Recovering a wounded turkey is one of the most frustrating and humbling experiences in turkey hunting. Unlike deer, turkeys don't always leave a clean blood trail, which makes locating a hit turkey significantly harder than most hunters expect.
A turkey hit by shot will often fold its wings tight and sail downhill, or run hard with its head low. Either is a recoverable bird if you move smart.
Wait five minutes before pursuing.
And here's the most critical thing you need to know: In turkey hunting recovery, thick brush and creek drainages are where birds go to die. Search there first, search slow, and search low — wounded turkeys hide tight to the ground.
Pushing a wounded turkey too hard immediately causes it to push further into thick cover.
When you do move, go directly to the last point you saw the bird, then grid-search in expanding circles.
Look for turkey feathers after the shot, blood on leaves, or dragged wing marks in soft ground. Body feathers near the point of impact tell you where the pattern hit.
Vitals-hit birds typically won't travel more than 80 yards.
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