I was in the woods at 5:10, sitting where I stayed until noon yesterday (but at a different tree). In the past I've discovered that sometimes a gobbler will show up after I leave, so I figured I might meet him there this morning.

At 5:45 everything was still quiet except for the songbirds. The fields were fairly light, but the woods were still fairly dark, so I decided to give a little tree yelp. Nothing responded, at least vocally, so I'm sitting there for a couple of minutes when suddenly a gobbler is 20 feet from me to my right, standing beside the tree I was calling from yesterday and behind a small bush only big enough to hide him. He must have seen my head slowly turn because he putted, turned, and flew down an old trail.

He never gobbled, and I don't know where he came from. I just know he was standing 22 feet away at my extreme right. I stayed there for an hour and 15 minutes calling very softly occasionally. Then I moved about 200 yards to the spot where I killed a bird two weeks ago. Three hours later I spotted him coming, but he was about 60-70 yards away and heading for a field. I couldn't get him to change his mind, so an hour later I left, being careful to take the long way out so I'd reduce the chances of running into him. He'll be there tomorrow. If only he would gobble. Even once! It's so much easier if they gobble!

Steve.

I wouldn't consider that a failure at all. I think it's a lesson learned. It took me 3 days of hunting to get a bird in NY this year. On the 3rd day I left my stand to do some walking. After 15 or so minutes a bird gobbled unsolicited downhill from me. I set up and yelped a couple times on my box call. He gobbled again from below. I din't respond. A few minutes passed and I saw movement. It was a 20 pound longbeard with a 9" beard at 39 yards. Bang flop....BUT then the bird from below gobbled again. TWO birds. Just about the same thing happened on the 3rd day. BOTH days the birds gobbled on their own. Had they not, I would have never known they were there. I honestly feel your frustration. I only heard 3 gobbles here in NH. I believe the season should be moved into the month of April. I think with the climate changing, so is all wildlife habits. I may be wrong, but that's my belief. Best of luck to you.

No failure what so ever. I've had a hand full of Toms come in silent . Once I had a Jake come in Gobbling 30 yards front of me only to find out the big boy came in silent behind me. I'm guessing old Tom let the young one do the talking then would take over with the hens. Big boy busted me. Web

You guys are right. It wasn't really failure. It was a success on at least four levels: (
1.) It's one more endorsement of my Northern Scratchbox turkey call. He bought it, but I didn't close the deal.

(2.) It's also a success in that I had figured out where he'd be, and the place I could call him to.

(3.) I got the second look at him even after I spooked him, and know he's still in the area. In fact, tied pretty closely because I accidentally bumped him the day before as well while trying to get in front of him. Problem was, he changed course.

(4.) And, I often say "Close counts only in horseshoes and turkey hunting." To have him at under 10 yards is pretty good, and really doesn't matter whether I killed him or not.

I switched strategies today and I think it might pay off in another day or two. I set up where he sometimes roosts. Around 7:30 I had two come in. One was a hen for sure. Later I saw a hen go into the field to feed. I cleared a path to the tree I plan to sit at. Weather should be good tomorrow, maybe Friday. We'll see. The season ends May 31, Tuesday.

One more thing. This isn't the second or third day I've been hunting this guy. I've been back about three quarters of the days since I filled my first tag on May 10. It's just that I've spooked him two days in a row. Today he got a little break from me, and I know where he likes to be. Maybe the tables will turn. Even if they don't, it has been a good season despite the fact that I've heard gobbles from the roost only twice all season. The turkeys have been acting like it's June.

Steve.

That's a helluva great attitude and strategy. I personally think you will succeed. Even if you don't end up killing it, you'll never forget the experience. Best of luck.

Steve

"Old Archaeopteryx" is a sneaky mofo when he needs to be.

Had singles run up to me and never chirp, but heard the hurried running in the dry leaves. Fan and split.

Had flocks walk up to within feet of me and never utter a noise. Just lookin for me and my dinosaur small talk.

They gotta win sometimes. Keeps us interested.

this has happened to me many times and this is why I love Turkey Hunting

Sorry, but 60-70 yards out in a field is a dead bird here. The pattern is .224" in diameter at the muzzle, 30 yards, or 130 yards.

Unless I feel like being completely humbled and I take the bow...

First, I said he was 60-70 yards away, headed for a field. I don't know if he ever got to the field or not, and I never said I saw him in the field. If I had, I might have had a chance of calling him.

Second, a .224 pattern (or .177, or .244, or .257, or...) is illegal in many states, including where I hunt. With a shotgun I've only ever taken two shots beyond 35 yards, and usually I like them at 30. They fall down dead every time.

Besides, when I saw that bird at 60-70 yards, I don't think you could have shot him. He was one the move and I got only glimpses of him as he moved through the leafed-out vegetation.

But carry on.
Steve.

That's not a failure. That's a hunt!

I have to say, at 60yds, with my shotgun, I'd have taken a whack I think. The more I pattern the more I learn about my gun.

That said, I'd rather pop him at 25-30.

Yes, it was. It gave me confidence I'd nail him in the next few days, but it never happened.


My personal rule is 35 yards. The longest shots I've ever taken were 40 yards and 42 yards. The 42 yard shot I mis-estimated. I thought it was 35 yards.

I prefer them under 30, but will not hesitate to shoot at 35. The closest I've ever passed on one was 15-20 yards. I don't remember why.

If I had shot at every bird I thought was 40-50 yards away I would have a lot more beards and spurs in my collection, but I would also have some misses and some wounded birds. That, I don't want to do. Therefore I'm conservative in my shot selection.

Steve.

A hunt that you make it back to the truck is always a success. X10 to the guys that fight rattlers, copperhead, and cotton mouth for the best tree to lean against.

Everyday Hunter, I respect your limits on shooting both near and far. Nobody believes that the can miss at 5 yards until they do it twice.

tzone, I'm with you to. I burnt a lot of Federal HW #7 on paper this year. There was 3 birds killed with my little 20ga this year. Mine was at 58 yards and folded without a flop. Skinning showed the neck bones busted in 3 places and 38 holes in the head and neck. And even at that range that little #7 had enough energy to bust the larger wing bone. Second bird, the one that took 3 years and 19 hunts was hammered at 18yards and damn near took out 3" of neck. Last bird was a spot and stalk. I thought they were within 30 yards of the old pond bank. I told my buddy who was on his second hunt for anything to walk up over the rise and when the head popped up to plant the dot and hit the trigger. He did just that but the toms had made it a little farther out. Results were the same, folded but gave 2 wing flaps and nothing more. That one ended up at 55 yards.
Sense then I've been putting out crow decoys at 50 to 70 yards and it flattens them. This goose season I'll really test them out. When my buddy wings one with his 3 1/2" 10ga and it hits the water swimming at 50 I'll let him waste 3 more of his spendy rounds then calmly pick the 20ga up and kill it at 60+ yards.

I'm ready to flatten some with my lil 20 next year

I used to be very conservative as well. I practice A LOT more now. I'm very very confident of my load to 50 yds in almost any conditions. In a field I'm now confident to 60 yds. I wouldn't shoot past that on purpose. I do now carry a rangefinder and that's helped greatly!

haha! I hear ya! I've missed PLENTY.

Once you do, you'll think pretty hard about going back.

A rangefinder will be on me from now on. It's easy to tell 30 from 40 but over that it gets harder. In calm conditions I'll do 60 all day. Throw in a normal Minnesota wind and your looking at 3'+ wind drift. Just like LR rifle, it takes a lot of spent primers and powder. I'll strive to keep turkeys under 50 but on a hit goose in confident that I can make its head bounce off the water at 70. I have fired hundreds of rounds below TSS thru a 12ga and never seen what the 20ga / fed HW #7 has shown me. I can not wait to roll some TSS for the demon.
Ha. I'm going to be banned from old gobbler if they ever see that post.

Where did you think this thread was about you? Don't patronize anyone here with your 'sorry' crap.

.224? The thought of chasing Toms with a scoped centerfire has so little appeal to me you couldn't talk me into it.

A gobbling Tom at 30 yards and I'm near cardiac arrest,

130 yards, The game hasn't even started yet.

I could kill 5 a day around here with a .36 cal front stuffer and a buckhorn rear for a year straight if rifles were allowed. The fun is when they come in silent from behind you and let one rip at 3 feet away. When you can feel the shockwave on the back of your neck from a double gobble, all you can do is close your eyes and pray to God to stop your heart from pounding so the boss can't hear it.

I couldn't agree more. I'm new to this but it beats the heck out of sitting and waiting on a deer to walk by. I'm not saying I don't enjoy deer hunting but it's a different thrill when you can hear one gobbling close and have to wait and watch him come in from a hundred yards.

Slightly OT, but when i was interested in calling turkeys, years ago, I ran 6 shot. It was deadly to 55 steps. Never lost a single bird or had to look for a single bird.

I don't get the idea of not shooting to your guns limits.


But I applaud you for knowing where your limits are and holding to them.

RE not gobbling, those were the fun birds you could hunt for days.

I've had some that would gobble now and then but never come to the call. Those were fun too.

Ended up calling a LOT of birds in with just my mouth and no call over the years too.

Seems once you figure them out somewhat, its more so of a strategy thing, rather than a calling thing at least to me, work out hwere they'll go or where they'll come seems like a lot of em will come regardless the quality of the call.

Worst call I've EVER heard in the woods was a live hen once....

There isnt' a real challenge with a shotgun either once you figure it out.

A bow... now there is a bit of a challenge.

Here's the way I see it.

Many hunters can't judge distance, and all hunters can misjudge distance. I was once setting up on a gobbler just below me, and was ready to give my first call when... Ka-Boom! Someone shot below me. I stood up and walked to the edge of the hill and saw the guy throw his hat on the ground in disgust. I walked down to him and asked what happened. He said, "I don't know. He was within range but I guess I missed." I asked how far away he was. The guy said, "50 yards."

I don't know what kind of gun he had, but a lot can go wrong at 50 yards.
First, 50 yards is a pretty far distance for most shotguns that aren't specialized turkey guns.
Second, a 20% range estimation (easy for anyone to do) might mean bird judged to be at 50 yards was actually 60 yards away. I shot a bird last year that I thought was 35 yards away, and he was actually 42 yards -- a 20% mistake.
Third, something can be in the way that you don't see, and disrupt the pattern. I once shot a gobbler at 35 yards, and a 1½" sapling was nearly cut in half by the shotgun shell wad, and took a beating from the pellets. I was lucky enough made it through to kill the bird.
Fourth, your pattern on paper might tell your your gun's absolute limits under perfect circumstances, but hunting seldom offers perfect circumstances. If you twist your body to the weak side, you might not get the bird's head in the center of the pattern. That has happened to me more than once.

Bottom line is that when you get into the woods and call a gobbler in, a number of variables can turn a chip shot into a miss or a wounded bird. Hope that helps.

Steve.

Hey, no slight intended, Steve. Rifles are legal here, and used effectively. So, too, are bows legal - though their effectiveness is (shall we say) less so.

I never said the thread was about me, nor should it have been.

Seems you intentionally left out the second line, though...



Carry on.

Extremely good points!

Sorry you didn't get that bird, but here's to hoping he makes it through to next spring so you can have another crack at him.

Well of course I left out the 2nd line,

as that was also all about you.