Turkey hunting can be difficult, as you are aware if you have ever done it. It’s challenging to capture a turkey because they are shrewd and cunning animals, their feathers serve as armor, and their vital organs are tiny and incongruously located.
You can see how difficult it is to kill these birds when you consider their fast, erratic movements, slightly larger than softball lungs, and hearts.
Knowing a turkey’s anatomy is important when shooting one. Understanding the location of the bird’s heart and lungs as well as how little things like strutting can affect a shot’s success or, worse yet, cause injury to the target animal are crucial.
Here are some suggestions on where to shoot a turkey in order to guarantee a humane death.
Table of Contents
Turkey Vitals Diagram
Being able to make accurate shots from any angle depends on knowing where the vital organs are located. Rather than just wounding it or completely missing it, you ought to be able to kill a turkey cleanly.
- Lungs and Heart – Most of the time, you should aim for the turkey’s heart and lungs. They present the largest target size at just a little over softball size, despite the size being relatively small compared to other game types. Finding a bird’s lungs and heart is difficult. In a bird that isn’t strutting, the heart is located above the center, and the lungs are located high in the back. The heart is positioned a few inches behind the beard and slightly higher than the broadside of the turkey.
- Neck – You can kill a bird at the neck if you have a great shooting eye. A region smaller than a ping pong ball is where you should aim to sever the spinal column. The carotid artery and windpipe may be removed if the spine is not struck.
- Head – You’re aiming for the brain, so it’s just as difficult as the shot at the neck. Think small and maneuverable, like a ping-pong ball. You probably will kill if you hit. There is a good chance that you will completely miss if you miss.
Turkey Shot Placement
Your best shot placement for bows and crossbows when hunting turkeys is on the heart and lungs. It’s more difficult to make successful shots at the neck and spine, especially when a tom is strutting, so some turkey hunters prefer to go for quick kills by shooting at the bird’s neck and spine.
1. Broadside Shots
Maybe you have heard the saying, “Hit him high and watch him die; hit him low and watch him fly.” Most people don’t realize that a turkey’s vitals are higher and farther back on the bird. The butt of the wing, where it joins the turkey’s body, is the ideal location to aim at a broadside bird. This almost always results in a moral killing. While sticking the bird or passing through, your Wasp broadhead will probably break both wings and pierce the heart and/or lungs.
2. Quartering Shots
A quartering shot is challenging. If you have a forward quartering shot, you should aim for the area between the off-side leg and the beard’s attachment on both the horizontal and vertical axes.
If you could imagine lines going from there to the horizontal axis and from the off-side leg perpendicular to the ground.
Ideally, the heart should be there. It’s not the best shot, but you might be able to hit the heart, the lungs, or the spine here.
3. Straight On
It’s not a good shot to face directly on or slightly quarter. If you do decide to take the risk, aim for a non-strutting tom with a beard that is an inch below the surface.
You need to aim just below the point where the beard joins the bird on a strutting tom.
When executed properly, this shot has the potential to hit the heart or lungs, break the back and sever the spine, and possibly break a leg or wing.
4. from the Rear
When the bird has its back to you, its head is up, but it is not strutting, that is one of the best situations. A bird with its head down and feeding will not make a good target, so avoid shooting it.
Aim for the spine between the wings if the bird is not strutting and facing backward. If the bird is strutting, you can aim for the vent (anus) in a “Texas Heart Shot.”
The heart, liver, or lungs could be struck by an arrow fired at the base of the tail. It is not a good shot to take and needs to be fairly accurate.
5. Neck and Head Shots
It can be difficult to hit the neck or head, but if you do, the kill will be more humane.
Shoot the turkey halfway up the neck, where the feathers begin and the carbuncles end. With a good target in this area, you can strike the spine and sever the carotid there.
A Note on Strutting Toms
Even though strutting toms are stunning, shooting them is challenging due to their inflated feathers. Due to their movement, they are a more difficult animal to identify the killing zone for.
If necessary, wait for the turkey to stand and stretch its neck before giving him a few yelps or clucks to pique his interest.
Otherwise, it will be challenging to locate the bird’s body because the neck will be bent and the feathers will be puffed out.
After You Release the Arrow
One of the most crucial pieces of advice I can give you concerns what to do after your shot. Refrain from chasing after your bird, regardless of whether you get a passthrough or it flees after being struck by your arrow seemingly unharmed. Try to pacify the birds by sitting firmly and calling subtly. The injured bird won’t usually travel far, so you’ll likely find him nearby where you last saw him. There is a good chance that the bird will reach the next county before dying if you sprint out of the blind and give chase. Sit and wait for your bird to pass away with the same patience you used to get your shot. Give the turkey the same amount of time that you would any large game animal.
Tips for Better Accuracy
Turkeys are hard to hunt because they are hardy, suspicious birds. When it comes to turkeys, having good shooting skills is crucial, but other factors can mean the difference between having turkey for dinner and returning home empty-handed.
Here are some doable recommendations to raise your chances of nailing the shot.
1. a Good Ground Blind is Key
Turkeys are highly visual creatures with excellent vision. The ability to hide from the gobbler in a ground blind can mean the difference between getting your gobbler and not.
If you have particularly wary birds, you might need to leave your ground blind up for a few weeks prior to turkey season so the birds can get used to it.
2. Draw Birds Closer
Learn to cluck, gobble, and yell. To sound more like a turkey and less like a hunter trying to sound like a turkey, practice using your turkey calls during the off-season.
Use your calling abilities to bring your birds within range of your gobbler so that you can quickly take them down.
3. Use a Rangefinder
Don’t guess how far that tom is; be familiar with distances. Those toms appear closer than they are in the heat of the hunt.
By using a rangefinder, you can stop assuming the bird is 20 or 30 yards away.
Instead, you can consider how to best plan your shot and even choose whether you need to draw him in for a better shot.
Wrapping Up: Happy Hunting
Turkey bowhunting can be extremely difficult and even seem impossible at times, but I assure you that it is possible…Good things will happen if you are persistent, patient, and optimistic in your work. Most importantly, keep in mind to enjoy yourself, the spring, and your hunting buddies! Good luck out there!
