What was your, or a bird you witnessed, fastest kill shot? I don't mean 30 seconds after legal time. I mean from when he hit the ground. My wife killed her Tom after three steps and he turned, " shhot", dead. I figure 8ish seconds, lol
Probably the quickest kill was my first bird ever taken, and that was in Pope County, IL, back in the late 1980s. I had little idea of what I was doing, but after a pre-dawn 30 minute walk down a ridge, I crossed a valley and climbed another steep ridge where I'd heard them the previous morning. They gobbled, I gave some light yelps, and a gobbler flew down, landing behind a large boulder. When he stepped around it to find the hen, I dropped him with a load of #5 shot. He was a handful to carry back across the valley and up the other ridge, then the 30 minutes to the truck, but I had a smile on my face the whole way back! As a remembrance of that event, I dropped my 870 on the way out and bend the ventilated rib. Since way back when, I've taken a couple of gobblers every year but that bent vent rib is reminder of how it all started.
I'd guess his feet were on the ground for maybe 2 seconds. I slipped in and saw him on the roost about 60 yards away. Finally, after gobbling his head off, he turned towards me and pitched straight to me. I flipped off the safety while he was in flight and he landed about 20 yards from me onto an old roadbed. As soon as he threw his head up, I killed him.
One of the quickest hunts that I have had not off the roost was on 2 longbeards that I walked up on, They were strutted in our gas line at the foot of a hill. I dropped back and off to the side, sat down, made a quick set of yelps and within 15-20 seconds, I saw their heads coming over the hill. I was quick on the trigger back then and boom, boom, they were both flopping. I had been on my lease and out of my truck less than 10 minutes for the whole hunt.
I have shot 4 and teed-up 3 more that were shot in under 5 seconds of hitting the ground. Have an entry in my journal "pitched into the decoys like a goose complete with back flapping, could have taken on the wing shot." Two were taken in the same piece of public land two years in a row by companions I was helping, kind of a hike back in there so they weren't roosted prior but there always is a bird in that swamp every year, and still is.
19 minuets from time leaving the truck to picking him up by the feet. Me and a buddy also killed two 12 minuets apart that didn't come in together.
Bird flew down, landed 30 yards from me, went into full strut, moved 5 feet, stopped stuck his head up, BOOM. I will never forget this one....
The fastest hunt I have witnessed was this year. The gobbler was roosted 35 yards from me and my brother. We did not know he was that close, LOL. He pitched down in front of us and took one step.
Good stories. My fastest one ever was the last bird I took this year. I found a gobbler alone in a field late one afternoon on a piece of public. I tried to work him then but with the wind, I was having some difficulty. I considered belly crawling up to him, but I wanted to do it "the right way" lol (just kidding don't get mad at me). Since you can only hunt this place on certain days, I knew that he would be unpressured when I came back next. I wasn't sure where he would be roosted, but I had an idea.
The morning I went out after him was the night after the bad Tornadoes hit Tennessee, and it was still bad wind and rain coming through, but I made the drive anyway. Thankfully the wind and rain stopped, completely. I made the walk down to the field a little later than normal due to the cloud cover keeping it darker longer. I set up and after about 5 or 6 minutes I gave a light tree help. I didn't hear him gobble but when I yelped, I heard him shift around on the limb directly above me. I froze and my heart started racing, because I thought I would get close to him, but I didn't think I would get that close! I continued to hear him move on the limb for 2 or 3 minutes right above me, then he stopped moving. I expected to hear him pitch down, so I was listening intently to hear his wings. As I'm listening, 10 yards to my left he catches me off guard, walking straight to my hen decoy. He never gobbled, and pitched off of the limb completely silent, but I gave the illusion of lonely late season hen and he bought it. I left the truck at 6:30am, and was walking back at 6:50am.
Had a few quickies. One time involved nothing but previous knowledge of typical behavior. Walk in, bird gobbles on roost. I drop everything except my gun. Why cause the previous 2 days this bird did everything opposite of what I wanted. I set up south, he goes north, etc. So this time I don't call or anything he Flys off the roost right towards me, hits the ground takes 3 steps and boom.
This year was off the roost the roost and into my decoys.
Several years ago I sat under one and feared he would fly down out of range. So I waited till he pitched down and shot him before he.hit the ground. I didnt even know he was in the area till my phone ring in my pocket and that made him gobble. I looked up and said oh boy...
To answer your question, immediately! Shot 3 maybe 4 over the years that looked as if they struck by lightning, no flop no quiver nothing!
Not very common, one bird this season did it!
I don't remember that was over 30 years ago.. LOL... main thing is i was taking him back to the truck..
Hunting with one of our camp old timers years ago, three gobblers sounded off at 6:00am one overcast morning not far from us waiting for daylight, so we set up quick. They gobbled so much on the roost, sounded like a turkey farm. The three flew down and literally raced each other and ran into our set up. His hunt was over at 6:10am. His first long beard ever.
My first ever spring hunt. My buddy was taking me and we were slipping through a creek on a dim road to a more distant gobble. One gobbled right in our pocket, maybe 75 yards off the road. We eased in and sat down. Buddy called one time, hen behind us on the other side of the road started talking and he flew down toward the hen (and us) and took maybe 10 steps and died. It was so early that the pictures look like he was shot in the dark. We stowed him away and took off after the other bird and my buddy worked him, but did not get him to commit. I was hooked. My buddy warned me that it was certainly not a typical hunt!
This was a Kansas WIHA crossbow hunt 2 days prior to the gun opener. Parked the Jeep walked across the road and opened the gate and as I closed it a bird gobbled right out in the pasture. Sat down in a small shaded spot and called once on the diaphragm. 2 longbeards immediately ran over the hill and were displaying in front of me at about 18 yards. The bolt went all the way thru at the butt of the wing and he barely moved after hitting the ground. Elapsed time, maybe 90 seconds.
I had two 5-minute hunts, two different years, and both were boss Toms. I happen to see both Toms walking away from two different friends' properties while I was approaching to park. I parked the vehicle both times, closed the truck door quietly, put on my vest and put my mouth call in the ready position, head net, and gloves while I circled them. Let out a few low yelps and waited for the cut-off gobble, set-up and remained silent until the boom! I love those quick hunts. Honestly, I did not need the vest for both hunts but the seat cushion did come in handy! :funnyturkey:
Roosted a bird all by himself the evening before and set up right under him at 40yds, when he pitched to a small field I clucked at him twice while he was in the air and he turned his head to look. When he got to the ground his feet tangled in the wet grass and he took a tail fan over snood tumble, sprung to his feet and looked around like "I hope that hen didn't see that" booooom
He was my heaviest I've taken at 23.5lbs
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Great stories guys. Never have I drawn up a plan and had it work exactly to the second. I hope lightning strikes again, lol, but not counting on it. Al Baker
Found this public spot about 10 years ago that looked like it had potential. Did not see any sign but went back the next morning for a listen. Bird gobbled about 75 yards from my planned listening spot. Made a setup up and waited. After he gobbled for a while, I gave him a couple light clucks. I couldnt see him but he flew out the tree and headed for some more around my 2:00 position. Looked like he didnt guess the limbs right and kinda missed. He picked up speed again and was headed to me and about my 5:00 position. Being right handed this is about the worst possible spot. About the time the got out of my peripheral, he banked hard and came over my right side. I felt the wind off him. He hit the ground 6 steps in front of me, exactly where my barrell was pointed. I dont think he ever took a step. Best beard I have taken. 11 3/8 if my memory is correct.
After that, this place became my honey hole. Killed several more in there over the years and try to only kill 1 out of there. (Its a small tract). Secret is out now, as I never saw another person for years. Last 3 years or so, it gets hunted pretty hard the first few weeks of season.
About a 30 yard walk for him from where he flew down around the corner. 6 minutes after season opened. beat or next earliest bird by over 20 minutes. good thing those white heads glow in the dark!
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Probably less than a minute.
The one that flew into the side of my truck. Actually I am lying. That happened to my cousin.
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I got to enjoy a couple of those this year. That's normally not the case for me as I do not get the opportunity to roost birds so getting in super tight can be tough unless they gobble early. Earliest was probably within 3 minutes of his feet hitting the ground. Another within 5 minutes.
The only downside to killing one right off the limb is coming home with a bird right as the wife is getting rolling in the morning. "You killed a bird?" "Nice". "Can you help me (insert some job that you both will start and 10 minutes later she is gone while you labor alone for several more hours)".
Best part was, she killed it and was tagged out. Then I got to hunt my bird my way. He was dead within 2 hours :funnyturkey:
Last year I was w Jrrodc. We sat together and I watched a longbeard pitch down n in to us. The instant it's feet hit the ground it was over. Less than a second of ethical shoot time. Jrrodc got another longbeard minutes later.