Okay, since a "longest shot" thread isn't Kosher (and I understand why), how about a "closest shot" thread? I think the closest for me was about 12 feet. There was a lot of vegetation that year, and two toms were fighting unseen about 60 yards down the hill from me. When the fight was over, I called, and the winner immediately responded but went silent. I got ready, aiming down the hill, ready to drop him, but somehow, he got in a low spot and I never saw him come up the hill. The first glimpse I got of him was in my peripheral vision standing immediately to my left. For once, I didn't panic, I just swung the gun in a slow arc, and touched the trigger as soon as it was on him.
About 10 yards and I liked to took the birds head clean off. Way too close for comfort for me. I prefer to have the bird right at around 25 to 30 yards myself.
15 feet last Spring... right in my back yard :you_rock:
Ten feet or so. I aimed a tad high, so I wouldn't blow his noggin' off.
I've killed two pretty close, both about 12yds. One was with lead #6 and I pretty much almost missed. It blew all the feathers of the side of his neck, but a couple strays broke his neck. The other was with TSS, I put one clean hole the size of a 12ga shell right through his neck. Clean hole, no flyers. Pure luck on that second one.
About 30 feet. He was following a hen( I heard him sound off once). I challenged the hen and called her in REAL close ( like 6 feet). The Gobbler broke over the same rise she did and I killed him. To this day I don't know what happened to that hen but I'll bet she had a hearing problem for awhile after having that 3.5" magnum go off so close to her! ;D
about 10 feet
20 yds.
Quote from: stinkpickle on January 09, 2012, 12:27:13 PM
about 10 feet
I got to see my buddy's bird he shot, he said it was that close. He shot it #5's in a 3.5" lead shot. Thats a head chop right there!!
Him and his dad was asking about the taxidermist and getting it mounted. I told them to call and see what he thought. I told him the guys good but I didn't think he was that good LOL.
I shot one at about 6 steps a few years back. We watched 3 or 4 toms and a few hens roost all together, and one tom roosted by himself a few hundred yards from the group. We setup in between the lone tom and the group the next morning on the very edge of a big field. The big group flew down all together and didn't respond to us. The one lone tom didn't answer much, but one time he gobbled real close to my left. Pretty soon my dad said here he comes and he was walking the edge of the field. He did the mean walk right to our decoys and I shot once the bead was on him. There was only a thin strand of skin holding his head on.
i killed one about 10-12 ft. spring before last almost missed i like them to be around 15 20 yrds.
I didn't get a shot at it because I was bow hunting that particular day and he came from behind me, never knew he was there until it was to late. He got about 5 feet and quickly move out to about 500 feet when I turned and looked at him.
About 10 feet
8-10 feet in the U.P. of Michigan back in '04 I was in the woods behind a rock fence with a low spot in the fence we called 4 gobblers down the fence row and I let the 2nd one have it. Pretty cool to be that close!
8 steps and i did not like it. Bird came out of no where and from the side....had the 2 we were working out front at 60yds and this one decided to come in first unannounced. Had to turn and shoot as fast as possible. Not sure how i hit him but he rolled out dead at 8 yds. He was a tad closer before i shot because when i turned so did he in a full run.
at one point i told my buddy if i didnt try to shoot him he was going to literally step on me in a few more steps.
Bout 8 steps. Way too close. Blew the top of the head off.
My son closed the deal on his first bird at 7 steps. Very small window of opportunity.
9 feet.
In the past three seasons I have taken three birds inside of 20 feet.
The closest one I watched come 400+ yards across a field to within 5 feet of me. You can't tell me they don't know exactly what tree that hen is standing by from a distance!!! I think he finally saw me blink. He still didn't know what it was because he just bobbed his head, didn't find the hen and turned to walk off. I tried let him walk further but then had to take him based on the terrain.
Another I had to shoot close because if he got further to my right he would have been behind a tree and could have walked that field edge without me ever getting another shot. The third caught me off guard. I had a pair of birds come to my footsteps thinking I was the hen that just left the field. They both came to the edge of the field in full strut. I knew it was the only shot I was going to get thru the vegetation and it was a safe and clean one. I do like to see how close I can get them and then let them get a little further away but if I can make the shot, I take the shot.
No holes in the meat and no suffering for the bird - that's all that matters.
Shot one 5 or 6 years back out in SD at about 10 ft or so. Only thing holding his head on was a little flap of skin where his neck use to be. Like hitting him with a slug.
I killed one with a stick. How close is that? Oh you said shot. I don't know but it didn't take but a few steps to get to him.
TRKYHTR
20 yards
8 paces in a heavy fog, Black Hills S. Dakota.
:smiley-patriotic-flagwaver-an
11 steps. I think the 3 1/2 mag was a little over kill that close.
3 yards.
15 ft
8 steps
4 steps
A couple of inches off the gun barrel...so roughly 3 feet. Came in behind me stepped over my leg and bit the bullet.
About 10 yards this last spring. He topped the hill and walked between my blind an my decoy and that was all she wrote.
The closest I have killed was probably about 8 steps and it was almost a miss.
The closest I have shot at and missed was about 6 steps. I was laying on my stomach at a field edge in some tall grass. I had 3 hens within about 5 steps and the gobbler came strutting in. He was broadside in full strut and I thought no problem, but at that range it was a complete miss. I am sure the poor gobbler was deaf on his left side after that debacle.
About 10 feet.
I was sitting in some woods overlooking a field, sorta took a little nap, woke up and there was a hen and right behind her was a nice gobbler, he was walking right in and when the hen got out of the way, I shot the gobbler, he was a nice bird 10" beard. My first WI gobbler.
I do try and duplicate the feat every year by taking a nap while hunting.
About 6 inches from the gun barrel, and I DO NOT recommend that.
He snuck in on a logging road and gobbled maybe a foot behind me. I was sitting in a treetop with a very big pine to my left. My barrell was even with the tree and instead of storming the treetop he came around the pine. When he cleared the pine he was staring right into my barrell about 6 inches away. We locked eyes and I pulled the trigger. There was nothing but a red blob on top of his neck feathers.
Other than that I rarely ever let them get too close. Probably the next shortest shot after that one is 15 yards or so.
I shot one at around 15 yards.
I also missed one at around 12 yards, so I guess everything evens out! ;D
10 yards
(http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/In_My_Lap.JPG)
About 20' tops. Came down the trail and caught me with nothing else to do but kneel behind the downed tree with the gun up. He was strutting and drumming to a group of hens just off to my right. They were just about to pop up onto the trail. "Almost" too exciting.
Speaking of footage, this would be a good time to ask it here, I have a chance to buy a .410 barrel for my Thompson Encore prohunter, 15 inch barrel handgun, how effective on turkeys?
Sit down up against a big ol oak one morning just to enjoy the spring woods. Every 30 min or so I would yelp a little & scratch in the leaves. I knew there was a gobbler in the area cause the day before I had heard him fly down into a big pasture with a big group of hens. I had heard nothing on this day . As I sit there I dozed off to sleep. Not sure how long I had been asleep but I was awakened by spittin & drummin. I slowly opened my eyes & this big ole gobbler was in full strut 8 feet in front of me. My gun was laying across my lap & I dared not to move a muscle. This gobbler must of had a death wish cause he turned around and looked dead away from me. I ever so slowly raised my gun , eased the safety off and clucked. He spun around and broke strut & I nearly decapitate him. There was only about 1/4 " of skin holding his head on. :newmascot:
Shot one that was about less than 10 ft one time.
I was buried up in some weeds in Florida and had a long beard walk right up. I only saw him because of the red on his head. It was very thick but alot of turkey sign was there and it was my only go to option at the time.
I put the bead on his head and dropped down a little and squeezed one off. He never took a step and had a neat little 12g hole right under his wing. Didn't mess up the breast or the head.
Also miss one that was about 5 yards, I could see him until I saw his fan pop up right in front of me. He was just over the side of a hill and I couldn't see him. He slowly raised his head up to look over the edge and I aimed like I always do, putting the bead right under his head, where the neck would be if there wasnt a mound of dirt.
Shot and that joker may still be flying.
7 steps on my first longbeard. Took the top of his head completely off.
He came in with another and they were so close I couldn't shoot at the planned place, I had to wait until they separated a bit. It's a rush to get one that close but it is definitely not my preferred shot distance.
My closest shot was 8 yards.
About 10 steps. I was in Nebraska, he came in quiet and wouldn't clear the knee high pines. Finally put his head up in between two of them, and there wasn't much left of it after I pulled the trigger.
Twelve yards almost took his neck off his body that was the first turkey I had ever shot high pressured Public land.