Turkey with smallbore rifle?

[ryoung14]

First off, I'm not a turkey hunter; never shot one. Secondly, only shotguns are legal arms for taking turkeys here in NY. But I do have a passel of birds on my property and have been curious about how well a .32 or .36 cal. muzzleloader shooting PRB would do in collecting one (just curious, mind you, nothing more :.

Do any of you hunt in areas were such a firearm would be legal for turkeys? If so, how well do they do and what loads work best?

It doesn't seem that a PRB from a .32 or a .36 would pose any more hazard than a stiff load of #2s from a 12 gauge. I could get into turkey hunting with a passion if I could take my .36 Seneca.

Just askin'.
Bob

 

[gmww]

Texas allows the use of rifles on turkey. I killed one after calling it in to 14 yrds. I used a shotgun but at 14 yrds, I could have picked off his head with a rifle.

 

[BrownBear]

I have kin in Texas who have used rifles for years. They argue constantly which is better- a 22 mag with solids or a 223 with reduced loads. Either way, I'm betting either of your rifles will be fine if you do your job.

 

[sidelock]

Your .36 would do just fine. I have taken a bunch with my .50 T/C while deer hunting----but this is just a bit of over kill. :front:

 

[swquiro]

Both the .32 and .36 will harvest a turkey cleanly. I have taken several with a .36 in W.Va. where rifles are legal. Rifles were legal in Va but I believe they have been outlawed for the spring season, thanks to the efforts of the shotgun purists. In the past I took a number of the big birds in Va with the .22 WM. I have no gripe with the shotgun purists, but leave me and my rifles alone. Shooting a big stationary target with a scattergun is like shooting a standing deer with buckshot, at least sort of. Real sporting, I say. Okay, come at me with your tar and feathers if you can find me. No offense meant.

 

[Slamfire]

I'd love to try it, but the State of Tennessee believes in shotguns loaded with 4, 5 or 6 shot. :curse:

 

[Bob J]

Plan on trying it myself this year with a .360 roundball and 40 grains 3f.

 

[jim gray]

Only the PA fall season allows the use of rifles and I won't have my .32 cal in time this year. I had no interest at all in hunting turkeys until last winter when I got my Navy Army SxS 12 gauge. I've never actively been hunting turkeys when I shot them. ::

I agree that shooting a turkey at close range with a shotgun is only slightly more challenging than dropping a rock and hitting the ground, but the challenge in our spring season, as I have found is getting the gobbler to approach what he thinks is a hen (hopefully), something that is not a normal course of action for the tom.

I will try my hand at turkeys next fall with the .32 caliber. This coming spring I will have no choice but to try to call one close enough to nail him with the Navy Arms double.

To you guys who have used a small caliber ML rifle to take a turkey, would you recommend a head shot? It seems to me that with all of the erratic movement of a turkeys head this would be a difficult target at best.

 

[Wehrmacht]

It's legal here in Florida. Shot one several years back,PRB,.50cal,72gr 3f.The ball entered about dead center of the brest,passed out in the anal area.The bird got airborne with about two feet of intestines trailing out and flew at least 200 yards before crashing then almost outran me when I got up on it.One super tough bird. I've shot others with the same rifle that never left the ground and still others that became airborne for a few yards before crashing. I'd pop one in a heartbeat with my little .32cal squirrel rifle.I'm confident a .32cal will work,especially if you could bust a wing joint. :imo:

 

[Rebel]

I wouldn't hesitate to try one with the .32 cal if it were legal. It is all about shot placement.

 

[GobblerKnob]

At the risk of groans and moans at showing this picture again, here's a gobbler I shot last fall , in PA with Nell, my .45. The second picture is of another tueky I took with Nell a few years before. I've been hunting fall turkeys with a BP gun, rifle and shotgun both, for many years and have killed several birds with each.

I aim for where the legs join the body. Very little meat lost and the turkey doesn't go far. I am building a .32 in the near future to use instead of this .45. The .32 is plenty powerful enough to kill a turkey. Like someone before me said, "Shot placement is the key." A head shot will most definitely kill it, but can you hit a ducking and bobbing head with a small bullet. I'm pretty sure I can't.

Hitting one where the neck joins the body is also a good spot, but you risk meat loss if using anything bigger than .32. Anyway, if it's legal to use one, do it! It's very exciting and adds a new dimension to a great sport! Rick

 

[ryoung14]

I agree swquiro, shotguns are fine for wingshooting and home defense. For most anything else, I prefer a rifle.

Shot placement seems to be an area of disagreement:
Head shot - difficult
Where neck joins the body - lose meat (but how much?)
Wing joint - can a .32 or .36 get through the feathers?
Where legs join body - new one! Isn't it shielded by wing feathers? .32/.36 enough?

Thanks for reposting those pictures, Gobblersknob. Real pretty. Certainly days to remember.
Bob

 

[GobblerKnob]

While feathers can certainly prove to be tough for pellets to get through, a .32 or .36 ball won't have any trouble at all. Much more mass than those itty bitty #4's or # 6's.
You have to incapacitate the bird when using a small projectile, or you risk losing it when it flies or runs off.

A shot through the upper leg joints will put the bird down and kill it quickly due to shock. A shot through the crop area (where the neck joins the body) will also put it down and kill it quickly from shock. A shot to the bean will put it down and kill it instantly.

Rick

 

[Bob J]

GobblerKnob - Thanks for posting those pictures again :front: A hunting show last year indicated that to place a bullet through the vitals, follow the legs up into the body a couple of inches, then at right angles BACK towards the tail a couple of inches. Haven't tried it yet but plan on trying it this year. A shot through the breast doesn't hit vitals and can waste meat.

 

[swquiro]

I stand corrected on Virginia not allowing rifle for turkey in the spring. Rifle is legal fall and spring, except for a few counties. I always aim for the wing butt. 32 and 36 work like champs on turkey. I never lost a turkey that I hit, but I did miss two, shot too fast. But I have heard shotgunners say "I got a lot of feathers'" or "I rolled one, but he got away." Forget head shots, that is just asking for frustration.

 

[gmww]

Forget head shots, that is just asking for frustration.

Ahhh but when you finally kill one think of the bragging rights. Course it may take a couple of years! :hmm:

 

[sidelock]

Wing butt is the mark. Once got one at 125 yd with my T/C .50--- and several others not so far with the same hold. :results:

 

[Bob J]

I always aim for the wing butt.

:huh: Could you explain "wing butt"?