Turkey shoot explained

A turkey shoot is a term for an extremely one-sided battle or contest.^[1]

The term likely originates from a method of hunting wild turkeys in which the hunter, coming upon a flock, intentionally scatters them. Once the flock is scattered, the hunter sets up and waits, as the scattered flock will return to that point individually, making them easy targets.

Sport usage

The term has several usages in the context of shooting.

A "turkey shoot" sometimes refers to a turkey hunt where wild turkeys are shot.^[2]

It may also refer to a shooting contest in which frozen turkeys are awarded as prizes, sometimes more generically known as a "meat shoot." The shoot is most commonly held using shotguns aimed at paper targets about 25–35 yards away. The winner is chosen according to which target has a shot closest to its center crossmark. The random nature of the pattern of pellets that a shotgun shoots removes almost all skill from the contest and allows every shooter an equal chance. Turkey shoots are still popular in the rural United States today.^{[3] [4]}

Original turkey shoots date back at least to the time of James Fenimore Cooper and were contests in which live turkeys were tied down in a pen and shot from 25–35 yards.^[5] If a turkey was killed, the shooter received it as a prize.

Another contest provided a caged turkey with a protective wall. Above the cage was a slot in which the turkey could raise its head. Single-shot rifles were used, and if the shooter was skilled and fast enough, the turkey was shot in the head, rewarding it to the shooter as his prize. This contest was depicted in the 1941 Gary Cooper film Sergeant York.^[6]

Military usage

In military situations, a turkey shoot occurs when a one side outguns the other to the point of the battle being extremely lopsided, as in the following famous examples:

• Battle of New Orleans – War of 1812
• Battle of San Jacinto – Texas Revolution
• Charge of the Light Brigade – Crimean War
• Battle of the Crater – American Civil War
• The Battle of the Philippine Sea during World War II was nicknamed "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" due to the disproportionate loss of Japanese planes compared to U.S. ones.^{[7] [8]}
• Battle of Longewala – Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
• Operation Mole Cricket 19 during the 1982 Lebanon War was known as the "Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot" due to the air dominance of the IAF during the engagement.^[9]
• The Highway of Death during the Gulf War was discussed as a "turkey shoot" due to the extreme destruction wreaked on the fleeing Iraqi convoy.^[10]
• Battle of Fallujah (2016) – Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)

See also

• Meat shoot
• Fish in a barrel

Notes and References

1. Web site: Turkey shoot. . 2024-05-07 . Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries.
2. News: Bottum . Faith . 2022-11-22 . Opinion My First Thanksgiving Turkey Shoot . https://archive.today/20221123152417/https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/my-first-thanksgiving-turkey-shoot-10-years-old-hunting-south-dakota-shotgun-dinner-11669153861 . 2022-11-23 . 2024-05-07 . WSJ . en-US.
3. Web site: Braswell . Tommy . 2023-10-29 . Turkey shoots are a holiday tradition. Turkeys aren't real, but the fun is. . https://archive.today/20240507190617/https://www.postandcourier.com/sports/turkey-shoots-are-a-holiday-tradition-turkeys-arent-real-but-the-fun-is/article_ff149d9c-7420-11ee-abf2-5f0290641ba8.html . 2024-05-07 . 2024-05-08 . Post and Courier . en.
4. Web site: Splaine . John . 2022-09-17 . What is a “Turkey Shoot?” . 2024-05-08 . Boothbay Register . en.
5. Permaul . Nadesan . 2006 . James Fenimore Cooper and the American National Myth . Conference of the American Literature Association . May 24, 2020.
6. Book: Sgt. York His Life, Legend, and Legacy: The Remarkable Story of Sergeant Alvin C. York . Fidelis Publishing . Perry, John . 2021 . 9781735856339.
7. Book: Tillman, Barrett . Clash of the Carriers: The True Story of the Marianas Turkey Shoot of World War II . 2006-11-07 . Penguin Publishing Group . 9781440623998 . 196.
8. Book: The Oxford Companion to American Military History . Oxford University Press . 1999 . 9780195340921 . Chambers . John Whiteclay . 549.
9. Book: McNabb, James Brian . A Military History of the Modern Middle East . 2017-03-09 . ABC-CLIO . 9781440829642 . 220.
10. News: Atkinson . Rick . 1993-10-05 . ‘A Merciful Clemency’: Scenes of Enemy Slaughtered in Retreat Persuaded Powell to Put Brakes On War . https://archive.today/20220417062043/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/10/05/a-merciful-clemency-scenes-of-enemy-slaughtered-in-retreat-persuaded-powell-to-put-brakes-on-war/c2f7bb5b-8d0d-45dd-8fa3-60fd13ddabe2/ . 2022-04-17 . 2024-05-08 . The Washington Post.