Turkey hunting regulations

[Boomerang]

I don't understand why a lot of states don't allow turkey hunting with a round ball, but you can squirrel and rabbit hunt with one?

 

[Dusty_Traveler]

If the bird population is low, or trying to rebound, a great many more birds can be killed with a single roundball than would be with legal shot size. Making it harder to kill them gives them a fighting chance to bounce their numbers back where they are thin.

The fatbird population around my area have been in decline for several years now.

As of the 2025 season, the legalities for my area are:

Scattergun only, 10ga max, No.2 shot max

These regs are always subject to change. This is the first year that we have had an "Alternative weapons" deer season, and the first year that buckshot for deer (No.4 minimum) is being allowed again in quite some time. After speaking with a few folks, and reading some, I think there has been an explosion in the deer population, and that is trying to be controlled.

I doubt we will ever be able to hunt a turkey, legally, with a single round ball around here, but I would like to know where it is legal.

 

[Boomerang]

You can in West Virginia.

 

[sheriff john]

Part of the reason is hunter safety. Hunters are in camo, generally on the ground shooting at birds on the ground. Single projectiles go further, through brush, and cause more grievous wounds than do birdshot. So, right or wrong, it's a reason to limit legal hunting to birdshot of smaller sizes.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Part of the reason is hunter safety. Hunters are in camo, generally on the ground shooting at birds on the ground. Single projectiles go further, through brush, and cause more grievous wounds than do birdshot. So, right or wrong, it's a reason to limit legal hunting to birdshot of smaller sizes.

Right.
So here in the Fall season you can use a small caliber rifle, but in the Winter and Spring seasons, only a shotgun. That is in part I think because most of the hunter go for Turkey in the Spring, here. I think this is also the reason why shot no larger than #4 may be used, as anything bigger retains too much energy over too far a distance.

LD

 

[Historian]

The issue is now that Heavier than Lead ie. HTL shot is all the rage, #7 #6 #5 Ect Ect, tungsten, especially TSS will and can lay Turkeys out dead at ranges I would not even shoot a RB. I have friends who hand load 12 and 10 gauges with 2 - 2 3/4 oz’s of TSS and pattern them out to 80 yards. The shot is lethal and will penetrate to kill way past 100 yards. TSS 4, 3, and 2’s are used for Coyote , Pigs, and even Deer. I used to have 2’s loaded for home defense. So unless they do something about TSS and limit the size there to a max of #5, limiting RB ‘s in muzzle loading is almost a joke. Just take a look at the cartridge turkey loadings in 20, 12 and 10 gauges for TSS and you can see what I mean. It’s almost ridiculous not to mention crazy expensive!