I I’m not a dedicated Turkey hunter. However, most of my Birds have been killed quickly or instantly. I can only think of one Bird that got away.
As far as the eating???? None have been destroyed to the point of throwing a breast away and have to crack a tooth.
Nor am I about to start aiming for heads, when I have a whole body of vitals to hit. I have a bigger target up close with a standing Deer and a scope. I don’t shoot heads there either.
Addition: And the Jelly Head phenomenon and LR killing of Turkeys is around a decade or little more recent way it’s done. That wasn’t always the case.
I can’t prove it, but when you start shooting Turkeys at 40 yards plus with a shotgun, my bet is there are as many crippled gobblers taken out of the flock as there are by us who shoot hens. Maybe that is why the numbers are down.
How many took an outlander pellet in the guts and walked away as a supposed miss. To die later. If you don’t think it happens, then you haven’t given your 40 yard patterns a critical look.
And there are more than a few who can’t see a Turkeys head at 40 yards vs aiming at it with a shotgun. Many couldn’t hit it consistently with a scoped rifle.
Forgive the typos, texting while bouncing along in a car.
Last edited by battue; 05/26/23.
