2nd shot

[ninepointer]

While calling this spring for a new hunter after his first turkey, the tom came in really close (10 yards) and the young fella took the shot as soon as the bird turned tail raised, rather than wait for the bird to move out toward the decoys. Under the circumstances I was not surprised by the miss, but what did catch me off guard was when he took a 2nd shot at the fleeing tom. Long-story short, despite the cloud of feathers we never found the bird even though we searched for over an hour. I did my best to cheer the young fella up, but his disappointment was impossible to mask.

When I think how of many times during my turkey seasons I've heard the distant boom-boom of 2 rapid shots, I'm left wondering what the point of such 2nd shots is? How many result in wounded birds or meat that is badly shot up. My experience with turkeys is that if the 1st shot is a miss, a 2nd shot is a Hail Mary not worth taking. What's your experience with 2nd shots? Are there some happy stories?

[Ontariofarmer]

Killed my turkey this year with the second shot. But he did not run at first. Semi auto too So it depends
I was too excited and missed the first time. He was heavily distracted attacking a jake decoy


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[fratri]

2 seasons back I missed my first shot ...turkey was just too close I guess or me too excited maybe a combo of the two but the bird only ran about 5 yds.....stopped to look around giving me more than enough time for a good 2nd shot, so second shots are effective................. especially if the first one just wounds him...

[jim]

I've often wondered if you would not be better off using a double gun, choked tight and more open. Tight choke for long shots and more open when they get up close.

[bellerivercrossbowhunter]

Since I use a xbow for Turkey if I get another shot then I make it count. Lol

[finsfurfeathers]

Killed a few birds on the second shot but you got to do it right. Got to shoot them like jack rabbits aim for the head while applying proper lead. Most likely your young hunter in his turkey fever shot for the body easy mistake in the heat of the moment but learn from it keep your cool aim for the head making sure you use appropriate lead.

[ninepointer]

I've often wondered if you would not be better off using a double gun, choked tight and more open. Tight choke for long shots and more open when they get up close.

That's why next season I intend to take out my 16 ga. SxS, choked mod & full.

[Fox]

The first bird I shot was a large jake, shot it at 20ish yards on a dead run head up into the decoys. It was not a second shot but it was a running shot, nothing wrong with it.

I had a situation one year where I was tagged out, I was taking my wife out, it was 6:30pm and we had to make a push to try to get up close to a big Tom, we had a very limited season so no going back the next day. We ended up jumping him out of the long grass, if it was myself hunting and not my wife that bird would have been shot at about 15 yards on the wing with the 16ga double. If you have no problem hitting a rabbit on the run or a grouse on the wing at a given range with #4-6 shot then why would it be a problem to shoot a turkey in the head/neck at that same range.

[ninepointer]

If you have no problem hitting a rabbit on the run or a grouse on the wing at a given range with #4-6 shot then why would it be a problem to shoot a turkey in the head/neck at that same range.

Sometimes there would be no difference, but being confined to a blind's window opening or being tucked at the base of a tree on the ground is not conducive to the kind of swing, lead and follow-through that aides in properly connecting with fast moving targets. Add an extra-full turkey choke and bonded shot like Winchester Longbeard and the result might be a clean miss or a heck of a mess.

To be honest, the time I missed a turkey I was too dumb-bound to even think of a 2nd shot

[Fox]

Sometimes there would be no difference, but being confined to a blind's window opening or being tucked at the base of a tree on the ground is not conducive to the kind of swing, lead and follow-through that aides in properly connecting with fast moving targets. Add an extra-full turkey choke and bonded shot like Winchester Longbeard and the result might be a clean miss or a heck of a mess.

To be honest, the time I missed a turkey I was too dumb-bound to even think of a 2nd shot

Was in a blind with a Remington 870 extra full choke 3 1/2" #6 shot Federal flite control wad with the running jake, I am just saying that it is not all that crazy.

My dad had a particularly bad outing, the bird came in at a weird angle, he got overly excited and push came to shove he got the turkey on shot 3, he said he may have put a pellet in it on shot 1 but missed completely on shot 2 at 10 yards and got it on shot 3 at 15 yards.

By the sounds of it your concern is more about a new hunter that is not experienced with the gun and or the action of cycling and shooting accurately rather than the second shot, he should not have taken a second shot rather than a second shot is always a bad thing.