What is your CLOSEST kill?

[TURKEYWHACKER]

I shot an Osceola about 4 years ago on a central Florida WMA at 3 long steps. Had two birds from opposite directions coming in fast trying to beat the other to the hot hen (me). A gobbler with a hen came out from behind a palmetto strip and crossed right in front of me. BOOM. About 1/4" of skin kept his head on.

[I hate turkeys]

I counted coup on one once decided not to kill it after that.
Let a buddy shoot one that was at our feet we stood up and took one step.

[Gobble!]

12. If they get within 40 and I have a shot I take it.

[Kywoodsman]

About 5 yards or so a couple of different times.

[silvestris]

About 8 steps in the late 1980s.  He drummed from behind me and circled at about 15 steps on the wrong side to walk right under my gun, but with thick cover between us .  He never made a step for over an hour constantly drumming and violently spreading his fan.  I finally very slowly eased my wingbone up to my lips and oh so softly yelped three times.  He broke strut and took his last two steps to the small opening upon which my gun was trained.  I think that was the most pleasant hour I have ever had in the turkey woods, and I have had hundreds of pleasant hours.

[stinkpickle]

This one was about 15 feet away.  The pattern didn't open at all.  It pretty much hollowed out the skull cavity, taking the brain and bones with it.  He actually started flopping around.  When stepped on his neck, nothing stayed attached.

[Wildfowler]

4 steps on a gas line

[zelmo1]

  4 steps, he walked right to the gun. I barely moved, only my shaking. Stopped and bang, no lost meat. Not a pretty sight, and that was 2 3/4" #4's. Al Baker

[J Hook Max]

About 15 feet.

[jblackburn]

7 or 8 steps

[VanHelden Game Calls]

Roughly 5 FEET and thats a stretch.

Was bowhunting a bird in a small woodlot.  I pushed him to much and he went cold, so I looped through the woods to get a view of the other side in case he was playing with hens out in the field.  Upon getting to the other side nothing was seen so I was walking the woods edge back to my set and as I was walking there he was tucked up tight and low in some edge brush.

I slowed, drew, turned and shot.

Not a text book hunt but I was thrilled how it went down, if he would not have had the red head I would have walked right by.  He was a good sized tom - they are pretty smart

[Marc]

My closest bird was a comedy of errors...

The bird was in front of me, and came down a gully right below me (only a few feet away, but I never saw his head for the shot).  He then came up the side of the shallow gully hugging the back side of the tree I was sitting against. 

As he was coming up the little gully, I was able to turn around and point the gun the other way (so my front side was facing the tree).  The bird came up hugging the tree right under my gun barrel (literally too close to shoot).  I had on some mesh camo gloves, and while taking the safety off, the mesh got caught up in the trigger...  While trying to untangle my glove, the gun discharged (in a safe direction of course).

Now the bird was right under the barrel in between myself and the muzzle, and although he was not hit, that gunshot sure rang his bell...  He kinda teetered and stumbled off slowly (obviously rattled)...  I let him get about 10 feet out and took his head off with my second shot...

I guess that would technically count as a miss...  I honestly could have reached out and grabbed that bird at one point easier than I could have shot him though.

[nativeks]

Years ago I had one almost trip over my foot. First shot missed and he stopped to gobble at it. Second shot was a hair low and I blew a hole clean through him.

Another time a buddy had cripple one and was chasing it. As it ran by me he yelled for me to kill it. A 3 1/2 load of Hevishot at 3 ft does damage.

[gobbler777]

12 yards using a TC Contender Handgun in 410 ga.

[ep427]

My closest and only kill was at about 20 yards. Sure hope to get another this year.