Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

Would love to hear stories about your closest shot at a Gobbler. This one's real easy for me. It was around 1993, the last week, last day of the Jersey Season. I woke up to 25-30 mph winds, but warm and sunny. Set up in one of my favorite spots, started calling at day-break. The wind was whipping pretty good. After about an hour of loud calling on my Lynch box call, I noticed a hen coming up the ridge to my right about 75 yards out. She meandered up the hill past me. As I watched her walk off, I thought I heard drumming behind me through the wind gusts. It seemed to be behind me over my right shoulder. I honed in on the sound, heard it again along with the sound of something walking in leaves behind me. I did not move a muscle, gun was up on knee, ready. I am a lefty, thank god because all the sudden out of the corner of my eye; there he is. He is strutting along side of me no more than 10 feet away. I had a Remington S-P 10 at the time with 3 1/2 # 6's. He was looking towards where the hen was, in strut so I decided he's so close and not looking that I could swing on him and shoot. I made the move, put the bead on him as he popped out of strut and fired. He was so close, it blew him back a bit, he collapsed. When I was putting my tag on him, I noticed he had the white buffer from the shell all over his head and neck feathers. The shot was a little low. When I was home that day cleaning him, I noticed something under the feathers just above the side of his breast. I dug it out with my knife, it was the wad. Wow, I know for sure this was my closest shot ever! Be well....

Hunting public, turkeys of course, were roosted and hung out on private. Sat down in woods as close as I could to field I knew they were spending time in. Did some light calling just so they knew I was there. After a few hours caught movement 70 yds up field edge as they started entering same woods I was in, but still on private. Tom is in and out of strut, hens not paying attention, he starts my way, I am behind a rose thicket, property boundary, I am postioned to take a shot when he goes to my left to go around the thicket, watching out of the corner of my eye he struts up to thicket, comes out of strut, puts hes head down and crawls under the thorn branches, I swing gun onto his head as he pops up,  we look into each others eyes, watch as all the color drains out of his head as he realizes hes made a mistake. Didnt see any birds behind him, squeeze trigger, his head is gone. Was 9 feet from end of barrel.   

Quote from: JeffC on January 27, 2023, 11:59:40 AM
Hunting public, turkeys of course, were roosted and hung out on private. Sat down in woods as close as I could to field I knew they were spending time in. Did some light calling just so they knew I was there. After a few hours caught movement 70 yds up field edge as they started entering same woods I was in, but still on private. Tom is in and out of strut, hens not paying attention, he starts my way, I am behind a rose thicket, property boundary, I am postioned to take a shot when he goes to my left to go around the thicket, watching out of the corner of my eye he struts up to thicket, comes out of strut, puts hes head down and crawls under the thorn branches, I swing gun onto his head as he pops up,  we look into each others eyes, watch as all the color drains out of his head as he realizes hes made a mistake. Didnt see any birds behind him, squeeze trigger, his head is gone. Was 9 feet from end of barrel.

Love it, wow

Spent my $4 on lottery, did you put in yet?

In the video attached to the story I counted 14 yards, in all actuality it was 14 paces not yards. http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,91525.msg891235.html#msg891235

Less than 3 steps, took his head completely off.

About 5 years ago on the last day of the last season I shot one at about 8 yards with a 3.5 inch longbeard. Hit him a hair low. Almost looked like I hit him with a slug.

2006. First turkey I ever killed. For 5 years in a row I had learned how to call and had called 2 or 3 up every spring and had called 2 up prior that spring. I had missed them all. My dad had no background in turkey hunting, he had hunted every game species KY had to offer at that time but we didn't have a state wide season for turkey until 96. I started in 01 at 6 years old. The second in my family behind my cousin who was 12 years older. My dad is a firm believer in "if you can see it, you can kill it" and was telling me to shoot at turkeys 50+ yards with maverick 88 12 gauge 3" #4 with a full choke. And I wasn't even getting close to hitting one. We had sat up in an old barn on a family friends farm, as we were getting out of the truck another guy that had permission came in and we told him we were hunting in the barn. The guy went down to our right and in front of us about 100 or 120 yards and sat up. At 12 o'clock my 11 year old patience had been exhausted and I walked back to the truck. Dad sat in the barn a couple more minutes smoking a cigarette before he was on the way. He came back to the truck in a hurry and said he saw a red head stick out of the woods across the field about 200 yards and tried to talk me in to coming back to the barn and trying it again. I reluctantly went back and started calling with my H.S. Strut mouth call and sure enough a Jake came out of the woods and I heard the other guy calling, I got really excited cutting and yelping and that Jake turned and headed right to me across the field. My dad told me shoot when he was about 40 yards and I said "no", same conversation at 30, 20, 15, yards. He got to 8 steps for a 11 year old and I rolled him. My dad said a couple things I won't put on here and said " boy, you about gave me a heart attack, I didn't think you were ever going to shoot!." I grinned and said, I wasn't missing this one. Since then I've killed a couple at around 10 yards, and last season killed one at 10 steps. But the first is still the closest.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My closest shot was on my first longbeard.  I had killed a jake the previous season and was looking forward to my first longbeard on opening day of my second season.  I set up in a hole created by a blown over pine tree, beside and facing down an old logging road..  With the rootball and some brush hiding me, I felt good about my set up.  As the sun began to show, the gobbling heated up all around me.  I heard probably a dozen gobblers in all directions.  One, to my west was gobbling up a real storm and jumped on the few calls I let out. 
It wasn't long before he began coming and the gobbling seemed to double as he got closer.  It dawned on me that there were two gobblers approaching together.  In just a couple of minutes I was rewarded with the sight of two longbeard strutting towards me.  I had a couple of decoys set up, just five yards off my left shoulder.  The plan was to shoot as the birds came down the logging road.  My plan was working perfectly except the birds were too close together to take a shot.  The came at me head on, strutting with wings touching side by side.  The bother double gobbled at about 20 yards and nearly blew my hat off!
The walked right beside me towards the jake decoy.  Directly beside me, about 5 steps away, one bird got a step ahead of the other.  With my heart racing, I took my shot, taking his upper beak and the entire top of his head off. 
I've seen a lot of good turkey hunting videos but few, if any, have ever been as exciting as that hunt was for me.

My closest shot, I was setup one morning before daylight in a heavy fog on a field road between 2 fields. As the fog grew thicker and still barely breaking daylight I hear a turkey gobbler off in the distances, you still couldn't see in the fog more than 5/10 yards if that, so i made a couple of small soft yelps and i didn't even hear them fly down as i was sitting waiting on the fog to clear. I hear something coming down the road and it was like a ghost walked out of the fog i was so shook up and had to wait for then to get pass me before i could take the shot and i rolled him at about 5 yards ... This is another one of these hunts i will never forget ... SO don't think for a minute, a gobbler want fly down in a heavy fog bank because they sure will... This was another one of these great hunting experiences that you never forget.

My closest was 6 steps. He pitched out of tree and was going to land just past me. He banked hard right and come in over my right shoulder. He touched the ground exactly in front of the barrel. I remember the breeze as he came by.

11 1/4" beard. Still my longest to date.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

Severe storm coming and I was tracking the bird's progress as he gobbled at the thunder. He crests the rise and sees the decoy. Takes off at a dead sprint at my jake and trips over my foot. I shoot and miss at probably 5 ft. He gobbles and takes another step. I didnt miss.

I also blew a hole through a crippled bird my buddy had been chasing. He caught it and it spurred the crap out of him. He yelled at me to shoot it as it ran by. 3.5" hevishot at a few feet. It was a body shot and looked like something out of a cartoon.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

I don't exactly remember how close he was, but I probably could have smacked him with the muzzle instead...

(https://i.imgflip.com/7910i8.jpg)

Wow, great stories, keep em coming.....

Quote from: JeffC on January 27, 2023, 12:08:48 PM
Spent my $4 on lottery, did you put in yet?

No Jeff, you got the winner :z-winnersmiley:

I was hunting one of my favorite WMA's in central Florida. It was a gorgeous morning, cool, clear and crisp. I waited until daybreak, nothing.
Finally fly down time was approaching and I had yet to hear a gobble. I came to the end of a trail. I'd seen many turkeys here in the past, so I set up with a hen decoy.
I settled in and let out the first calls of the morning......
GOBBLE!!!!!!
There was a gobbler strutting on the limb 75 yards away. How he didn't see me walking in is beyond my comprehension. I did some soft tree talk and the gobbler hammered. Then he started shock gobbling at everything that made a noise.
Finally he flew down towards my decoy. There was a patch of brush blocking my view of the trail before the decoy. When his feet hit the ground he popped into strut. He strutted right in towards the decoy. As soon as he stepped out, he got nervous, dropped out of strut and retreated behind the patch of brush.
I could see him easing back the way he came. When he reached the edge of the brush, he stuck his head out and looked my way. I already had the bead on his head, and rolled him at 8 steps. He didn't even flop. The wad was laying right beside his head, and had broken his beak.
He was a beautiful gobbler that made the Florida Osceola Registry. 19 pounds, 11 inch beard and twin, curved, sharp 1-1/2 inch spurs. To this day he's my best Osceola.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

Quote from: RutnNStrutn on January 27, 2023, 03:21:04 PM
I was hunting one of my favorite WMA's in central Florida. It was a gorgeous morning, cool, clear and crisp. I waited until daybreak, nothing.
Finally fly down time was approaching and I had yet to hear a gobble. I came to the end of a trail. I'd seen many turkeys here in the past, so I set up with a hen decoy.
I settled in and let out the first calls of the morning......
GOBBLE!!!!!!
There was a gobbler strutting on the limb 75 yards away. How he didn't see me walking in is beyond my comprehension. I did some soft tree talk and the gobbler hammered. Then he started shock gobbling at everything that made a noise.
Finally he flew down towards my decoy. There was a patch of brush blocking my view of the trail before the decoy. When his feet hit the ground he popped into strut. He strutted right in towards the decoy. As soon as he stepped out, he got nervous, dropped out of strut and retreated behind the patch of brush.
I could see him easing back the way he came. When he reached the edge of the brush, he stuck his head out and looked my way. I already had the bead on his head, and rolled him at 8 steps. He didn't even flop. The wad was laying right beside his head, and had broken his beak.
He was a beautiful gobbler that made the Florida Osceola Registry. 19 pounds, 11 inch beard and twin, curved, sharp 1-1/2 inch spurs. To this day he's my best Osceola.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

Love to see a picture of him my friend, wow, great story.....

Quote from: stinkpickle on January 27, 2023, 02:48:53 PM
I don't exactly remember how close he was, but I probably could have smacked him with the muzzle instead.
(https://i.imgflip.com/7910i8.jpg)

:z-winnersmiley:   DEAD EYE!!!!!

Two steps

10 feet?  close enough I skull capped him, head was gone from the eyeball up, he came up a steep ridge and was strutting there for several minutes, I rememer thinking after watching the top of his head that as soon as I can see his eyeball I'm shooting!

Wish I still had the pics!

Maybe three steps and it looked like a slug passed through his head. I've got a photo but something about it feels disrespectful to me. Don't know why really.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shot a fall bird at 8 feet.  There were about 6 pellets from a 2 1/4 oz. 10 gauge load that went across the back of her neck.  But, that'll do it.

I think, 11 yards and coming HARD for a spring bird.  Again.......... BPS 10 gauge.  Wad left a 50 cent piece sized raw spot on his wattles.

Had a spring bird at barrel's length plus about 12 inches once.  But he was 1-2 steps from clearing a multiflora bush where I coulda shot.  Could see his eye blinking.   He queered and walked off putting.  But I stood up and cleared the bush and shot him in the back of the head as he walked away at 35-ish yards. 

Wow

Way too close.....I was hunting in Florida, was working my way closer to a gobbling bird when I entered a cleared lane between two large areas of cypress. I made a few cutts with my mouth call and he gobbled very close to me, I immediately hit the ground, laying face down looking into the low grass lane as there were no trees close by. There was a little mound of dirt that I had my gun resting on, I was laying in 2 inches of water and 12" of grass, very well camouflaged...lol....That gobbler walked right up on me with no hint I was 3-4 yards away, I shot him there or he may have walked over my back. I remember it well even though it happened 30 years ago, I had the bead on him and didn't even need to move, he walked straight to me, crazy hunt.

Quote from: GregGwaltney on January 27, 2023, 09:53:35 PM
Way too close.....I was hunting in Florida, was working my way closer to a gobbling bird when I entered a cleared lane between two large areas of cypress. I made a few cutts with my mouth call and he gobbled very close to me, I immediately hit the ground, laying face down looking into the low grass lane as there were no trees close by. There was a little mound of dirt that I had my gun resting on, I was laying in 2 inches of water and 12" of grass, very well camouflaged...lol....That gobbler walked right up on me with no hint I was 3-4 yards away, I shot him there or he may have walked over my back. I remember it well even though it happened 30 years ago, I had the bead on him and didn't even need to move, he walked straight to me, crazy hunt.

You had to defend yourself. Great stories!!

Quote from: Tom007 on January 27, 2023, 03:23:51 PM
Love to see a picture of him my friend, wow, great story.....

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230128/01012dc97e85085d43fbe99125854294.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230128/ea8f2e8b8822a24e597cf968e0399857.jpg)

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

Quote from: RutnNStrutn on January 28, 2023, 03:04:23 PM

Quote from: Tom007 on January 27, 2023, 03:23:51 PM
Love to see a picture of him my friend, wow, great story.....

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230128/01012dc97e85085d43fbe99125854294.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230128/ea8f2e8b8822a24e597cf968e0399857.jpg)

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

Wow, that is a slammer for sure. Nice job, congrats.....

I killed a fall gobbler at about 3 steps this past year. Probably the closest I've killed one. Honestly it was too close. I just glad I had a good rest. It blew the neck out and was just hanging by some skin

Don't know exactly. Certainly less than 12 feet. Thinking about it, I can remember maybe a dozen or more that were less than 20 feet.

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

My closest was about 9 steps away, but the closest I called in was for a buddy, as the bird rounded us he pulled the trigger as the bird went past the barrel.

This close


MK M GOBL

13yds, came in strait behind a big boulder, I had the gun pointed on the right side of it (which was the left side) and shot him when he popped out

7 steps, he was in full strut for what seemed like 10 minutes but was probably half that. I was wrestling with the idea of letting him go as he only had about a 6 inch beard but full fan. Had a guy with a box call closing fast, so I ended it. Just started wispering "you done %$#*@ up" to get him to raise his head for the shot.

Sent from my SM-S901U using Tapatalk

The closest was the first turkey I ever killed by myself. My dad brother and I went hunting that morning but it was my brothers turn to shoot first. When daylight came there were a bunch of jakes gobbling along a creek bottom and then a longbeard gobbling alone a few hundred yards away. At this point I'd killed several turkeys so I had no desire to shoot a jake but my dad and brother were going after the lone longbeard so I decided to stick it out and hope there was a gobbler In this group. Luckily there was and he pitched to my side of the creek after some calling. When he hit the ground strutting and gobbling at about 50 yards (well out of range for me at the time) those jakes got fired up and flew the creek to run him off. Luckily for me I was set up on the deer path he decided to use and shot him at about 3 steps


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

8 feet, I sneezed and shot over him by 3 feet. He ran off, me laughing. He stopped between 2 trees, I ranged him at 42 yards. He stuck his head out to gobble and I stoned him with heavyweight #7's. Still get a chuckle when I think about it. Z

I have taken 2 at 5 yards and 1 at 8 yards and several inside 10 yards.

I've also had even closer encounters with them while I was out recording for my podcasts.  Twice I've had gobs try to pitch woo to my umbrella mic that was at arm's length from me, and one crazy gobbler ran over the log I had been sitting against.

Back in the late 90s, I had chased a gobbler for 2 days.  I finally got aggressive and into a really good position about 75yrds from him on the limb on day 3.    I could see him pretty well and he appeared alone.  I let him gobble until it looked like he was getting restless and let out a couple small clucks and series of light yelps.  That dude bounded off the limb and come sailing my way.  I was expecting him to land about 20yrds and had not planned on 3yrds.  Right when I pulled the trigger, he moved his head.  Before I could get a shell pumped, he was into the brush behind me and GOING!!  I just had to sit there and laugh so I didn't cry.  LOL.

Closest kill was 5yrds.  birds had come in on my right side and there was a ditch between us.  I was trying to figure out how I was going to swing over when all 4 went down into the ditch and walked up on a deer trail right in front of me.  1st man out didn't make it.  :)

Where the heck are some of you all hunting, on Amish free range turkey farms?

12 yards and that was the one and only turkey I've ever killed with my bow. I've missed several that were inside of 10 yards.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Some real close ones!

4 steps, hope that never happens again.

5 yards. He hugged the ridge of thorn apples I was sitting in all the way down the field, and when he finally stepped clear of the brush he was still in full strut and standing straight on to me, side-stepping his way down for a hen that wasn't there. Didn't much like what the shot pattern did to his fan, but when he keeled over, two other toms bolted down the ridge to gang up on him and my hunting buddy shot his bird when he was standing on mine.

Thirty years ago in Wheeler, Texas I built a blind, facing east, along a barbed wire fence. Big old holly looking bush at about 2 o'clock, 8 to ten yards from blind...land slopped down to south about 40 yards then went back uphill 50 or so yards where a big ag field started. Me and had friend were calling when I looked back to the right and saw one of the biggest turkeys I have ever seen...looked 5 feet tall...standing at the top of the hill looking our way.

We softened our calling and he started walking our way...at about 25 yards he just stopped and looked for 15-20 minutes. I had already limited out and was sitting on right side toward turkey. My buddy couldn't shoot thru me, nor could he swivel as turkey would see us.

After what seemed like forever plus a day the bird started slowly walking our way along the fence line.   Closer then stop...then take a few steps...look a while then a few more steps. My friend's gun barrel was resting on a log which was part of the blind. Bird was now close enough to see his eye move back and forth. Bird was no more than four feet in front of blind when he walked in front of gun barrel. Friend completely shot the top of bird's head off. We talk about it every year when we hunt together...still gives me chills.

I've had some real close shots but last year took the cake for me personally. I took my best bird to date at a foot and a half. Yes that's 1.5ft from the end of my barrel. He was so close that when he dropped out of half strut and stood up straight, I had to look up at his head. Waaaaayyyy to close.

Nothing super close for me. I called one up for a buddy once. We sat under this shady cedar tree with decent cover. He was new to turkey hunting and I was coaching him all the way.  I told him if we get anything going today just be still. He sat perfectly still and snored all morning.  Around 9, one cuts loose, I wake him up, the bird won't stop! He came in and quick. I whisper wait till he breaks strut. We'll he wouldn't break strut and he kept coming. 6 steps. He would've been on our lap if he didn't shoot. Feathers were everywhere!
Fun times!

Close enough to miss. Also close enough to decapitate.

I remember a really good time (close bird) i had in the spring when i was younger. I was sitting in a really narrow hedgerow between two fields working a vocal gobbler in the field in front of me. I caught movement and sound to my left and couldnt move. A huge  longbeard had come in silent to my calling and was looking hard. He was really close. I think i could have touched him but i was facing the wrong way. He was so close i could see the gnats buzzing his head. I remember watching him shake and wiggle his head because of the gnats and i could hear his snood slapping his face!  The turkey i was working gobbled, and the one next to me started headed towards him. As soon i was able, i spun the direction he left and made a few soft yelps. He came running back in and i closed the deal. Not my closest shot but the noise of snood slapping turkey face has stuck with me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

About 10 yards. He was on a private ridge point, after doing the dance he came in from the left and the second he crossed a foot onto the public land it was go time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20230206/b9a2342bc56d74ec958579fd05bf0720.jpg)
About that close


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A quick recount of my closest bird:  The year, 1976.  Had finally figured it out enough to have killed my first (called) gobbler the year before, but was still in the "if it is a male turkey with a beard, it's down" phase.  Me and another novice buddy were hunting the Black Range Primitive Area,...a segment of the Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico. 

Calling from a ridge overlooking a gorge-sized canyon, we got multiple gobble-responses from the very bottom close to a mile away.  We bailed off into the canyon, eventually reached the bottom, and set up to call.  Responding gobbles came from a couple of hundred yards down the canyon from us and after a few minutes we could see four turkeys working their way slowly towards us.

As they closed the distance, it appeared they were all gobblers, but it soon became apparent that they were all jakes.  At that time, a legal bird was defined as a turkey with a beard that extended at least two inches beyond the breast feathers.  We didn't want to shoot an illegal bird, so we waited as they closed the distance, walking in single file straight at us, which made their beards very hard to see in the deep shadows of the canyon.

They kept coming, and we kept trying to evaluate whether they were legal or not.  We were sitting side by side in a downed tree, guns up and ready as they came on.  At just beyond the end of my gun barrel,...or so it seemed,...they turned and walked single file right in front of us, giving us a good look at their short, stubby beards.  All of them met the "two-inch" requirement, so we each picked a bird,...and that was that.  Looking back, I suspect the birds were probably a bit further than it seemed at the time, but I am pretty sure they were less than five yards away when we pulled the triggers, and maybe half that. 

I've shot a few others that were not much further than that, but that jake was definitely the closest.

I've killed 4 that I can remember at less than 5 yards.  I can assure you that those were not by choice.  The closest made a 270 degree loop around me and ended up on the other side of a 4 foot tall cedar tree.  I had my barrel resting on the limbs of that tree.  When the shot went off I suspect the turkey wasn't over 6 feet from me and 4 feet from the muzzle of the gun.  Wasn't pretty at all.

Great stories, thx for sharing....

Had one come by me at about 4 yards.  Another bird had gobbled, so I had gun up, but this one came sneaking in to my hard left. I heard a noise and just knew it was a bird.  As he cleared into my vision, I realized he was a longbeard.  He was quartering away feeding, so I let him keep going a little ways.  At about 15, I quietly clucked and he stuck his head up.  Still looked like he had been hit with a ball bat repeatedly in the head. That was in my 12 gauge days.

I had a longbeard gobbiling one evening on my own property, in one of my food plot fields, maybe half the size of a hockey rink, I thought I'll go setup on him in morning, he landed about 2 feet from me when he lit,  I've never been so shocked and so pissed after he flew away when I missed. I tried to be slick but he seen me soon as he landed and started to run, like they say, setup is the most important thing, If I would have only sat where I originally thought I should I would have had a 15-20 yard shot but I went and changed my mind. It's still one of my favorite hunts and memories, we laugh about it now but I was mad at myself that morning. I probably fired my first shot at 4-5 feet, and my last at 30 feet as he was taking flight. what an adrenaline rush though!!  I much prefer them at 25-30 yards personally.

Great thread, really awesome stories. 

My closest was about 10 yards on a field edge.  I was still pretty green to turkey hunting and today wouldn't have been positioned in such a foolish way on this turkey, but he was up on a ridge about 150 yds behind me and 30 degrees off my back right shoulder, and I was down in the bottom hiding in a bush on the point of a curved field edge.  Had a hen decoy directly out in the field in front of me, thinking he would see it and just fly down and take a straight line to the decoy.  Instead, he entered the field and followed woodline around the curve until he was basically staring me right in the face.  I had realized he was doing this as soon as I saw him, but it was too late to move, and ultimately had to swing and shoot when time ran out and the gig was up.  When I shot, he did 2 full backward rolls and never moved.  Turns out I shot him right in the waddles, had an entry wound the size of a quarter right where the waddles meet the neck, but I could've stuck a volleyball in his back.  Wild hunt.  Whole ordeal was almost an hour too- he was strutting and twirling around the whole time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Several years ago I called a hen in with tom in tow. Could not get my gun up as they passed about five yards to my left. She kept yelping looking for me. When they got off a bit I got my gun up to the left and yelped. Back she came. She passed the bead walking by. When his head met the bead I shot. Six feet or so.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Hunting at the small horse farm in 2015, it was the last day of the season.  Mid morning I thought I heard a gobble over the breeze.  He answered the cutts from my long box and was definitely coming. He gobbled again on top of the ridge around 100 yards to my right, so I clucked on the slate and he answered even closer.  It got quiet for too long. I couldn't hear him walking over the breeze and figured he'd walked down the horse trail 20 feet behind me. I softly yelped on a mouth call & he'd already walked past me by about 35 yards on the horse trail.  I saw him turn and go into strut, heading back up my way.  Now, I was set up between two big downed hardwoods and he was walking right towards me.  I shoot left handed and he was coming up from my left, so I couldn't move.  He hopped up on the downed tree I was set up beside about 8' away and blew up into strut.  It was awesome!  I was handcuffed, and still couldn't move on him.  The gobbler hopped down and crossed behind the nearest standing tree 6 yards away.  As soon as his head cleared the trunk of the tree, I rolled him @ 8 yards.

Jim

My closest was two days ago at about 12 yards. I don't have any real close ones like you guys. Some amazing stories. I enjoyed them.

In my early days of hunting, I had a bird crossing a creek behind me and the large tree I was sitting against.  As he crossed, I turned around with the gun pointing on the side I thought he would come.

As I was getting set to shoot (at very close range) and he hopped/flew not in front, but under my barrel!  I had net gloves on, and the netting got caught in the trigger.  When I attempted to disengage my finger from the trigger, the netting was still caught in the trigger and the gun fired (with the bird under the barrel).

While I did not hit the bird (as he was actually under the barrel), I did ring his bell...  The bird drunkenly stumbled out several yards, and I used this opportunity to fire a second shot taking his head pretty much off.

The incident startled me, as having your gun "accidentally" go off is distressing.  I no longer use any net gloves for shooting, and the incident further ingrained how extremely important muzzle direction and safety is!

The closest one that I recall right now was in April 2018. Called him to roughly 3 yards, maybe closer from the end of my barrel, he was walking right to left. My son was sitting about 10 yards from my right side and I said 3 times, shoot him, he did not so I eased up and shot him as soon as I saw him flick his wing. Thing is it should have made a mess, but I almost missed him!!!! But I didn't!!! That was close!!!! He definitely put on a show for us. After we walked to him, my son said "what just happened" and I told him I said 3 times shoot him and you didn't, so I did!!! We moved about 200 yards and I called up another one for him. That was a great morning!!!

Y'all have a good one and May God bless, Bocephus

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk