Broadside
Shotgun: hold at the base of the wattles, where the bare skin of the neck meets the feathers, so the core of the pattern covers the head and upper neck. Rifle or bow: aim at the wing butt, where the wing joins the body, which puts the shot into the heart and lungs.
Quartering and other angles
Facing the hunter with a shotgun, aim at the base of the neck. Going away, wait for the head to come up and aim at the head and neck. With a bow, a strutting tom facing away gives the best shot, aiming at the vent.
Do not
Do not body-shoot a turkey with a shotgun, and do not shoot a strutting tom with its head tucked into its shoulders. Wait for the head to rise. Check the rules in your area on rifle turkey hunting.
Where they live and the typical miss
Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam's and Osceola wild turkeys are found across North America. The typical miss is shooting at too long a range, beyond the effective range of the shotgun pattern.
Pattern your gun
Test your shotgun and load at 20, 30 and 40 yards before the season. Know the range at which the pattern still puts enough pellets into the head and neck.