When hunting turkeys, it can be a challenge to get them in range and call them with a rifle. It requires a lot of skill and luck, but it can be done.
A good place to shoot a turkey with a rifle is at the neck or head. This will immobilize the bird and kill it quickly. A shot to the neck will disrupt blood flow from the brain and spinal cord, killing it almost instantly.
Turkeys have a lot of blood vessels and nerves in their neck that circulate to the brain and spine. A direct hit to the neck will cause a gobbler to die in less than a minute without feeling any pain.
In addition, a good headshot will also kill a turkey on impact. As a general rule, a turkey's body is bigger than it really is, which can fool hunters into thinking they are aiming at the vitals when they aren't.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that turkeys have great eyesight, and can see a full 270 degrees. This can help you spot a turkey's vitals, even from long distances.
A shot to the head of a turkey will instantly immobilize the bird and kill it, but a turkey's head bobs and weaves so much that a high-powered rifle can miss a turkey completely when it is in close range. It is therefore best to aim at the middle of a turkey's neck, where the skin stops and the feathers begin, instead of directly at the bird's head. This gives you a greater margin of error when estimating yardage.