22 mag for turkey?

[griz]

Has anybody used a 22 magnum for turkey hunting? Would it have enough power for a shot to the body? I'm thinking about trying it but I know turkeys are pretty stout. I don't want to hit one and have it run away to die where I can't find it.

 

[Poodleshooter]

Yes, I've killed one with a .22mag, but it was a head shot. I really don't trust it for that anymore, though I'm sure with proper placement it would do the job. I'd rather bump up to .223 next time.
Shot my last one with a .308 125gr SP through the neck. That worked well.
I'm trying to work both ends of the power spectrum.

 

[cookhj]

yeah, i killed my last one with a .308. didn't mess up and meat either. i shot him in the lower back and it exited through his ribcage between his wing and his leg on his left side. i don't think the bullet had time to expand in such a small animal. he was quite a nice size bird too. but to answer your question, at close range a .22 mag will do it. i talked to a guy once who used to rifle hunt for turkeys a lot and he said that the best caliber is a .22 hornet or a .222. he said they offer a good amount of power, and they just zip through without messing up any meat. the guy said to shoot them at the base of the wing for a quick kill.

 

[kentucky bucky]

Sure do wish I could hunt turkey with rifles, at least during the fall season. I loved it the time I went hunting in VA in the '70s. You could hunt deer,bear,turkey,and anything else, all at the same time. If my memory is right, the total on the license for a week was around $80.00 for everything! This was an out of state license for a week or so! I'm sure it's not the same now.

 

[ScottsGT]

In SC, you can only use a shotgun.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Like ScottsGT said, be sure to check your state laws on legal weapons for turkey hunting.

 

[griz]

Thanks guys. Virginia has different rules for different counties. The only rifles allowed where I hunt are rimfire, thus the question. The reason I asked was I wanted to stretch the range a bit over the shotgun. If the 22 mag is weak at longer range, I guess I'll stick to the shotgun.