Sometimes they win!

[Txag12]

Had a first for me today. Been patterning birds for the past month and a half...knew what several were doing on the property. Setup on one this morning and he outsmarted me off the roost, took off hauling butt towards a pipeline. Fast forward knew he frequented that pipeline morning and afternoon, so made a 6 hour sit under a big cedar elm. Wind was dead calm, warm and sunny, but birds being awfully quiet an I hadn't heard anything in at least 45 mins a long ways to the north of me. Around 640 pm I heard rustling behind me to the south. Patiently waited and did some soft calling. Grew louder and louder. Just after 7 it was so loud I was like this has got to be hogs or coyotes...turn around am there stood that tom at 15 yards with me to squeeze a shot off right as he took off. Not a feather drawn, I guess directly behind me at a poor angle and in the chaos of not expecting it to be a bird I was a mile off on my shot placement. Never thought it was a bird...but he was a dandy of one. Sometimes they'll win, an it's a first for me to have a bird come in completely silent. Makes you sick to your stomach!

[surehuntsalot]

on those afternoon and evening hunts, you have to use your eyes way more that your ears, 9 out of 10 birds will come in silent

[Spitten and drummen]

Half of the birds I have killed slipped in without a sound. Then again 80 percent of my hunting is public.

[BB30]

Missed one this past Saturday that slipped in silent at 1:30. Had a nice pretty bottom for him to work up through and he came behind me through basically a briar patch. I didn't notice he was behind me until the ground started to vibrate. Ended up being at about 15 yards before I knew he was there. Long story short I rushed the shot and made a clean miss. Hindsight I should have just let him walk off instead of trying to rush it. They have an unbelievable ability to show up where you would least expect them. I would say I have probably killed close to half of my birds coming in silent, several while working another bird.

That is one of the things I love about turkey hunting, you never know what is in store for you that day and it doesn't matter how long or how many birds you have killed there is something to be learned every time out in the woods. 

[Txag12]

I told myself to pick my head up and roost a bird yesterday evening after my miss. Ended up getting another bird pinned down that I've had my eye on. Closed to 100 yards of the roost and he outwitted me after some back and forth so I let the woods settle for a hour or so then made another move on him. He sounded off on his own down on a bottom so I closed the distance to 150 before I hit him on the call. Sat down and let it get quiet then let out some soft yelps. He sounded back and I shut up. He got to about 60 when he sounded off again and I gave another short soft string of yelps...saw his head bobbing through the thick understory. Slowly slid my gun to the left when he put his head back down. Cutt hard real quick to get his head above the thick stuff and took him out at 30

[Blong]

Hunters booger turkeys way more in the pm than they are willing to admit. I just don't do it unless my back is against the wall.

[mgm1955]

Won't be the last turkey that gets away for sure.

[ilbucksndux]

I messed up on one big time this morning. They have beat me up pretty good this week. Today I was going to do something I never do and sit on a field I knew they would eventually be in. There was another truck parked on the next road over so I decided I would not go into a certain woods. I heard 2 gobbling on their own a good distance away so I was calling pretty hard and those birds were coming. I thought I knew right were they were gonna step out so I was looking in one area pretty hard. I happen to look to my right and see a tom 60 yards away looking right at me. I know he saw me turn my head cause it was pretty open between us. In a flash he was gone............I didnt get the other two either.