Have had a tough start to the season. Went down to SC & NC and didn't go well. Anyway, fast forward to Monday and I was out on opening morning in Maryland. I had watched 6-8 longbeards in a field in the evening and knew they'd be roosted inside of the timber the next morning. Went in and picked a spot close to the field edge (field was private) and I put my back to the field edge in hopes to cut them off before they got there.
Got in plenty early and could hear them in the trees around me. It gets light and there's absolutely no gobbling (I know they're in here). Bird pitches down in the dark, so I call 3x under my breath and 3 longbeards decide to pitch down to me like fighter jets. But they don't pitch in front of me. They pitched completely to my right at 20 yards, but just enough so they're behind me. I froze because I just physically couldn't swing past 90 degrees to my right as a righty shot. I know there are things you can do like angle right, but I was facing forward because I didn't know where they were roosted.
My question-when you're in a situation like that, do your shoot lefty, do you feeeze and hope you can buy time to do something, or do you say "F it" and swing (in hopes that they freeze)?
I'm not moving and hope that he decides to walk in front of me for a clean shot (I'm also a fellow righty).
I had a situation last year where I came to a crossroads of having to decide whether to sit still and hope that the bird worked in and run the risk of him boogying out (he had finally left strut for the first time in an hour with 40 yards left) or to attempt to make a left handed shot. I chose the first one and he thankfully worked his way in and presented a clean shot.
I have no problem switching shoulders if a bird comes on the wrong side. If I can switch shoulders without getting busted, I do it and take the shot. I do the same thing deer and duck hunting.
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Had a bird Sunday sneak in on my right, heard him drum at the last moment about 30 yards out. I thought he was going behind a tree so I tried to switch to my left shoulder (shooting a red dot), but he still busted me. Also... there was snow and I had a cool looking, but awkward wearing, snow camo poncho that got caught up.
I wish I would have stayed frozen and hope he'd move into a better location. At worse he sees me and mildly spooks, but still huntable later.
I've shot several gobblers over the years by switching shoulders to my off hand. Like Tom Kelly said, turn a 3 o'clock turkey into a 9 o'clock turkey.
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Trying to swing 90 degrees to your right on a tom is probably a losing proposition. If the birds could see you, switching for a left handed shot would have been pretty tough to do as well. I've killed quite a few left handed and it bothers me not one bit to set up that way if the situation calls for it. But switching with birds in sight won't be easy.
Wait 'em out may have been your best option.
I always setup at a right hand 45 degree angle to the bird I'm calling. I'll shift and maintain that stance if possible while I work same said turkey.
Though I'd much rather shoot right, if it's easier to shoot left handed, I always shoot left handed. For me that's the greatest benefit of a rear sight (or a red dot or scope) is that it makes left handed shots a piece of cake.
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Wish I could shoot both ways, I am a lefty due to being legally blind in my right eye. I have vision out of it, but no center focus from birth. I always try to set up on an angle when he approaches to give me the most swing if I have to slowly adjust. I never try to "quick draw" a bird, I believe that will lead to a bad shot. I have waited them out, and most times I have gotten my shot chance. Not to say, a few have "escaped" unscathed due to my inability to move my gun to a shooting position. You might say I saved them for another day...lol.
I shot a number from my off shoulder (left) l, but my pacemaker makes me shoot only from my right shoulder. The problem is that the gobblers know it and they always somehow end up on my right. I just try to hope that they come to the front.
I have tried all three and here's my thoughts from my experiences with each:
I have tried the shooting left handed twice and it has worked out both times I tried it. However, both times could easily have been a different story. I didn't want to shoot left handed either time but birds came in quickly and caught me trying to adjust and then turned to run off and one bird froze just long enough and it was either left hand shot or no shot. I have practiced left hand shots and so I felt relatively comfortable in doing so but would not recommend this in every circumstance or if you haven't practiced it.
Waiting them out is your best chance in my opinion but it still can be unsuccessful. I think this is mostly due to not being able to call with them in so close and they know their should be a hen there somewhere so they then walk off knowing something isn't right. It also has worked bc they keep coming closer while looking for that hen. If they do walk off, calling them back in can be tough but it isn't impossible.
Swinging on them has only worked one time and I was tucked into a shadowy tree line with plenty of cover and it still almost didn't work as the birds caught some movement and began to putt and the Tom froze just long enough. Most times, even a slight movement will lead to getting busted so I really wouldn't recommend trying to swing on them but sometimes you can't help the scenario that is thrown at you and have to adapt on the fly. I have tried swinging on them several other times when a now or never situation has come up or a bird came into a setup where I wasn't expecting him to and it's not worked.
As I have learned more and more over my years of hunting turkey, I now almost exclusively try to wait them out or adjust my setup before they come into view if possible.
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Quote from: Gooserbat on April 20, 2022, 12:18:48 AM
I always setup at a right hand 45 degree angle to the bird I'm calling. I'll shift and maintain that stance if possible while I work same said turkey.
x2, I normally over compensate to my weak side at set up. I've had to kill a few with the left hand switch but I really have to concentrate to get my left eye to take over. I shot one from the left side with my TK2000 once....Thomas Gobbler and I both felt that one. Wow, did that thing kick.
I try to wait them out, but I've switched to lefty for a couple of shots. Having a red dot makes it a little easier.
In that scenario, if I'm sure the bird isn't coming my way, I usually wait a bit to catch my breath and calm myself, then I wait for a moment when the bird might be looking away or down or some vegetation is creating a screen. Then I slowly but smoothly and methodical swing on him, aim and fire. I've done it many times that way and usually have enough time to get a good shot off.