Turkey hunting forum for turkey hunting tips

Lost my first bird today...he was a monster.

Archery?

I've had a few misses, but I believe they were just a bad shot and no harm done.
I have wounded deer with a bow and it just rips your guts out. If that turkey dies and it feeds a 'yote or other animal, remember it wasn't a complete waste. All Gods creatures must eat. Do your best next time and move on.

Never lost a turkey, but lost a deer 28 years ago. I have made my peace with it but cannot forget it. I put in the effort so I can live with it. Do your best and never quit. Move on. Al Baker  :z-twocents:

My dad wounded what would have been his first gobbler. One of the most picture perfect hunts I have ever had. Gobbler got to about 7 yds and dad didn't realize how tight the pattern would be that close. He shot and the bird acted hit and started running away. I think he was so in shock he could t get off another shot and I couldn't shoot around him. It still stings  a little

Have never lost a gun bird, but have a few with the bow!

Have lost a few with a bow. But none since I started shooting Magnus Bullheads. Its either a miss or a dead bird. Never lost one with a gun.

I have lost one bird. Anybody that has not has not hunted enough. It happens to the best of us. We just have to try and not let it happen again.

I've had "clean" misses but never "rolled" one and never recovered.

If you've "never" missed, you haven't hunted very long.....you will.

First and only bird I have shot with a bow. Right up the bunghole at 12 yds. He hobbled a ways, then flew off into the woods never to be seen again. Arrow was bloody nock to tip, breast feathers in the grass where I shot him. I walked the woods with my dog for hours and never saw the first sign of him. He may be the last turkey I ever shoot at with a bow. It was disgusting, far beyond frustrating.

I missed a gobbler at 20 yds in the woods a few years ago as well. He got weird and started to take off, I shot, he flew. Cleanly took out a sweet gum in the process. I never saw the tree before I pulled the trigger.

You can't change the fact now. Analyze and determine what you did wrong (if you did). Determine how you would keep it from happening in the future/what would you do different. Make a pact with yourself to not make any unwise decisions while turkey hunting. Now move on and have fun.

If you've never lost one or seen one lost you ain't killed or guided very many of them. And that's a fact.

When I first started hunting I rolled a jake and lost him. Now I tell that story to my friends to stress the importance of ethical range shots, effective patterns, and pellet energy. All we can do is learn from it and not make the same mistake again.

I have watched a lot of film and most birds people claim they miss are actually hit birds. I agree with those who say they have never lost one have not hunted long enough or killed enough. In 42 years I really don't remember hoow many I've hit and lost, but it's not many. If I was guessing I'd say 4 or 5 and that is all birds I feel was hit in some form. As far as birds I put down hard and got up to be lost I know of three. Before anyone lectures me please consider my kills and quided kills are in the hundreds. I'm not bragging I just want to establish the parameters of my numbers.  I would say my lost birds are less than one in say 75-100. So if you have killed 25 and lost one that is a higher ratio. I am being totally honest and open. Don't beat yourself up over it just work to do better.

What really kind of gets under my skin is when I watch people shoot a bird among multiple birds and spray other birds with shot. I have watched in person and on videos many times hit birds run away limping that were not the bird shot. This never seems to get mentioned.  I wait until there is seperation or I don't shoot.  I know guys who have killed multiple birds several times when they were only meaning to kill one.  There are flukes, but usually this is just plain lack of discipline. So I've said my piece....good hunting

I rolled one on opening morning several years back. Got up and walked over to him as he was flopping around, reached in my pocket to start filling my tag out and he got up and flew off. I looked and looked for that bird never to even find another feather other than what was on the ground where he was flopping. It happens if you hunt long enough.

I've never lost a bird. But like already mentioned, I haven't killed nearly as many as some guys on here. I'm sure it will happen eventually. I'm going to try my best not to let it happen though

I guess I have not hunted enough, because I have never lost a bird in 15 years of turkey hunting. I have killed a grand total of 15 birds in Maine and New Hampshire. Not exactly the Mecca of turkey hunting. I never said that I have never missed, because I have. At 10 yards no less. I am positive that it was a clean miss. Broad statements and answering for other people tend to raise some peoples dander, me included. Please talk of personal experiences and offer opinions. This will offend less people. I hope I did not ruffle any tail feathers. Good luck and God Bless.

I know my guns limitations and would never overextend them. No I have never lost a bird.

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I have missed 2 birds (one was 10 yards and running- he died at the next shot when I let him get out there a few more yards) and I have lost one bird.  The bird I lost was not because I overextended and did not know my range.  It was well within ethical range. I still do not know after going over and over the ground what happened, but I have always assumed there was some small tiny piece of brush that disrupted my pattern just enough.  He flew off and straight towards my nephew who had heard the BOOM followed by BOOM BOOM as he rolled over and flew away.  He was hit.  He went down and my nephew heard him flapping but was scared to wade in and get him because he did not know where I was and knew I did not know he had walked that far North from where I left him (wise choice).  We went to the site of the crash and there were feathers there too, but no bird ever found after two days of searching. 

Ive been there... I shot one with bow once that got away. I shot him @ about 15 yds aiming for the wing butt, but hit him higher and arther forward than i wanted. Once hit he took wing and i knew it wasnt a good sign.I gave it 20 minutes and Me and a buddy grid searched down the direction he flew, nothing for 150 yds. Then we find blood. No joke this bird left a 150 yard good blood trail. It got real spotty after that though and ended up losing blood shortly after.Grid searched 3 more hours to no avail.I was sick about it.Worst feeling as a hunter. I did redeem myself the next year on a real nice gobbler with my bow.That was my mission to kill a gobbler with bow and since then ive honestly only bowhunted them a few times since. Dont let it get you down you did everything in your power to find him. Get back out there and redeem yourself.  :anim_25:

Been turkey hunting for 35+ years, have never lost a bird, and have missed 4

Quote from: eggshell on March 29, 2015, 06:04:33 PM
I have watched a lot of film and most birds people claim they miss are actually hit birds. I agree with those who say they have never lost one have not hunted long enough or killed enough. In 42 years I really don't remember hoow many I've hit and lost, but it's not many. If I was guessing I'd say 4 or 5 and that is all birds I feel was hit in some form. As far as birds I put down hard and got up to be lost I know of three. Before anyone lectures me please consider my kills and quided kills are in the hundreds. I'm not bragging I just want to establish the parameters of my numbers.  I would say my lost birds are less than one in say 75-100. So if you have killed 25 and lost one that is a higher ratio. I am being totally honest and open. Don't beat yourself up over it just work to do better.

What really kind of gets under my skin is when I watch people shoot a bird among multiple birds and spray other birds with shot. I have watched in person and on videos many times hit birds run away limping that were not the bird shot. This never seems to get mentioned.  I wait until there is seperation or I don't shoot.  I know guys who have killed multiple birds several times when they were only meaning to kill one.  There are flukes, but usually this is just plain lack of discipline. So I've said my piece....good hunting

Great post. If one hunts turkeys long enough, and with decent success, you will miss some and have a few hit and escape. Killed my first 27 with one shot each and no misses or cripples. Missed #28 clean. Bought a new turkey gun (with sights) the next season. In two seasons, I killed six, missed 3 and crippled and lost 2. Put a scope on the gun and killed 32 straight. Got sick of the weight, and went to a 20 gauge with a bead. Haven't really kept count of kills since then, but it's been a bunch. With that gun, I've missed one (100% my fault) and crippled and lost another. I'm blaming that one on the turkey and a bad break due to him moving and no chance of a follow up shot.

We're human, and some of us are more human than others. Do your best, and when it happens get over it and move on.

I lost one of my first birds. I miscalculated the distance like a novice and rolled him off a knock down and he flew away on me. The bird was 54 -paces from me on the downside of a slope. Hence, I am in favor of using a scope with a diamond reticle to verify the approximate distance before I drop the hammer.

Quote from: land cruiser on March 29, 2015, 01:10:32 AM
Archery?

Not archery. I made another post dedicated to what happened.

Heart broke over it.

I once let the lead bird get super close because I was waiting for the trail bird to show up on the logging road so my buddy and I could double (we did the year prior).  No BS the bird got probably within 5-6 steps when I shot.  The thing was walking right toward me and I shot at the base of the neck.  He began flopping on the ground as if he was dead, I ejected my shell but did not bring another into the chamber.  I stood up, and went to go get him and he got to his feet and ran off, never to be recovered after hours of searching.  I did not stun him from the shot, there was a huge pile of blood and feathers on the ground and he was in bad shape as he ran off. 

I have never felt so awful in my entire life.  I will do everything possible to avoid that in the future.  My buddy missed on his too.  Smoked a sapling in front of him. Bad bad day in the turkey woods.

I have.  And for all those that say they never lost a bird, but missed, how sure can you be that it was a clean miss?

Didn't kill/find four of them in 20 years.

Shot one perfect with my compound 4-5 years ago and never found him, flying blood is tough, jumped him up once and that was all she wrote. I don't arrow shoot them anymore.

I've rolled two that got up and took off as I was walking to them in my early years of hunting, they fell so I was too green to chamber another round instantly regardless of a hit or miss. I was hunting with a partner and wanted to be safe. Anymore I'm up and getting to the bird quick but not so fast that the next shell can't be fired in an second or two. I was using #6's and both of them where just shy of the 40 yard mark. Had another that took off flying after an edge of pattern shot, but do enough wing shooting that at 30 I still got him in the air.

Last year I dusted one that did a big head bob at 25 yards. I think he caught a pellet or two on the edge of the pattern, lead #5's, and ran off. Looked all day for that bird and never found him.

Thing is all three of those where with old school Win Sup. Once I made the switch to the first run of the remington heavy shot they ALL fell where they stood.

Last year I ran out of the Rem. HS and only had a few Win Sup. 2oz.#5 loads, after the dusting indecent I spent a couple days working up a new load and choke, the next day my new 40-50 yards load had to do the job at 12 yards. All that work and he came in ultra close, it nearly vaporized his head with #6 Fed. HW. I'm a big believer in the power of the high density stuff for sure now.

I solo film when I am not filming others quite often. I doubled solo and was doing a little razz ma tazz to the fellers what didn't come out with me being they had to much of the embibery. I get up adjust camera and start walking biggest bird jumps up and starts running. I dive for the gun and pump another at him but he is at 65 plus by now. Put the Brittany on him and she tracked him another 300 yds with several decent puddles of blood found. It broke my heart and whats worse is you can see my every mistake in the video. His head slowly raised up from behind a decoy and I never took notice. I was heart broken and more disgusted with myself than I could handle. Oh yea thats also the day that I put down all copper plated lead and went to the Heavies.

When you miss at 10 yards, you know because the pattern is very tight and a hit would mean a kill. No blood or a decapitated body is also a sign you missed. Most turkey chokes put all the shot in a 3-4" area at that distance.

Quote from: zelmo1 on March 29, 2015, 07:20:24 PM
I guess I have not hunted enough, because I have never lost a bird in 15 years of turkey hunting. I have killed a grand total of 15 birds in Maine and New Hampshire. Not exactly the Mecca of turkey hunting. I never said that I have never missed, because I have. At 10 yards no less. I am positive that it was a clean miss. Broad statements and answering for other people tend to raise some peoples dander, me included. Please talk of personal experiences and offer opinions. This will offend less people. I hope I did not ruffle any tail feathers. Good luck and God Bless.

You have to consider the context.  There are guys on this forum who kill and guide that many in one spring.

I have a friend who at last count has only killed 14 in his life and he talks like he knows how to kill turkeys. The truth is, he doesn't put them down all season.  He kills them when they are hot and solo but knows nothing of how to assembly yelp, gobbler yelp or what tactics to employ when they are tough. Great guy but he talks like he knows how to really lay them down. He kills maybe 2-3 a year...

On the contrary, one of my good buddies is a guide in Georgia and has called up 9 in the last 5 days. He's the kind of guy you shut up and listen to when it comes to talking turkey. Last time he, his dad and I went on a turkey hunting trip together over a 2 state tour we piled up 11 in 5 days. You have to qualify your experience but I'd say until you've watched 30-50+ birds die, you're still pretty green when it comes to turkey expertise. Id also say that until youve hunted them all over the country your perspective is also very limited. Not meant to offend, just an objective analysis of experience.

Come back here a few years from now with your 60th set of beards and spurs and tell me you haven't missed or crippled one.  You won't be able to do it.
JMHO

Lost one when I was in high school about 1984.  I was hunting with my grandfather and was were set on a field edge at the end of an old logging road. The bird walked out of the road and strutted in to about 30 yds.  I had him everything was perfect.  3" mag Remington 1100 with a full choke barrel and 3" Federal Premium #4 turkey loads.  I wait until he is tail to me, raise my gun, click off the safety he drops strut, and boom!  Well not so much of a boom, more of a bang.  The bird was knocked off his feet but immediately jumped up and took wing. I tried for a flying shot but my gun would not fire!  In fact it did not eject the hull.  I pulled the bolt back and ejected a hull with considerable powder that had not burned.  I walked out to where he was standing and picked up the wad which still had some buffer and shot in the cup.  There were feathers and a drop or two of blood, but my turkey was gone.  Why did this happen you ask?

You should talk to my mom.  She had a habit of gathering up my "dirty" hunting clothes and washing them when I was at school.  I guess the pant pocket with 3 shells in it was not obvious going into the washer but made enough noise in the dryer that she recovered them.  What did she do with those shells you ask?  Why put them on my dresser with my gloves, calls and face mask of course.  When I loaded my pockets that morning, little did I know I had freshly washed shotgun shells! ::)

After my grandfather explained to my mom never to put shells that had been in the washer back where anyone could shoot them, I also asked that she at least tell me when something like that happened.  She washed other shells over the years but always told me when it happened.  I did try to do a better job of cleaning out my pockets when I came in from hunting!  With 23 birds I have killed and recovered that is the only bird that I believe I hit and did not recover.  Clean misses that's another story!