# Turkey still flopping/kicking, now what.....



## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

I got a nice one today abt.10:30 after he had taken care of his hens and was on the prowl for some strange. Anyways, I called him off the ridge and down the hill gobbling all the way to 30 yds. Bang, turkey goes down hard but flopping all over the place. First one for me which didn't die quickly.
I thought he was done when I walked up on him, he started flopping again and laid there heaving and gasping for maybe forty minutes while I sat on a log near him with a shell-in-gun ready just in case he was going somewhere. He finally gave up the ghost and I tagged, dressed him and went to the station. 
Question-how do you guys dipatch one quickly that doesn't die at the shot?(I read somewhere about carrying a short sharp, thin, metal "pin" or rod to push into pheasants at the base of the head/neck area and into the skull which supposedly does a fast job but never heard about something for turkeys. (Don't go telling me to shoot the head, that's what I did the first shot with a #4 mag turkey load, and knew he was down for the count but still alive!)


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## LindyRigger (Apr 13, 2004)

It happens on almost every turkey. I just step on the head/neck and the flopping stops in just a moment. I once had a bird tagged and tossed it close to my decoy to load up my gear and it then started flopping. I thought it was going to take off WITH my tag on it. It only flopped for a moment though. I think it is the nervous system that causes this..not sure though. Congrats on the bird.
LindyRigger


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## wave warrior (Oct 2, 2005)

happens with goose also!!...neck snap...sounds ugly but its part of the "reduce to possesion" laws


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

the pin to the back of the head also quickly dispatches birds. go up and under the skull with the pin. a hat pin works best.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

It&#8217;s important to clarify that your bird was dead. It wasn&#8217;t alive, it was just nerves/muscles contacting and such. It always happens with birds.


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## danjaquino (Jun 2, 2005)

I hate to see any animal suffer. Most of the time they are dead already and they flop around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I always step on the head really hard to end it. Also, if you shoot one with a really nice tail, it get get ruined really quick if you let them flop around too much.


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## pal21 (Mar 9, 2008)

Grab it's head and give it a spin. You'll feel the neck snap.


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