Run to bird after the shot?

[GobbleNut]

Around these here parts, where turkeys are generally found on some pretty steep country, every second you sit and wait after the shot is another ten or twenty yards down the hill a gobbler will flop.  I get to them as quickly as I can, cuz I don't want to have to carry one back up the slope any further than I have to.

Unfortunately, nowadays "as quickly as I can" is something more of a fast shuffle, or maybe even a medium waddle, than what you young'uns would refer to as running.   

I am often hunting steep country, and once had a dead bird roll out of sight.  The happiness of success was soon replaced with the irritation of that long walk down, and the worse walk back uphill carrying a bird.  Granted, I was still happy after following that trail of feathers and actually finding a dead bird.

I have always made haste after making the kill, and generally anchor the bird's head with my foot...  Unless the head was missing...  Then I just let it keep flopping.

This season, I am going to try a new tool I used for duck hunting called "The Finisher."  It looks like a sharp key, and is basically used to "pith" the birds.
Thought it was junk when I got it, but it kills birds very quickly without wringing the necks or biting their heads...  They can bleed like a stuck pig sometimes though.

Marc, it's interesting that you bring up "The Finisher".  That little tool was developed by a young guy here in NM, and the son of one of my best friends did the patent work on it for him.  I have several of the "prototypes" they put together when developing the product that they gave me to try out for them. ...Never thought it would be a marketable success, but apparently it has been. 

Also, your comment about following a "feather trail" hit home, as well. Just last spring I had to "feather trail" a gobbler down a steep slope for a looonnnggg ways.  It was so far that I thought he must have gotten up and run after the shot, but I eventually found him piled up stone dead against a downed tree far below where I had shot him.  If not for the feather trail, I may not have.  Needless to say, I wish I had been quicker getting to him before he got to floppin'!

[outdoorsmen]

I can't run 1100fps so I don't see much sense in trying.

[CALLM2U]

As it's been mentioned, it was more common in the lead days as we didn't tend to kill them as dead as we do now. 

That being said, I still will run to scoop one up these days because I mainly hunt mountains.  It doesn't take but one time of watching one flop 100 yards down to the bottom of a nasty hollow to know you don't want that to happen again. 

[12point]

You got that right about the mountains For sure. First bird I was lucky enough to get on public land East TN Smoke Mountains did just what you said flopped right done the mountain.
The second one I got a ran to before he did the same thing. But as Ive said I believe my running days are over LOL

[dublelung]

It depends on the distance, terrain, etc. If I can see it's clearly a dead bird I'll sit tight and take my time. If I can't see the bird after shooting or if it acts like it wants to get those feet under him I'm advancing quickly with the barrel pointed his direction. I'm short and fat but ain't afraid to hustle after one.

[leaf shaker]

RUN LIKE HELL YALL. My younger brother shot a bird somewhat low (main part of the shot was around the beard) last year and I don't know how far the bird would have gone but he was still decently alive. I capped him off with a .22 I carry with me when calling for other people. To be honest he had a single shot so I knew there couldn't be an accident, but bang went the gun and I went a runnin   

[High plains drifter]

No reason to get vulgar like that.

[NTXRRANCH]

I always readied a followup shot.