Previously Shot Turkeys

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Spuriosity
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Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by Spuriosity »

Anybody else kill a lot of turkeys that have been wounded previously? I was eating a deep fried delicacy the other night that I had shot last year in Ky with a TSS 9x8 shell. I found a CP lead #5 pellet in the breast meat. That makes about the sixth turkey I have killed in the last six or so years that I have found lead shot in that I didn't put there. It has always been CP lead 4s or 5s. No wonder turkeys sometimes don't act right about coming all the way in. I'd be a little leery too if I had been shot at and hit in the past.
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guesswho
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by guesswho »

It seems like I kill at least one every year that has been shot with what appears to be dove loads. I hunt a couple fields where they have dove shoots and figure it's from that, or drive by's.
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by gobbler336 »

about every year i will get one that has some lead in it, killed one a few years back that had what appeared to be plain lead 6's and two 00 buck shot pellets, they had healed over in the breast. i killed one that had two copper plated #4s against its neck bone and one pellet was flat on one side, hard to believe it hit hard enough to deform the shot and not break a neck bone!
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redarrow
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by redarrow »

Called one in for my BIL . He shot it on the right side with cp lead 4s. We skinned it out and found cp pellets in the popes nose(bung hole flap) and lead pellets under the right wing.
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by poorcountrypreacher »

I'd say about 20-25% of the turkeys I kill have lead shot in them from somebody else; most of the time it is #6. One year I killed 7, and 4 of them had been shot before. I killed one in NE that had a big hunk of hevishot in his breast; no telling what size that was supposed to be.

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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by Jaybird »

Seldom have I had an issue with birds shot before, but the Tom I killed in Kansas was hit hard under the wing, and the wing was broken. He came in silent and in strut. Meat hadn't got bad yet, so thinking the bird had been shot a couple of days before I killed him. He was a very nice Tom, that I'm glad I got before a Coyote.
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MKW
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by MKW »

I, too, have killed many birds that had beed shot previously.

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Shooter
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by Shooter »

I can remember a few, but not really that many.
Funny you mentioned this, but I know you remember the high gravel road above the Horse trail. I think we stopped there listening a couple times. Anyway, the year before there were a couple of 2 year olds running together up there pretty regular. Lily and I ended up taking both of them at an hour apart.
Just a week earlier, I had roosted them, but I had a larger bird roosted down in the Horse trail, so I called a buddy to go in on the two up on the high road. We didn't do any good that morn, so we left to go pick him up on the other road. He had worked them, but no luck. We were driving back out when we saw them in the woods close to the road. He was trying to get to his gun, but I said, not in this car!
When I cleaned one of the turkeys a week later, I found a pellet in his leg. I said to myself, that looks awful small. Took it home, and measured, weighed it. It was one of MY TSS 7s?????
Wait a minute,.... I have only shot at two turkeys in here within 5 miles, and they died. One was at 15yds, and the other was less than 10, and they were pretty much decapitated. No way one was just stuck in the skin, way down in the lower leg.
Got to thinkin, I think my bud has been doing drive by's, cause he was the only local boy I loaded TSS 7s for.
I asked him very carefully if he had been back over there. Of course he said no. I told him what I found, but he would never admit to nothin. Doesn't take a smart feller to figure that one out,..Duhhh,...lol
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el diablo
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by el diablo »

The first bird I killed last year had a lead #4 stuck in his thigh. I was hunting where my cousin had shot at one and "missed" the year before. Sure enough when I asked, "I use 3" remington lead #4's".
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by hookspur »

I would venture to say that the majority of birds I kill have been shot previously. Maybe not quite that high, but certainly a very large percentage! Perhaps that is because I hunt on public property about 85% of the time?
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by Grumpy »

Probably from the hunters who are getting bad patterns from the outside temps...lol
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FullChoke
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by FullChoke »

First longbeard that I ever shot had been shot at by my cousin and there were #6 lead pellets buried in his right breast.

I shot a 2 year old bird a few years ago on public land here in Mississippi that had what looked to be bobcat claw marks raked across his chest. That poor dude was jus not meant to have an easy life.

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Shooter
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by Shooter »

May have been spur marks. I've seen them before across the breast and lower neck.
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by FullChoke »

Shooter wrote:May have been spur marks. I've seen them before across the breast and lower neck.
It could have been spurs, but there were three parallel lines running for about 8"-10" across his breast.
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Shooter
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by Shooter »

Ahhh ok, I'm with ya.
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by hawglips »

I killed two last year with what appeared to be #6 hevishot in them. One in the breast, one in the thigh.
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by Turkey Talker »

Guess those birds werent educated.
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by turkey_slayer »

I would say every 5-6 killed one will have shot in it. I called one up for my buddy a few years and he must have got excited cause he took way to long of a shot. About 70 yards with lead. I went back the next day and killed him and he had a some nice fresh wounds in his leg. Didn't act bothered coming in
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by Spuriosity »

turkey_slayer wrote:I would say every 5-6 killed one will have shot in it. I called one up for my buddy a few years and he must have got excited cause he took way to long of a shot. About 70 yards with lead. I went back the next day and killed him and he had a some nice fresh wounds in his leg. Didn't act bothered coming in
So I guess what you are saying is that when a turkey I am working won't commit and come in all the way, I can't blame it on being previously shot at and hit? Dang, guess I need to come up with another excuse. ;)
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Re: Previously Shot Turkeys

Post by turkey_slayer »

Yea Wes you will need a to use a different excuse :grin:
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