Spooking a bird in his strut zone

[dawgfrombama]

I got on a hot gobbing bird this morning.  Made my way up a ridge where he was strutting and gobbling.  I got in pretty tight due the woods being fairly green.  I got the birds attention and got him in close.  I could hear his wings dragging the ground he was so close.  To make a long story short, I made a move to readjust my gun because its was slipping off my knee and he was standing not 15 steps from me.  I never saw him until he alarm clucked.  I was busted.  He got the heck out of dodge.   Question is....how bad do some of you think this bird is spooked?   I'm not hunting this ground again until Friday evening or Saturday morning. Thinking about headed to that spot at daylight Saturday morning but not sure if he will find another area.  Been hunting turkeys for 30 yrs dumbest mistake I've made.

[appalachianassassin]

spooking turkeys isn't near as big a deal as some make it out to be. I wouldn't doubt that you could have killed that bird later the same day. definitely the next day.

[kyturkeyhunter4]

You can go back to that same spot and kill that bird, would go right back in there and hunt it.

[spaightlabs]

It won't be an issue.  He was only temporarily wigged and he doesn't know why.

As someone said on here a few years back, turkeys live their lives with one foot permanently on the panic button.  But they get over it pretty quickly.

[chow hound]

If turkeys never went back to an area where they spooked they couldn't live anywhere.  Coyotes, bob cats, foxes, etc are always after them plus I suspect they have many false alarms every day caused by rabbits, deer, tweety birds, a shiny object etc.

[Ozarks Hillbilly]

You'll be fine. I would go back and hunt him the next opportunity that you get to do so.

[2eagles]

One afternoon I was working a bird who was on the other side of a small river for a friend. Darn gobbler was strutting back and forth sounding off so loud I could almost feel it. When we decided he wouldn't cross, we went to the bridge crossed to his side and went after him. Seemed his strutt zone was a two track along the bank. Sure, we got too close and spooked Tommy. My friend went back dark and early the next morning and shot that bird. Your bird will be back. Go get him!

[Marc]

Shoot...  I was gonna' say he probably left the state...

[Volgobbler]

Who knows with turkeys. I spooked one last week walking into the field. I left and went around another way and 30 min  later he  was back out of woods strutting for a  hen. Roosted him and  killed him following  morning

[Neill_Prater]

I wouldn't worry about it all that much. Turkeys get spooked by things all the time, and they still act like turkeys.

And, if spooking that bird truly was the dumbest thing you have ever done in 30 years of turkey hunting, all I can say is that you must be one smart dude, because that wouldn't even register on my dumb  moves meter!