Shooting a turkey is not that easy. Turkeys are big birds and do not stay at a place. You need to hit the spot that is likely to immobilize it. For this, you need to take to a lot of practice to develop the accuracy that is essential to shoot turkeys. You need to hone your accuracy to make your skill focused.
Further, be aware that hunting turkey with a crossbow without using a ground blind is nearly impossible. If you are hunting lying behind a ground blind, the best place to aim is to take the help of a broadside gobbler at the top of the things. The point when aimed at that may kill is a tiny spot.
If you follow specific points you, you can easily hit the spot.
Turkey Shoot Placement Guide
The placement of the shoot is very important. This will enhance the chance of your success. Note that a turkey’s vital parts of the body are not very big. It is just as small as a softball that is a little oversized. We mention here the various points that will help get guidance in deciding the shot placement.
Keep the Point Lower
The important organs such as the lungs and heart lie a little above the center of gravity. Therefore, you should take into account this while place the shoot.
Know the vital points if you aim too high, you’re apt to mistake. If you looked at the turkey, there is not a critical point that you should aim at. The vital organs of the bird are located at a place lower than many people think.
Look at the spot where the wings join the body. It is here that the heart is located. When the hunter aims for this spot, that is between the wings and the more muscular part of the bird that is more likely to reach the killing point. Aiming at the lungs is also good because it will cause a severe weakening effect.
How to do this?
For this, take a horizontal line from the bard’s beard base. Draw a line erect from the leg on the opposite. An arrow placed at a point corresponding to the intersection of these two lines will go into the lungs and heart of the bird. If the stroke is high, it can also affect the spine.
When is the bird straight?
When a turkey stands facing straight toward you, place the arrow between the beard base and the neck base. There is a thin upright line of breast feathers that can make it easy to aim at.
Turkeys are talented birds, and hunting them can be a real challenge. They use their feathers as amours to shield their vital organs. Such that their vitals are shrouded, making them hard to shoot. If you are a bow hunter, you probably know that already. Also, their vital organs are placed where you’d least expect.
Moreover, to make a clean bow turkey kill, you have to know its anatomy. This is where all the trick lies. And also, about how strutting can make you miss a shot or even wound the animal.
Vitals of Turkey
Knowing where each vital organ is situated in the turkey is essential as it helps you make accurate shots from any angle. Such that, instead of missing shots or wounding the animal, you can make a clean shot.
Head
The head encases the brain. This is one of the trickiest shots because you are targeting the brain. It’s just like a portable table tennis ball. Such that, if you hit, the bird goes down, if you miss, you miss entirely.
Neck
The neck encloses the spinal column, which in itself is smaller than a table tennis ball. However, there is an excellent opportunity to take out the carotid artery and windpipe if you slightly miss the spine.
If you make an excellent shot, you will take out the turkey cleanly from the neck.
Lung and Heart
The turkey’s lungs and heart provide the biggest sized target because they are slightly bigger than a softball. The real problem lies in locating the heart and lungs of the turkey.
The lungs are situated high within its back, and the heart is located at the center, for a turkey that isn’t strutting.
Beginning at the bird’s lateral side, the heart sits a little higher and some inches backward from the beard. Always aim to shoot at the bird’s heart and lungs as they avail you the best possible size for a clean kill.
Where to Shoot a Turkey with a Bow
You are having understood the anatomy of the bird. Identifying where to shoot a turkey with a bow is pivotal if you must have a great hunt. Here are some tips for you to shoot a turkey with a bow to achieve a good kill.
The Back
For a turkey standing erect, with its back facing you, the perfect spot to aim is the back. Keep in the intention that you should not shoot when the bird is walking or feeding. More specifically, when its head is down. You may instead try to get its awareness, and then target the center of its back. If you aim the shot accurately, you will immobilize the animal, by severing its spine.
Below The Neck
It is not ideal for taking a shot at a turkey when it is facing you. This is because its eyes are on you, wait for it to turn, and target up to four inches below the base of its neck. A well-placed shot will result in damaged vital organs and a fractured back.
Broadside
Don’t forget where the vital organs of the turkey are, when you aim at its broadside. A rule of thumb is to target the last wing joint. To make sure you are getting this right, draw a line in your head from the bird’s leg to intersect the wing joint. Target the point where the track meets the wing bone.
Standing Erect and Facing You
As aforementioned, you are shooting a bird when it’s facing you isn’t ideal and can be tough. However, if you must hunt, aim at a spot four inches below its neck base. If you hit, you will render it’s back broken and sever its vitals.
Strutting
The vital organs of a strutting turkey are hard to locate, as everything puffs up. However, if you are cautious enough, you will have a clean shot if the turkey is fully strutted and walking away from you. Then all you possess to do is aim at its anus, you will, however, need a high penetrating broadhead to pull off a clean kill.
For a fully strutted turkey facing towards you, aim at a point slightly below where its beard grows out from its feathers. A perfect shot gets it’s back broken and severs its vitals. Moreover, if you are facing the broadside while it struts, the feathers make it difficult to find the vitals. So it’s most satisfying to wait for it to come out of strut if you are facing its broadside.
Conclusion
The question of where to shoot a turkey with a bow does not have one answer. As there are several spots, you can shoot a turkey, depending on your preferences. While most hunters will opt for a headshot, it’s only doable if you are highly skilled with the bow.
If your skill with the bow is still wavy, a broadside shot will be the best choice for you. If you target the spots recommended in this article, your bow will hit the kill zone cleanly.
As turkeys approach an area in flocks, you can quickly get it scattered and start aiming at the bird. However, you need to be an accomplished shooter. You need to do a lot of practice. When shooting turkeys, the job involves shooting a body that often keeps moving on the ground.
Therefore, you need to learn how the vital organs may be hit with the arrow even when the bird is on the move. You need to visualize the position of the vital organs as well as the spine, the points where the wings join the body. This will help immensely.
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