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.