have the group of birds fly off, and come back to the same field a few days later and have the birds still using that same field again?
yes and I have seen them get shot within a short distance of where they were missed. I have also seen them never come back to the same area.
It's not what you asked for, but anyway.
This year i missed a tom, the group flew away in the woods (5 hens, 1 jake and two toms).
I gave em 2-3 hours, went in that wood, set up and called. I imediatly had a answer and two minutes later, the two same toms that i saw earlier came in and i killed one of them.
Everything can happend when you chase turkeys :turkey2:
Yes, I've seen them return the same day.
for sure... turkey's are all about "Now" not so much the past or future.
The last one I killed in Georgia this year I missed at 10 yards by himself. An hour later sitting in the same butt prints I'm assuming the same bird come back walking in the about the same foot prints. Outcome was different this time but it was almost like an instant replay.
Several times over the years I've seen them come back to the same place within hours of a booger.
Yes I have seen them return to the same field and also never return again. One year there was a group of 5 2 year olds we killed 3 of them from the same tree within 2 weeks. on another occasion two guys that used to hunt a farm we hunt shot two birds out of a flock of 4 long beards an hour later we fired up the other two birds about 200 yards away not 100% it was the other two but sure fit the profile and killed one of them. The answer is it can be done but missing them certainly doesnt make it any easier.
The other factor is if the birds took a few pellets and our injured or at least a little smarter a pellet or two will do more than the sound of the gun.
Yes,
Missed a strutter with 5 hens in a big bean field one morning, about 4 hours later a group of 5 hens and a strutter were in the other end of the field, I assume the same birds. He came in again that evening.
Thanks for the replies guys. I'm gonna go out before work tomorrow and give it a shot. Just when I think I have these turkeys patterned they make an outta me.
They sit in trees during thunderstorms. Loud noises and small objects striking them are not unique to being shot. I think the critical point is whether or not they associate the shot with a predator.
yes they will sometimes return
Killed one few years back....was sitting maby 10 yards off a used path and a truck comes by about 7:30 headed down path on way to river. The truck had just passed maby 3 minutes and I had been calling a Tom in and he showed himself just off path...nice bird and he walked into tire tracks that had just been made and the guy driving the vehicle should have stopped and he would have had a show in his rear view mirror.
Have missed and called em back later the same day. Called one up for a buddy one time and he rolled him. I went back the next day and killed him in the same spot. He had shot him low in the breast. It's not something I expect every time when one is missed or wounded but you just never know