I don't know if this has been asked on here before but, what is your closest kill? Lots of guys talk about their farthest but, never about one they called up close. Calling'em in close is exciting and sometimes takes some doing. My closest by the way is not really all that close. 22 yards. My problem is I usually don't let'em get close. Lol.
First one I ever shot was when I was 14 and he snuck in behind me and when he walked by the tree I was up against, I got him at about 10 steps. Just about took his whole head off. Thankfully that was before I knew anything about chokes and I didn't have my gun patterned like it is now (I might of had a full choke on my 1300 and it was probably the factory one that came with it) or I might have missed him all together. Nowadays I like them to be at least 15-20 yards away before I shoot
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3 yards. Was hunting right next to a sharp drop off. The tom was responding good and coming in quick from in front of me. He went silent for about ten minutes then all of a sudden pops up behind me right over my shoulder and sees me just as I see him. I swing and shoot and luckily hit him right square in the neck. His head was literally hanging by a thread of skin. There was so much blood that the top third of his body and beard looked wet.
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About 7 feet from the end of the barrel. Not deliberate as my trigger finger usually gets a twitch at 30-35 yards. Was caught in a tight and thick spot that time...
My whole game is about killing them close, we are in the under 20 yard range and mostly 15-17 yards and in the 8-10 yard range with the bow! Now my closest ever was about 10ft, quite a story with it.
MK M GOBL
Quote from: Spurs Up on May 03, 2018, 07:41:54 PM
About 7 feet from the end of the barrel. Not deliberate as my trigger finger usually gets a twitch at 30-35 yards. Was caught in a tight and thick spot that time...
Yeah, 30-35 yards and if I've got a clear shot I usually take it. I've shot several at 30 yards or so when they was still walking closer.
My closest was less than 5yds he flew right off the roost to me Nd the barrel was already pointed where he landed. As soon as his feet hit the ground I shot. I thought he was going to fly by me
3 steps.
7-8 steps if memory serves me right.
About 15 feet. It punched a hole thru this head like he'd been hit with a slug.
7yds, I called one in for a buddy at 2yds.
Quote from: stinkpickle on May 03, 2018, 08:45:18 PM
About 15 feet. It punched a hole thru this head like he'd been hit with a slug.
Me too
Closest kill was my first kill. Jake at 6 yards. Missed one at about 10 last year.
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I had been seeing some birds in a small draw for several days and set up in it one afternoon about 13 years or so ago. Set up in a briar patch and heard scratching and walking behind me. Had 5 hens come out to my right side but no tom. Then ppfffttt wwhhhooopp spit and drumming to me immediate left and at 4 feet he came by. Blew his head completely off. And 1 time while scouting I had a few turkeys on a ridge and had a hen walk right by my left foot
Assuming you are talking about no blind that is perched over a decoy spread...
- about 12 yds. Bird put a tree between us as he approached. I prefer 30 yds!
I have had a couple at 10 yards or so... You shoot them that close, and their heads are pretty much vaporized. They still flop...
I had one that came in behind me (crossing a creek), and I was on a large tree... As he went behind the tree, I turned around (facing the bird and the tree) and he walked right under my gun barrel (I would have had to back up to shoot him).
My net gloves got caught in the trigger, and while trying to reposition my finger, the gun discharged (with the bird right under the barrel)... It obviously rang the birds bell, and completely disoriented him momentarily, and he stumbled away from me... He got a few yards out, and I shot him before he regained his composure.
The incident was a wake-up call to me as far as gun safety... I was in my twenties, and cannot think of having an accidental discharge before that. I realized I should have immediately taken the safety off once my finger was caught... And I also realized I need to put safety before the harvest of a bird.
This season while taking my youngest out on the opener, three jakes came right to the edge of our leaf-net ground
blind (withing touching distance) and gobbled their heads off... I had put my daughter down on a plush jacket for a nap while waiting for daylight, and tried to stir her to see the action... She slept right through it, even with those birds litterally gobbling in our faces.
One of the birds was trying to poke his head up to peek over the blind to find that hen... I am guessing if I had reached over and grabbed him, my little one would have woken up in a hurry with an angry jake in the blind with us...
5 steps
Tom with hen got behind me. I got the gun up pointing to my left and called them back. When he reached the bead I shot. Three feet from the end of the barrel.
My first turkey hunt ever, at 12 years old, decided I wasn't set up in good spot but wanted to look around before I got up and moved. The gobbler was right behind me! I slowly turned and shot him as he was walking away at 10 yards. That was 19 years ago and still my most memorable turkey hunt.
3-5 steps, no blind.
10-11 yards in spring. 8 feet in fall.
No blind.
9 paces.
No blind
My closest was about 7-8 yds.
One time I pulled the trigger on a Tom that was at about 15yd with a Jake standing with in arms reach of me looking at the Tom. I had the gun up waiting for the Tom to come out from behind a tree when the Jake came walking in from behind me. When the Tom came out all I had to do was put the bead on his head and shoot. That poor Jake just about turned inside out trying to get the heck out of there when the gun went off.
2 times at 5 yards.......amazing how close they will come when you are asleep :mask:
3ft from end of 30in barrel
7 or 8 steps. It wasn't pretty.
Flew off the roost towards me and almost flew past me. He made a hard right bank in the air. Felt the breeze off him when he came over my right shoulder. Hit the ground exactly where my gun was pointed. He flopped a few times. When I picked him up he was 6 steps from the tree. My best bird to date.
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Quote from: Upfold99 on May 04, 2018, 09:26:11 PM
Flew off the roost towards me and almost flew past me. He made a hard right bank in the air. Felt the breeze off him when he came over my right shoulder. Hit the ground exactly where my gun was pointed. He flopped a few times. When I picked him up he was 6 steps from the tree. My best bird to date.
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This was several years ago(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180505/416932404b8efc8f011b8d534167f30e.jpg)
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6 yds. It was my first bird
12 ft. Foggy morning, tight spot. Thank God for a double barrel with an open choke!
About twice the length of my shotgun.. That bird swung way around to my left and ended up on the other side of a very small cedar tree. I shot one other that was certainly no more than 5 yards. He walked straight in behind a big tree and when he popped out he was probably 15 feet.
Quote from: MK M GOBL on May 03, 2018, 08:00:29 PM
My whole game is about killing them close, we are in the under 20 yard range and mostly 15-17 yards and in the 8-10 yard range with the bow! Now my closest ever was about 10ft, quite a story with it.
MK M GOBL
Tell us the 10ft story. ;)
About ten feet. I had the gun up and on my knee, the bird walked right to me and stopped right in front of the gun. Only movement was to pull the trigger. It was real ugly. :OGturkeyhead:
10 yards? Knocked one over in an extremely tight spot, maybe a 15 yard shot. When I went to pick him up, he got a second wind and took off running. Next shot missed him, but the last shot put him down for good. After it was all over, I just scratched my head and asked myself, "What just happened"? ???
7 steps. ,1983
Single shot-HR 10 guage with a 36" barrel and a load of 2's
I prefer them between 30-40 yards perfect range for my gun to have 100% effectiveness and still enough margin for error with my pattern. My closest is probably around 7-10 yards
about 6-7 steps. No blind, no decoys, just an odd situation and hunt. Oh, public land, too.
about 7 steps
6 yards in 1998. I was up against a big oak behind a cedar that had been laid down from winter snows. No decoys. He came in from my left strutting, looking for the hen he'd heard. He jumped up on a downed log 15 feet in front of me & blew up into full strut at eye level. It was beautiful. As soon as he jumped down on the other side of the log, he blew up facing away from me and his fan covered his head. I got the gun up and when he came out of strut I busted him.
Jim
I've shot two at less than ten feet. I think one of them intended to mate with me.
I've had three total inside of 10 yards. Nothing super close, but close enough.
Maybe 5 yards..... maybe......sure as heck wasn't further.... :funnyturkey:
Closest for me was around 10 yards. I was sitting right on the edge of a a grassy old no longer in use for many years access road in a bend. he came right up the road at 10 yards i first seen him so I held tight and squeezed almost blew he neck in 2. Normally I have a take the first good shot within range rule so most of my turkey get it around 35-45 yards.
My closest was a fall hen that come in from behind me. She walked around the lay down I was setting against and turned right to me. My legs were stretched out and she was no more than a foot from my feet when I shot her.
I called one up a steep slope, I was standing against a large oak due to birds on this property liking to not come over a rise, it was so steep he was strutting and drumming inside 5 yards for a few minutes, I told myself as soon as I can see an eyeball I will shoot, took off the whole top of his head from eyeball up, gross! I think it was three steps when I shot!
5 yards
3 steps
Maybe 15 feet.
I missed 1 at around 10 yards two years ago, that count for anything?
FOUR yards...maybe. Lol. S&W model 1000 fixed full choke. My stepson Logan's first bird in 2014. 2 3/4" Winn 1.5 ounce 6s. YIKES!!
I've had birds literally walk across my legs. They have a unique smell, turkeys. They kinda stink. Lol