Turkey shoot

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A turkey shoot is an opportunity for an individual or a party to very easily take advantage of a situation. It also implies that, with a number of equally-desirable targets, the 'shooter' is liable to end up with just about any outcome.

A "turkey shoot" is also a shooting contest where frozen turkeys are awarded as prizes. The shoot is most commonly held, using shotguns aimed at paper targets about 25-35 yards away.

In the military, a turkey shoot occurs when a group or team catch the enemy off-guard or out-gunned to the point of being unfair. Examples of famous military turkey shoots:

Pickett's Charge -- American Civil War
MiG Alley -- Korean War, specifically when the MiG-15 was introduced against (and immediately outclassed) UN F-86 aircraft.
Great Marianas Turkey Shoot -- World War II, The Battle of the Philippine Sea

A turkey shoot is only considered a "turkey shoot" if the result is overwhelmingly positive; if it is instead overwhelmingly negative, it is a blunder.

"Turkey shooting" is also used to indicate the process of troubleshooting a problem in a non-logical, or non-methodical approach. The act of trying random stuff until the problem goes away. While troubleshooting a problem, one is said to be "turkeyshooting" if the troubleshooting approach resembles that of someone shooting a shotgun at clay pigeons.

In 1982 a feature film, filmed in Australia with the title 'Turkey Shoot' was made. It starred Olivia Hussey and Steve Railsback. The film reached number 1 at the UK box office.