Home Forums Birds & Dogs Turkey Hunting A pure miss

I got into the woods about 40 minutes before legal shooting time. This time I went back to my bottomland instead of the pine thicket. Didn't hear any gobbling until about 6AM. There was one in front of me and behind me, but they were so far away they sounded like they were in the next state. Never heard a hen. The only bird noises other than a half hour of distant gobbling were the little tweety birds flitting about. I was very subtley calling in the morning. With 15 or 20 minutes between runs.

I wasn't hunting over any decoys this time. I gave it until about 8:50 AM and I finally heard a gobble 200 or so yards to my right. I decided to simply cut loose with the calling. I let loose with very loud yelps with my diaphram and pulled out both slates and started yelping on those at the same time I was calling on my diaphram. Then I got a thunderous gobble 100 yards or so away across the swamp to my left. A minute or two later, I heard the bird fly across the swamp to my side. I turned on my GoPro. I finally saw the Tom. A big one with a swinging beard on the other side of the bottom up the hill going from let to right. I got my gun pointed over that way. Then he started running in my direction and started putting. Then he took to the air and landed in a tree about 50 feet to my right. Simultaneous to that, a deer charged in from the direction the tom came from, and I am convinced that's why he started putting and took to the air.

The tom laned on the far side of the tree. I swung my gun around. That's when he saw me. He stretched his head out from behind the trunk that was concealing the base of his neck. I drew a bead on his head and fired. He reared back that leapt out of the tree and flapped down and I heard him running when he landed with that damned deer following him.

I have no idea why the deer was charging through the woods. I was the only hunter in the area. But I am convinced the bird would have come in on the ground had it not been for that deer. And I just plain flubbed the shot. I am pretty convinced I shot over his head. His head was all I could aim at. He was so close. I think if I had a modified or a regular full choke I might have got him.

I searched the swamp banks for over an hour to see if he might have been hit and crumpled up somewhere but never found him.

Well, he beat me. But he's still alive - for now, and I'll be back.

I captured the episode on video. Enjoy my failure. (It was still a better day for me than being at work. )

My Pa always says, “There’s a lot of room around’em”

One thing the GoPro does is distort distance. That was a really close bird. I'll set it to film in 4K and 60 frames per second next trip. Currently it's set at 1080 and 30 frames per second.

Bummer dude, but at least you didn't have to clean a stinking bird! 😉!
No biggie. You had a great hunt and just extended your season!

An old pard used to say, there is a lot more air around em than where they are standing.

I'm blaming the deer. That bird would have walked in if it hadn't been spooked by that deer.

Since we're on the "adage" thang!
My pop used to tell me, "There's alot more room to miss than hit!"
Yeppers, same idea, just different ways to say it! LOL!

You had all the fun of turkey hunting and still have a tag...

I know, I know, just another way to say it...

that got your heart rate up...
kind of a catch and release thing....
Good luck

there not hard to hit but easy to miss

What county are you in? Birds in New Kent have been quiet.

Well, at least you got some action. On Thursday, I went back to where I saw all the birds on Monday and saw zip, nil, nada, and heard not a peep. The Shenandoah is right there, and they can merely set their wings and cross to the other side if the notion strikes them. Gonna give ‘em another whack on Tuesday I think.

Very little pressure there it seems. Only a couple other cars on the opener, and one Thursday. Everyone else appears to prefer the flatland on the one end while Grandpa here chugs his way up and down through the woods towards the other.

No shots heard as yet.

Keep pluggin’ away!

That shot is going to bother me. I took a bead directly on that bird's head at a little over 50 feet knowing my gun shoots a bit high and having extra full choke in the gun. If I had been hunting with my Ithaca that hits to point of aim, or had a modified or regular full choke, I think I would have nailed him.

I think I am going to go back to my Kicks Gobblin Thunder choke. It patterns a little more open than the Carlsons that was in it.

Great hunt, the shooting not so much. Very easy to overshoot a bird with a shotgun no matter the choke.

"... I took a bead directly on that bird's head at a little over 50 feet knowing my gun shoots a bit high and having extra full choke in the gun. ..."

My "point of aim" (POA) is that spot on the neck where the feathers stop and the wattles start. I only aim at the head if that's all I can see.

I believe that is what he is saying. In the excitement he aimed at the head instead of the wattles. I have been there!

At 50' you would be surprised at how tight even a modified choke is.

So have I!
When you get a hot bird coming dead at you, gobbling, stopping, strutting and you're watching the entire show unfold, it gets just a little disconcerting! LOL!
When I no longer get that adrenaline rush and the feeling I'm about to wet my.pants, then I'll quit hunting!

I have had more than a few birds spooked by coyotes and bobcats. The predators hear the calling and gobbling and are coming in to the lunch bell when they either spook the gobbler or hens, a few times deer which start snorting and blowing. Once I had a boar hog come trotting in and fouled the set up. He made the mistake of wandering too close and caught two ounces of Hevi 13 #6's at the base of the ear.

In the interest of full admission, I have missed a few close ones a time or two. I actually prefer my Kick's GT to my Indian Creek choke because the Kick's throws a better 20"-24" pattern while the Indian Creek is a tighter 10"-16" pattern. The Kick's gives me just a bit more margin for error at 20 yards and yet is plenty tight for 45 yard shots if necessary.

Usually mine, too. He landed on a branch on the far side of the tree and had his head sticking straight out horizontally looking right at me. So that reference wasn't there. I should have aimed low at the air below his head.

I was surprised that my "go for broke" calling worked as well as it did. After intermittent, subtle calling all morning, I decided to work 2 pots and a diaphram call as loudly as I could and got this guy, who either wasn't there or was dead silent all morning, to sound off. It was my "George Costanza" approach. My "If everything I've been doing has been wrong, then the opposite must be right" moment, and it worked.

Oh well, just another story to add. Season goes to full days starting today, and I'll be back out there at least two more times this week.