Missed today, not the biggest problem

[zelmo1]

  I missed today, not the end of the world. Clean miss, bird actually gobbled as it was running away, weird. Two issues, first issue. I blasted a stump a couple feet in front of me, second time this year, branch the first time, the problem being that I never saw it. I mounted a gobble stopper on my gun and it sits pretty high, no problem with the field bird I shot this year because there was nothing between me and the birds. I am either concentrating on the dot too much or I have a vision problem. Second issue was I may have misread the birds behavior. My buddy thought the bird would work in closer and I thought it was hung up at 40 yards. Range finder was right at 39 yards. I better get my crap straight. I have a couple more days to hunt. Just venting/ trying to figure this out. Good luck all.

[owlhoot]

Take your backup gun.   Pick your setup better    Hey at least your still out there having fun and the toms are playing with you. Most of us are done are a bunch on here can't beg a gobble   

[Greg Massey]

I'm old school take that range finder and leave it at home...you should look around your surrounding before you make the first call.. also if your using red dots or a scope just look down the side of the gun barrel before looking in you red dot or scope before the turkey comes into range... as the other post said pick your setup better...

[Cutt]

I know what you mean, as I had a similiar issue this year on a bird at 25 yards, and nailed a 2.5in. sapling I blurred out of the picture. I know focusing too much on my sight for a length of time I basically lose focus of potential obstacles. It would be ideal to leave my head off the stock without starring down the sights to get a true picture of my surroundings, but as we know it just can't be done at times, as they'll bust you taking aim.

As others said, just need to survey the surroundings more carefully, before the moment of thruth, as I been there too. As my issue was I had to get on the other side of the tree, with no time to survey my new surroundings.

[TauntoHawk]

I really prefer to run a single lens reflective reddot like a fast fire for that reason. You just kind of observe the dot in your field of vision rather than having to look through something that take your concentration off your surroundings

[Snoodsniper]

No big whoop.....I kilt a tree myself this year. With my ff3 no less. Focused on the bird and not what was between me and him.

[Neill_Prater]

Been there, done that, as has virtually every other person on the planet that has turkey hunted more than a few seasons, whether or not they choose to admit it!    I am often amazed after shooting a bird how much junk there actually was between us. When I make the shot, I could swear there isn't a tree within 50 ft!

Seriously, I shoot a red dot, and have famously screwed up a few times because I shoot with both eyes open. I almost did so again this year in Alabama, but fortunately the tree I harvested along with the turkey was rotten enough that the shot charge still had enough oomph to put the bird down, although he did require a finishing shot. If you are concentrating on the bird, with both eyes open, there can actually be an obstacle, such as a tree, between the muzzle and the gobbler, but because of our binocular vision, the brain blurs out the obstructed view, making the target appear to be in the clear. A simple solution is to momentarily close your left eye (assuming you are a right-handed shooter), before making the shot, but in the excitement of the moment, I sometimes forget to do so.

[zelmo1]

I checked my setup at the range today. Everything is ok, my problem is focus and concentration. I will work on it. This is a new concept of an optic on my turkey gun. I will be more aware in the future. Thanks for the positive comments. That is what we doonthis site, help each other, not be negative. Thanks again, Al Baker


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[jepcho]

It happens man. Keep at it and go get yourself another opportunity. Good luck!

[K9Doc]

Go get em Al!!
It's happened to me as well. Shot a Barbed Wire
Fence about 3 feet in front of my barrel!!
Clean miss at 35 yards!!!
I knew the fence was there, but appeared fine
They the scope!  Lol!
Good luck!

[Onpoint]

Go get em Al!!
It's happened to me as well. Shot a Barbed Wire
Fence about 3 feet in front of my barrel!!
Clean miss at 35 yards!!!
I knew the fence was there, but appeared fine
They the scope!  Lol!
Good luck!

I shot a barbed wire fence one time too. Brought 2 gobblers in from a hell of a long ways off just to shoot the fence. I've also shot 2 trees. One I didn't know was there. The very next year I knew the tree was there but leaned out and thought I could slide past it. I'm sure a few of the pellets made it past it

[n2deer]

It may or may not help but I shoot rifle sights and "missed" a bunch of birds when I first started.

I always set my sights where when I'm shooting I line them up and can see the birds head on top of them. Like another bead. I'm not shooting till I got three dots lined up and his head on top of it.

Slow down to the best of your ability and think it through, it gets easier. Good luck, it's less pointing your shotgun and now aiming your shotgun.

[sixbird]

If any of you are bow hunters, you've had that exact thing happen. Things look clear and the arc of your arrow trajectory lines up with a branch or the sights being above the arrow, it hits a branch you thought was out of the way...
I usually look down the side of the barrel as the bird is coming in if I have a doubt about a clear path for the payload...
Don't get discouraged over it. Just use it as a lesson. That's not the last thing that'll happen to mess ya' up...   

[Dr Juice]

Who hasn't missed? If you never missed, you never turkey hunted. No biggie ... go give 'em hell.

[howl]

bead, less choke, forty yards, aim low...