I gotta make a confession

[Life of Riley]

This is my 6th year of turkey hunting. I fell in love with it pretty quick and gobbled up every bit of info I could on the subject from books, audio calling cds, online videos and this website. I'm 40 now and so I guess I dove into it at 34 years old, and didn't hunt growing up. I got a nice mature gobbler with sharp hooks on my 3rd season, although I didn't call him in. I had seen him strutting late afternoon and set up and called two different times but he never responded. Eventually I was walking slowly down the trail with a decoy bag over one shoulder, a gun strap over the other, and I flushed the turkey up right by my feet. We were both really surprised (I think he was taking a nap). I dropped the decoy bag, shouldered my gun and let a shell rip, and he flopped HARD. I was so happy to get my first turkey and posted about it here. http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,83832.msg811804.html#msg811804

The next year I had a couple smart old Toms whip me bad, and felt a little defeated. The following season China virus hit and I had to work full time, the public land I normally hunt was hammered hard and I regretfully never got out. 2021 came, I bought a license and planned on hunting public land, which I did one day and didn't see or hear any birds. Then I heard that a relatives farm an hour away had a lot of turkeys. I called and went up there saturday and was told 2 toms were using a 40 acre piece regular, which is half timber half tilled field. Saturday I spooked the 2 toms as much as possible because I took a belly crawl on them and missed one at 45 yards. They both flew away. 3 days later I was sitting in a blind from first light and for 4 hours saw deer, and 5 different hens come through. Finally I spotted a red head periscoping over the rise in the field and a big dark black body. I froze, and watched as this turkey very carefully stepped closer and closer to my position(set up adjacent to the strut zone). Eventually he got within 30 yards, but never fanned his tail and then began fast stepping to the field corner. I was confused but didn't move a muscle although I had a shot at him fast walking @ 25 yards. I then noticed coming out of the tree line was a full strut tom, and it was the same bird I shot at 3 days prior. I had no shot at the birds now as I shoot off my left shoulder and they were at an extreme angle, certain blind windows closed, etc. The birds disappeared and after a few minutes I was despondent that I had missed my chance. Suddenly the dominant Tom appeared 40 yards north of where he had disappeared from, in a 1/4 strut, and made a B-line to my decoy. I watched in amazement as he came in ON A STRING and cozied up right next to my DSD hen. My heart was pounding like a jackhammer as he put on a show like I've never seen before. Head changing colors, fan in full strut, spinning around my decoy. I was a little mesmerized and eventually mounted my gun and took aim. I was shaking with adrenaline and anticipation, never seeing a tom this close and vulnerable out in the open at 21 yards from my muzzle. I pulled the trigger and blew a few feathers off him. I made the classic mistake that I told myself not to just moments before. Peeping to see the inevitable turkey flopping I lifted my head, and in extension the gun barrel and shot over the top of the gobbler. He ran away and I looked for blood, feathers, etc. I'll let the dust settle for a few days and try him again. Just wanted to get this off my chest!

[bigriverbum]

Keep at it man!

[ChesterCopperpot]

Don't get discouraged and learn from the mistakes. Every single one of us has missed and most likely will miss again. Anyone who tells you differently is either an outright liar or has spent very little time in the woods. I know of a few absolute killers who endured a spell of a few misses this year.

Out of curiosity, are you running any sort of sight or just the bead? I remember one time early on I was with an old timer and I missed. I told him I thought I shot over the bird and he laughed and said, "In all my years I ain't ever seen nobody shoot the feet off one." That's always stuck with me. What he said and meant was that when the bird comes in, especially early on, folks have a bad habit of getting their head up off the gun. A rear sight or a scope forces your hand. Might be worth trying if you're not running one already.


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[silvestris]

Never confess.

[Life of Riley]

I got him Friday morning. Had a 5.5 hour sit in off and on rain, never heard a gobble. I went all in that he'd come to the strut zone and he did.

[SwampRooster17]

Congrats!


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[ChesterCopperpot]

Awesome! Great looking bird. Congrats.


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[Gawhitaker]

Congrats on a fine bird, and sticking with it

[Meleagris gallopavo]

Congratulations!  Enjoyed the stories!  I love to tell, write, read and hear turkey hunting stories regardless of how they turn out!  Getting back out there and getting him is a great feeling!  Very pleased with this thread, very pleased!


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[Life of Riley]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. To answer Chester's question about optics I was shooting a benelli M2 off the bead. I'm sure when I missed the turkey the first time my shot went high. When I went back and got him I made sure to keep a solid cheek weld and I aimed where the waddles and caruncles meet near the base of the neck. Most of the bbs hit him in the head. If fact we didn't find any bbs in the neck, only the head. Before next season I'm going to get a turkey gun w/optics and spend more time at the range.

To add a little more of what happened friday morning here's a timeline. I got to my spot and was set up at 5am. Shortly thereafter I heard the songbirds and the crows start up but never heard a single gobble. This property is 40 acres half trees/half oat field. I set up in the exact same place I had been 3 days prior, although I was conflicted if this was the right thing to do. It's in the SW corner of the field, and it's a little depression with nice pine trees on the edges. From the gravel road you can't see down in the corner so there's good privacy and I think the turkeys like that. My first time on the property this year I observed 2 toms in this corner strutting by themselves. I put out a hen and jake decoy then hid in the pine trees. I used a blind because it was a rainy day. It was drizzling when I got set up and the ran came and went all morning. I saw hens come out into the  field and feed, then when the rain picked up real heavy they went and ran for cover under a tree. As the rain lightened to a soft off and on drizzle more animals came out in the field. Two bucks, then two more hens. This gave me confidence because all the other animals were on schedule. Finally two very large hens entered the field, and I watched them for a LONG time. They came out and fed for a while, then they just preened feathers and hung out. There was one point where I don't think either moved for minutes at a time and they looked like statues. It felt like I was in a dream and the passage of time was undefinable(I think I had entered  turkey time). I'm not sure if it took forever or only a few moments, but as the hens stood on the edge of the bowl, I thought I saw a third head out there on the backside of the rise. I was slumped back in my chair and didn't move a muscle. Then I saw it again, and by the third time got a good look at a head with lots of color. The big tom emerged over the rise at 75 yards on the backside of the hens. He stood there forever, head up, just looking around. He never once fanned out. Finally I'm guessing half an hour later which consisted of the Tom not moving much at all and the hens feeding again, I heard the hens start to cluck or putt, I wasn't sure but I was nervous I had been outed! The one was clucking at the other and herded her out of the field. I think she was saying, "cluck cluck, it's time to go back to our nests." Either way the two females exited stage right at a casual pace. It didn't take long and the old gobbler started slowly, cautiously coming my way. He zigged and zagged and finally made it right up to my jake decoy (which had been completely ignored prior to this point). He didn't show aggression, I think he just wanted to hang out with other turkeys. His fan stayed down and his head stayed up, and after a minute I decided I had to lift my gun with his head up as there was no other option. A good shot was made and the turkey was hit very hard in the noggin. I decided early on in the hunt that I would not use any calls. The turkeys were very quiet that day. The only turkey talk I heard was a few hen clucks.

[ChesterCopperpot]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. To answer Chester's question about optics I was shooting a benelli M2 off the bead.

That's what I was figuring as it happens a lot, especially early on. Bird coming in, get really excited, can't tell you're getting your head up, you lift that barrel to correct the bead, and shoot high. A back sight, red dot, or scope will correct that. And it'll also keep you true in more awkward shooting positions or shooting weak handed. Good job keeping conscious of it this go round and staying down. Gorgeous bird and a great story. That's what it's all about!


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[Meleagris gallopavo]

Great story!  I admit to being mesmerized by them and sometimes forget about the gun.  They can keep you transfixed longer than you think.


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[Zobo]

Nice honest story, appreciated. Congrats!