so this morning at 7:50 am, 10 minutes before work, i missed my second gobbler ever! been tracking this bird on clarks river refuge now over a week. i have been seeing his big old gobbler prints on the trail but have yet to hear him gobble for 4 hunts out there. well today i made the mile walk back to the spot, heard nothing. started headed back to truck about 7:00am and before i get back to truck about 7:20 i got him to finally gobble to me!!!! runned and gunned the mile to spot since 6 am and nothing and here he is less than 200 yards from the truck. so with 40 mintues before work and ive got a bird gobbling to everything me and my hooks call throw at him, i give him the silent treatment for 20 minutes, i called again and he gobbles a few more times but is looping around me on the trail, so i get into a better position and danged if he didn't have two deer with him, they smelt me i reckon and started blowing and stomping and ran off, he started putting and took off down the trail towards the truck. i ran after him with time dwelling down. i stop to listen and i can hear him bout 50 yards around a corner of the trail, i sit down in middle of trail clucked and purred a few times, and here he came around the corner, but walking spooked with his head down and moving fast. i tried stopping him but he wouldnt stop. i shot at about 40 yards, bam, a $5 hevi-shot shell spent. no flopping gobbler. it hurt me guys!!!!!! and ive killed plenty and pleny of birds but this one hurt me!!!
Sory to hear that. Better luck next time.
No excuse to miss at 40 - you had to miss by a mile. You miss at 10, you sailed a roll of nickels past his head. At 40 you sailed a garbage can lid by him. :goofball:
Try again.
Probably won't be your last. That should make you feel better. Best thing to do is shrug your shoulders and move on.
Quote from: spaightlabs on April 25, 2012, 09:13:08 PM
No excuse to miss at 40 - you had to miss by a mile. You miss at 10, you sailed a roll of nickels past his head. At 40 you sailed a garbage can lid by him. :goofball:
Try again.
Not very nice! no need to kick a guy while he is down. ::)
A miss is probably the worst feeling a turkey hunter can feel and the only cure is a kill shot. Good luck on your next hunt!
People who say they have never missed are either lying or haven't shot at many turkeys. Keep your head up and shake it off. I missed two the first day here in KY. Still tagged out on mature gobblers. I have tagged out on longbeards in KY for the last 14 yrs., killed several birds at Ft. Campbell, and a few turkeys in Missouri and I can guarantee you that there has been about as many years with misses as with no misses.
Quote from: guesswho on April 25, 2012, 09:15:46 PM
Probably won't be your last. That should make you feel better. Best thing to do is shrug your shoulders and move on.
What he said. + 1 :icon_thumright:
I've been in those shoes before! Just makes ya feel like crap non-stop until ya shoot another one, no matter how long that is.
I've missed a few of them in 25 years, Missed one twice opening day last year on 2 different set ups because I bumped me sights going in and they were off, went back in there about 2 weeks later and whacked him at 20 yards, was the biggest I killed last year. They all hurt me when I miss but don't get down, Its called Turkey hunting not turkey shooting, ads to the memories and will be more satisfying when you do get him. Good Luck .
Quote from: jellyhead48 on April 25, 2012, 09:30:09 PM
Quote from: spaightlabs on April 25, 2012, 09:13:08 PM
No excuse to miss at 40 - you had to miss by a mile. You miss at 10, you sailed a roll of nickels past his head. At 40 you sailed a garbage can lid by him. :goofball:
Try again.
Not very nice! no need to kick a guy while he is down. ::)
This ain't the women's sewing circle, is it? Did I get on the wrong forum??
Gosh and golly, I'm sorry, it wasn't your fault, probably bad ammo, bird ducked, bird jumped... :toothy12:
Turkeys are tough birds. If anything can be learned from what happened it was still a good hunt.
Better to miss completely than to wound him! Sounds like with all the activity prior to the shot you might have been more excited than what you felt - picked your head up when you shot or maybe you yanked the trigger instead of pulling it. You'll get him next time!