The Ala. turkey season starts Mar.15th. The hunting club that I belong to has allot of turkeys but I can't seem to get them in closer than 40 yds or so.In Ala.it is legal to hunt turkeys with a centerfire pistol with metalic(open) sights.My Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Mag will shoot a handloaded .44 Special--250gr Sierra FPJ at just under 800 fps. very accurately. I was wondering how this would do on turkeys.I WILL NOT use anything that will make the bird un-eatable. The Sierra people told me that this bullet will not expand very much at max loaded .44 Mag. velocities so i figure that it will not do very much damage if I use it to centerpunch a gobbler. Has anybody had any expierance shooting turkey with anything but a shotgun? I will only use a pistol if I can get a fairly clean kill and not do allot of damage to the bird.---pruhdlr

It'll kill them! :eek:

First turkey I ever shot was with a .45 auto; 255gr. SWC. Any centerfire is legal for turkey here in Texas. Two of them happened to walk right next to my blind opening day of deer season in 2003; couldn't stand it, finally leaned out the window and shot one of them.

Gunfire apparently attracts animals here, as I shot a pig about an hour later, and a rattlesnake on the way back to get the truck!

Fall turkey season is the same as fall deer season here, at least for most of the state.

The key is to hit them across the back right about where the wings join the body. If you do that, you'll hardly lose any meat, and it drops them on the spot.

Sure was delicious! :D

I've shot one with a .35 Rem as well; got a little farther back into the thigh meat, but the breast is fine, not hit at all. Again - key is to hit them across the back behind the breast.

Good luck! :)