Have you guys had one of those seasons where nothing goes right? Well this is one of those years for me. It does not matter what I do , things go South on every hunt for me this season. I have missed a bird , worked several that I could not close the deal on , made bad moves and bumped a bird that was begging to die , bumped birds off the roost , move at the wrong time , lost 2 strikers , broke a box call. I have been doing this a long time and I am doing things that a green turkey hunter would do. I have just had a awful year. I have killed one 2 year old. I run turkey calls all year and have done so many many years , but in the woods I just dont sound like I normally do. Its crazy. I think alot of this has gotten in my head and Im having trouble shaking it. I got a bird gobbling at ten this morning and he was coming quick. Knocked the safety off and had my gun up. I heard the bird drum and he popped up in sight at 15 yards. He was to my left and I would have to swing the gun a foot and a half to get on him. He stood like a statue and started drifting to his left closing the gap that I needed . He walked behind a pine and I smoothly started to shift the gun to my left. The end of my barrel hung a vine the size of a pencil that I never saw , causing it to shake slightly. At that exact time the bird laid his head back from behind the tree and caught the vine shaking ever so slightly. He vanished leaving the tree between him and me letting out the dreaded putts. I was so sick that I wanted to throw up. I knew I should not move but I did it anyway. I know gobblers do that reverse peak when going behind a tree and if I waited until he did that then he would continue to move into my shooting lane. I keep shooting myself in the foot and wanted to vent a little. Thanks guys.
Welcome to the club.
Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
Been there and done that and may someday be there again. I know it's easier said than done but quit putting pressure on yourself. Relax, and hunt like you usually do and enjoy every second of it. Sometimes we get in our own way.
Sounds like your are having a great time, don't see whats awful about it. Now you get to go back out and turkey hunt again. Sounds like fun .
Filling tags too soon is a bummer. Unless you run out of time :(
Yep, been there except for breaking a box call. Even one I didn't like.
Good luck
Yesterday I took my son youth hunting and we had 4 different opportunities to seal the deal and it didn't work out for him. He could have shot a Jake but passed on him waiting for the gobbler behind him to make it to where the Jake was and the Jake finally spooked. Then today we heard more birds than yesterday off the roost but nothing responded. After getting rained on we decided to call it a day around noon . While heading back to the truck we spooked several jakes . I told him we would make one last ditch effort and try to call them back after they kind of split up. Well it worked and he filled his very last youth tag. He won't be eligible next year. This was his first Jake and we worked pretty hard for him so I am happy he was able to fill his tag . Now we can sleep in on Easter Sunday and don't have to go out in the rain
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The stories you give us puts me right into your hunt. The experiences you have had shows you know what you are doing. Your on them, it will swing your way soon. You are to experienced for them to dodge you much longer.....
Thanks guys. Just doing a little venting to fellow Turkey hunters. Been a long time since I have had so much go sour in the Turkey woods. I gotta turn it around.
Man its not fun when you don't have the results you are used to having.
Look at the big picture however. States surrounding my home state of pennsylvania are closing the doors to nonresident hunting before the season even starts. Most of the surrounding states open within the next 2 weeks and there is no guarantee I will be able to hunt the states I normally would. If all else fails I plan to hunt my home state in 2 weeks when it finally opens.
I hope your season turns around for you. I know I for one take a lot of my hunting opportunities for granted. Enjoy every day you get in the wood.
Let go of "having " to kill a bird and go to be at peace, enjoy the sunrise, listen to the REAL world wake up and just take it all in.
I PROMISE it will happen when you least expect it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sounds exactly like me deer hunting when the pressure is on.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I have no idea what your talking about.....wait did I already go to the bathroom, wait what were we talking about?
See I just blame it on old age and bad memory.
Seriously, we've all done it. My buddy who is usually death walking, for gobblers, never tagged out last year. He blew 5 different opportunities that should have been slam dunks. I took him to my honey hole and called an old bastard bird I had wanted for a couple years right to his lap, I thought finally we got you, you old bastard and boom he missed him at 15 yards. A few years ago I had a season like that and I had a gobbler coming out in my back field I told the Mrs. I wouldn't kill just so she could watch him. The last week of season she met me on the road about mid morning and stopped to see if I had killed a bird. She knew how frustrated I was and told me that gobbler was in the field right now if you want to try and kill him I'm ok with it. So I went home and snuck back along the fence and one series of calls here he came and I dropped him. Then she told everyone I killed her pet....yup some seasons just suck.
Quote from: Brian Fahs on April 11, 2020, 03:41:29 PM
Look at the big picture however. States surrounding my home state of pennsylvania are closing the doors to nonresident hunting before the season even starts...Enjoy every day you get in the wood.
He's exactly right. Sounds like you had lots of interactions and opportunities, beats either forced to be sitting at home, or other end of the spectrum listening to the woods wake up quiet day after day after day with no interactions.
If you were successful each and every set up, where's the fun in that?
Im not complaining about not killing a bird and yes I am enjoying my time hunting. I was just asking some of you if you ever had a season where you seem to not be able to do anything right and if you ever had a whole season that you got in a slump and could not seem to get out of it?
Anyone that can't say they had years like this hasn't hunted turkey's very long......... :turkey2:
Quote from: Tom007 on April 11, 2020, 04:28:54 PM
Anyone that can't say they had years like this hasn't hunted turkey's very long......... :turkey2:
That's for sure.
I do have to say, you have had some awesome interactions which proves your in the game my friend......
Quote from: Tom007 on April 11, 2020, 04:28:54 PM
Anyone that can't say they had years like this hasn't hunted turkey's very long......... :turkey2:
Agree, and yes, had seasons just like yours. Happens more often when I get 'stuck' on a certain bird too. Seems like I can't do anything right for the days I devote trying to figure that particular bird or birds daily routine out and then counter.
Glad I'm not the only one. For me, there isn't much middle ground. I'm either feeling confident in my abilities or banging my head thinking "what in the absolute hell was I thinking?" It comes with the territory of being a turkey hunter I suppose. I find motivation knowing that redemption can come the next day (although at the time of mistake I feel like that's the last gobbling turkey I'll ever hear), and knowing that the mountain tops wouldn't seem so high without the valleys
I feel sometimes we are our own worst enemies with slumps. We often fall back on spots and tactics that worked in the past but are not currently the best option. Also as opportunities slip away most guys become more aggressive and less patient in their set ups. Often leading to yet more blown opportunities.
Face it we all have slumps and sometimes bad seasons in general. The hunter who keeps a positive attitude and sticks with it will usually connect eventually. It may be out of the norm or not exactly how we would have liked it but it will happen. In the end it's just hunting and there are things way more important in our lives than filling a tag.
It happens to everyone eventually I think. My son was born on a month early March 14, 2008. Our season opens March 15th. That was the first year in many that I didnt kill a bird. My wife had a hard time and was sick afterward and we stayed in the hospital several days. I think I only hunted 2 mornings that year, but that wasnt the problem. The next 2 years I had problems. It was as if I had forgotten everything I knew about turkey hunting. I managed to kill one bird in those 2 years but my confidence was shaken. I know how you feel Jody and I hate it for you. The good news is that it will turn around for you. Like everything else in life we just keep on keeping on and this too shall pass.
Sent from my SM-G930R7 using Tapatalk
DON"T kick yourself at all, all of us veteran turkey hunters have been through these ruff times alone with the good times . It will come around , the more persistent you are the faster it will all come back together again and you will be successful. It's just what happens as we age .. I use to think if i hear him, i must kill him, but with age , that has all changed, if I'm successful great , if not i hope to hunt him another day. But i do have those days, i just want to throw it all away calls, gun , satchel and just cry. That turkey whipped my BUTT again..
Right there with you, missed a bird earlier this season with my daughter in the blind. She is 5 and wanted to go since last year, this year I put up a blind on a piece of private that we can hunt. We got there in the afternoon knowing the birds use that field the last hour every day before roost. She did pretty good hanging out for the majority of the time, then she was ready to go. So instead of making it no fun and making her stay we were about to leave with 45 mi utes left. About the time a hen pops out to our right, we wait a minute then a Jake follows her out. My daughter was ready for me to shoot. So I did and somehow missed him. That has been the only bird we have seen this season that we could shoot. My hunting partner is a damn good turkey hunter and between us we haven't even got to work a bird all season. Last weekend we finally got 1 to gobble, only problem was in opposite side of farm, by the time he got to them the hens carried him away. So yeah, we understand completely. 2 weeks remain for us then it's over.
Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
It's a slump, many experience it. It's tough to overcome. Been there a few times over the years.
Confidence in your setup and calling will help you overcome it.
It can and will get in your head, back to basics.
When that bird shows interest and doesn't immediately commit and run to your barrel I have to tell myself over and over...patience!
Things happen, bumped birds, broken or lost calls. Mistakes are gonna be made no matter how long or how experienced you are.
It's always that morning that everything goes wrong, your wore out. Even seriously considered just sleeping in that morning.......everything comes together at the right time.
That's why we do it...
I wouldn't worry about it. It's turkey hunting. That's what keeps me coming back. It makes it all the better when everything goes right and gets you thinking again that you do know what your doing out there.
This year's starting off about like yours for me. Between weather and getting birds to respond and thinking they are definitely going to come in and then nothing.
Hopefully I don't get to the breaking or losing stuff phase though.
I've killed two in the first five days of hunting. Both were hard earned birds that took patience to find a working turkey but once I found a willing bird the setup and finish was rather quick. Called in another for my cousin and it took about an hour and fourty-five minutes for the tom to get in the mood but once he did he covered 200 yards in 10-15 minutes.
Thanks for the encouragement guys. Appreciate all the feedback. Its good to share the misery with like minded people who know the feeling. This is not my first slump , but fortunately its been a long time since I had one. Spoiled from limiting out year after year. On the bright side , at least I am not gonna be goose egged.
I agree if you have turkey hunted very long things have gone south occasionally. However it is important to not put to much pressure on yourself . A lot of the times I have messed up I found myself trying to make it happen . Keep getting after them and have fun your luck will change soon !