The old-timey rounds like .32/20, .25/20, and even the original .22 Hornet are classic turkey cartridges, used at woods ranges, not for sniping at long range. Another good choice is a .36-.45 caliber roundball, fired from a classy ML, or an equivalent fired from a centerfire. Back in the day, such loads were commonly put together by one-gun hunters, and there were even some factory small-game loads for classic deer cartridges. Now, everyone has a special rifle for every conceivable use.
Old gunwriter Jim Carmichael wrote of calling turkeys in close and shooting them in the head or neck with “a cleverly concocted rifle cartridge”, certainly at least as sporting as greasing them with a double handful of birdshot at the same ranges. No one is openly advocating treating turkeys like big, feathered woodchucks, but slobs are going to do what they do regardless of the law. Doesn’t make sense to penalize everyone for what a few do.
