Airgun for Turkeys

[Rattus58]

I'm trying to bring Airgun Hunting to Hawaii. Along the way we're also trying to get the ban on Crossbows lifted. Here is my question to you all...

Do you believe that an Airgun in the .177 to .25 to .257 calibers can be effective in killing Turkeys humanely as is legal in California.

Please argue this point rather than just a yes or know please. I need arguments both ways to make up my own mind on a couple of things, though I believe they should be allowed.

Thank you in advance.

Aloha..

 

[gspn]

It depends on how accurate you can be, and if you can limit your shots to that range.

A shotgun is nothing more than an extremely loud and inaccurate BB gun.

With my Benjamin Marauder I can keep 10 shots inside of a dime all day at 30 yards. It's just one ragged hole.

How big is a turkeys vital spot? At what range can you reliably hit it?

As far as power goes, a pellet from a pellet gun pushing 900 to 1,200 FPS will do the same damage as a pellet from a shotgun that's doing the same speed. Obviously the shotgun is sending a cloud of shot...not just one...but that has it's downside too. How many hunters injure birds by taking shots that are too long, and hoping a magic BB will find it's mark? A whole bunch do that.

A high quality pellet gun has plenty of velocity to blow right through a turkey's head or neck...the big variable is the skill of the shooter. That skill comes in terms of accuracy, knowing when to take a shot, and having the discipline to take only shots you know you can hit.

Using my Marauder as an example again, I crush squirrels all day long with head shots. They drop almost in their tracks. The pellet has enough energy that it sails right on through their head and will smack into fences and trees another 20 or 30 yards beyond with a very loud impact. The right gun is plenty capable...but as will all things...you need the right shooter too.

 

[Hookeye]

Sure a turkey can be killed with a single small projectile, but when shotgunning them the idea is to kill them cleanly with multiple hits of enough energy as to wreck major structure about the neck/head.

Air rifle may work, but I wouldn't use the average type.
It'd have to be something of higher power and the aiming point in the body.

Turkeys are nervous and twitchy. A pattern of shot or an extended blade broadhead helps cover a larger area, would allow for some target movement (where a single projectile might just wound if off an inch).

 

[Hookeye]

Was on another forum where some guy in Hawaii was shooting pigs with air rifles.
That kind of setup for a body shot on a turkey might be right.
Pretty powerful and fancy rigs he had.

 

[rcmodel]

A body shot on a turkey won't stop them from jumping in the air and flying off to die elsewhere.

You would have to use enough gun to break both legs at the hip joints, or both wing joints, so they can't jump or fly, or you will never recover the mortally wounded bird.

My personal feeling is, air rifles should not be legal for hunting turkey.

For every hunter who can put a .177 or .22 pellet through a turkey's moving head (brain) at 25 yards?

There will be 500 more that buy an air rifle and a hunting license at Walmart and go turkey hunting with no sight-in, no practice, and no idea why they shot a turkey in the chest with a .177 springer and it flew away!!

Rc

 

[Hookeye]

The guy was using large caliber air rifles to put down pigs, I think it'd work on a turkey.

Non Walmart equipment he had.

 

[Blue68f100]

Accuracy of air guns is highly dependent on the pellet like a 22LR ammo. A friend of mine bought one with a scope. With the cheap factory pallets it would not group at all. He read in the manual that to get better accuracy you had to use a specific pellet. He was contemplating taking the gun back till he tried the new pellet. He went from a 3"+ group to <1" by only changing the pellets. I have an old near 50 yr old Sheredan Blue streak 20 cal (5mm) gun that is plenty powerful enough to kill most any thing if your able to place the lead into the right place. But I would not even consider it on a turkey just for the reasons RC said. Some animals are just very hard to drop on the spot. Then you take inconsideration that same can fly great distances tracking them is neat impossible.

Now a crossbow with a fishing line connected to arrow would be very doable. Limits how far they can fly or move.

 

[jmorris]

Depends on the air gun. Woulnt attempt it with a red rider but can hit golf balls with my .25 Benjamin at 100 yds, plenty of energy left to enter and exit a turkeys head at that distance as well.

First 4 plates on this rack are 2" in diameter, not even a challenge at 60 yds, "rapid fire" and holding the camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bhr0cGrEa4

 

[flathats]

jmorris....have a few airgun questions... I am not a big user of internet forums...haven't figured out how to pm...analogue guy in a digital world.

 

[jmorris]

No problem, we have an airgun forum here or I PMed you my email address.

You read your PM's by clicking on private messages at the top right of the page under your user name.

To send them just click on the users name you want to contact and a sub menu will pop up.

This is a link to the airgun forum here.

http://www.thehighroad.org/forumdisplay.php?f=70

Click on the "new topic" icon and ask away, they have been getting bored over there lately.

 

[Fremmer]

The problem with a turkey is they almost constantly turn or move the head while looking around. That's a hard small, moving target to hit.

I've seen them shot in the body with a .30-06 and fly away. the vital area in the body is pretty small on a turkey.

 

[Rattus58]

The problem with a turkey is they almost constantly turn or move the head while looking around. That's a hard small, moving target to hit.

I've seen them shot in the body with a .30-06 and fly away. the vital area in the body is pretty small on a turkey.

that may be... but they don't fly with a bullet in the brain. In my OPINION... a pellet gun is going to offer either a swing or a miss to the head. I've seen turkeys fly off with a load of 4/6's up the tail pipe and I've seen them survive a full on body shot and take off... possibly to die later on, but certainly not evident at the shot.

I know people who shoot turkeys that jump the fence into their gardens... not legal, but no one in the neighborhood is talking either because their garden is next.. and head shots with a 22 is the remedy... I don't know if short, long, or long rifle but I'd be surprised if it mattered.

I've not ever harvested a turkey myself with a rifle of any sort... but i've collected dead birds with the only evident pellet found in the head/neck... so i do know getting into the brain of a turkey is relatively easy with less than 1000 fps velocity.

Aloha

 

[nettlle]

My hat is off to any shooter that can make head shots on a wild turkey with a rifle.

 

[Hookeye]

Looks like she creased feathers then binked the beak and on the 3rd finally anchored him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZaexxNSqtg

Not a fan of the video or the hunt, but it was a turkey by airgun and when she hit a better spot the bird did go down.

YT videos have deer and other being taken cleanly with big bore airguns.

 

[Rattus58]

Looks like she creased feathers then binked the beak and on the 3rd finally anchored him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZaexxNSqtg

Not a fan of the video or the hunt, but it was a turkey by airgun and when she hit a better spot the bird did go down.

YT videos have deer and other being taken cleanly with big bore airguns.

I only noticed her blue eyes through the netting....

I agree that this scenario might play out more than once with airguns, but that is why I think I'd advocate for a mandatory class you have to sit through and be tested on ethics, shot placement and timing before receiving your tag for airgun Turkey.

That gun really must be quiet because around here....

 

[Rattus58]

My hat is off to any shooter that can make head shots on a wild turkey with a rifle.

My hats off to anyone who can take a turkey....

 

[jrdolall]

I have killed a lot of turkey in my life.
Can an airgun kill a turkey? Absolutely! Should it be legal? I don't think so.

Turkey are basically killed with a shotgun by putting multiple pellets in the head and neck area. With a bow we normally use special broadheads designed to stop inside the turkey and restrict its flight. Normal broadheads will fly right through a turkey but the turkey will fly off and be very difficult to find. When they run or fly they don't usually leave much of a blood trail to follow like a larger animal does.

I think the only way to make killing and recovering a turkey with an airgun would be a head shot. We are talking about a target the size of an egg that is bouncing around most of the time. I just think you are asking for a lot of dead turkeys that will never be recovered, especially if this is in wooded areas. Maybe it is all open fields where you can watch the animal expire from a distance? I know I have had to try and track a wounded turkey through the underbrush and it is nearly impossible.

Good luck with your endeavor!

 

[jmorris]

My hat is off to any shooter that can make head shots on a wild turkey with a rifle.

Head or neck is the only way I have ever taken one.

I will say that I generally see them when I am after something else.

 

[Rattus58]

I have killed a lot of turkey in my life.
Can an airgun kill a turkey? Absolutely! Should it be legal? I don't think so.

Turkey are basically killed with a shotgun by putting multiple pellets in the head and neck area. With a bow we normally use special broadheads designed to stop inside the turkey and restrict its flight. Normal broadheads will fly right through a turkey but the turkey will fly off and be very difficult to find. When they run or fly they don't usually leave much of a blood trail to follow like a larger animal does.

I think the only way to make killing and recovering a turkey with an airgun would be a head shot. We are talking about a target the size of an egg that is bouncing around most of the time. I just think you are asking for a lot of dead turkeys that will never be recovered, especially if this is in wooded areas. Maybe it is all open fields where you can watch the animal expire from a distance? I know I have had to try and track a wounded turkey through the underbrush and it is nearly impossible.

Good luck with your endeavor!

The reason why I submit to you that the size of the head is probably immaterial, is that I've watched video of 100 yard shots to the heads of doves and squirrels with pellet guns. I was pretty blown away by how accurate these guns are and how far airguns have come compared to my Benjamin Pump, now supplanted with 4 PCP from 22 to .357 caliber.

Here is a video of another california airgun hunt for turkey that might illustrate the accuracy of these guns.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HINxpfdkJNo

Nonetheless... I appreciate your comment and input!

Much Aloha...

 

[Rattus58]

Head or neck is the only way I have ever taken one.

I will say that I generally see them when I am after something else.

Isnt' that always... hahaha

 

[jmorris]

This one stuck around long enough to even take a photo of it through the scope.



Just not what I wanted that day.

You learn more about what will spook or pause animals "in the wild" by observing them that just killing them (or firing at them, if that is the case). A sharp "click" of your tounge will make many pause and look up (and hold still) long enough to take a shot, if you are ready.

I have seen deer look everywhere when your shooting plants with a suppressed .22 (rocks will get them moving faster but you want to make sure the impact is far enough away so they don't get hurt) to either side of them and not get "spooked" rather just know that "something isn't right" and after sometimes 20 min, they will just move on. If you have some real "corn suckers" beating on the blind and sometimes even having a dog running around (not chasing them of course) won't have them run off.

 

[Rattus58]

This one stuck around long enough to even take a photo of it through the scope.



Just not what I wanted that day.

You learn more about what will spook or pause animals "in the wild" by observing them that just killing them (or firing at them, if that is the case). A sharp "click" of your tounge will make many pause and look up (and hold still) long enough to take a shot, if you are ready.

I have seen deer look everywhere when your shooting plants with a suppressed .22 (rocks will get them moving faster but you want to make sure the impact is far enough away so they don't get hurt) to either side of them and not get "spooked" rather just know that "something isn't right" and after sometimes 20 min, they will just move on. If you have some real "corn suckers" beating on the blind and sometimes even having a dog running around (not chasing them of course) won't have them run off.

Hehe... nice to have choices...

 

[rcmodel]

would be a head shot. We are talking about a target the size of an egg

No, actually we are talking about a target about the size of a nickel or quarter.

A turkeys head might be the size of an egg.

But the brain is one of the smallest in the animal world compared to body mass.

Chicken brains are even smaller.

In my miss-spent youth, I was often task with going out and shooting a chicken for supper for my mom with my .22 rifle.

I'm here to tell you that you can shoot a chicken in the head till there isn't much head left without hitting it's tiny brain and killing it.

Turkey's are the same, only bigger.

If you can clip his neck / spine with a .22, or an air rifle, they will die DRT.

If you shoot them in the head, you will often as not miss the tiny brain, and they won't die DRT.

rc

 

[nettlle]

I've shot chickens for supper with an iron sighted .22. A chicken's head seems to never stop moving. And although chickens aren't the brightest creatures in the animal kingdom if you miss a chicken a couple of times it has enough sense to figure out that something is not quite right.

When I started hunting turkeys they reminded me of the supper chickens in the way that it seems that their heads never stop moving.

 

[jrdolall]

I just think that the chances of hitting a turkey and never making a recovery are greatly increased when using any single projectile. I have shot a turkey with a 30-06 and it was DRT. I have shot them with a regular broadhead and they were DRT. I have had complete pass through shots with broadheads where the animal ran off with no signs of injury, went 50 yards, and expired so I know it can be done.

No doubt a person can shoot a turkey in the head or neck and kill it but the odds of injuring the animal are far greater than with t a shotgun or proper broadhead. I am pretty much for all forms of legal hunting and have no issue with airguns for hogs and even deer but I don't see enough people with proficiency in airguns to make it viable.

BTW it is illegal to hunt turkey anywhere near a feeder where I hunt.