combat with the bird

Moral: With an optical scope there is no depth of field. Be sure of the distance to target before locking your eye on the scope.

Gun: Mossberg 500, 12 GA 28" ported barrel. Carlson Dead Coyote choke
Ammo: Federal 12 GA 3inch #4 2 OZ lead.

Finish him!!!

I’ve shot a bunch between 40 and 50 yards with all sorts of guns and loads.

I killed one probably 9-10 years ago now with a 20 gauge and TSS 8.5’s in a field at a lasered 65 yards. I knew he was that far. I wanted to see if the TSS was as deadly as everything I had read. It is, by the way….

I like them under 20 yards. I prefer to pull that front trigger on my SxS. Will I let one walk at 45 yards with a good clean shot? Probably not.