Killer B’s Story Thread

[zsully]

Post your stories from your hunts successful or not we love em all!

[Mossyguy]

Call me crazy but I let 3 walk this morning. We have a front coming through with a lot of rain and since I'm filming my hunts I decided to go sit in a blind on a food plot and see what happens. 3 gobblers showed up with a few hens and they looked like they just got out of the pond. They looked terrible...I guess I felt sorry for them so I let them go. I'll try again when the weather is nicer. I had a great time even though I didn't pull the trigger...hope it doesn't come back to bite me..lol. Wet turkeys make for terrible pics anyway!

[Delmar ODonnell]

Sick to my stomach from my hunt yesterday. Endured the rain expecting birds to come out in the private fields adjacent to public to dry off once it started. Sure enough 30 minutes after the rain stopped I spot 2 gobblers by themselves in the field. Yelped to them and watched their heads change color in my binoculars. They come in on a string into the woods. I shoot at 40 yards and one starts flopping. I stand up and the one I shot regains his feet and runs dead sprint across the field he just came from with his buddy.

Turns out I sawed a sapling in half directly in front of me with my pattern. I searched for hours and could not find blood or feathers or a dead bird. I'm praying he is ok. By far the most sickening feeling I have felt as a hunter. Judging by the speed he was running away he looked about as healthy as he could under the circumstances; I just hope a stray pellet didn't lodge itself somewhere that could lead to death or suffering later on. A humbling experience and one that I am kicking myself for.

[POk3s]

Call me crazy but I let 3 walk this morning. We have a front coming through with a lot of rain and since I'm filming my hunts I decided to go sit in a blind on a food plot and see what happens. 3 gobblers showed up with a few hens and they looked like they just got out of the pond. They looked terrible...I guess I felt sorry for them so I let them go. I'll try again when the weather is nicer. I had a great time even though I didn't pull the trigger...hope it doesn't come back to bite me..lol. Wet turkeys make for terrible pics anyway!

Yep, you're crazy but lots of season left to enjoy!

[POk3s]

Sick to my stomach from my hunt yesterday. Endured the rain expecting birds to come out in the private fields adjacent to public to dry off once it started. Sure enough 30 minutes after the rain stopped I spot 2 gobblers by themselves in the field. Yelped to them and watched their heads change color in my binoculars. They come in on a string into the woods. I shoot at 40 yards and one starts flopping. I stand up and the one I shot regains his feet and runs dead sprint across the field he just came from with his buddy.

Turns out I sawed a sapling in half directly in front of me with my pattern. I searched for hours and could not find blood or feathers or a dead bird. I'm praying he is ok. By far the most sickening feeling I have felt as a hunter. Judging by the speed he was running away he looked about as healthy as he could under the circumstances; I just hope a stray pellet didn't lodge itself somewhere that could lead to death or suffering later on. A humbling experience and one that I am kicking myself for.

Dangit man! As many have said, hunt long enough and it'll happen! Nothing worse than wounding our quarry, but wild animals can endure a lot! Hopefully just a headache!

[twyatt]

Mossyguy - I don't know that I would have had the same restraint, but I certainly agree a wet bird ain't the prettiest thing, and I don't blame you for passing.  I would definitely still call that a successful outing and I'm sure there will be plenty more to come.

Delmar - I know that feeling all too well.  A few years ago I had 2 gobblers come in on a string, and I shot one at about 30 yards and he hit the dirt.  I set my gun down to take my facemask off and the bird got up and flew away clear across a swamp.  Terrible feeling that I will never forget, but it happens I guess.

[a_jabbo]

Moss- Nothing a blow dryer couldn't fix. I wouldn't have been able to let 'em walk. But more hunting to come and looking forward to you catching back up with them.

Delmar- Like the others have said, it's bound to happen. I'd be lying if I said it hasn't happened to me before. He lives to gobble another day, and you might end up running into him again.

Also, I want to add, DANG it feels good to be back on here talking turkey with you fellas.

[zsully]

Mossy- you are a better man than I my friend. One of those soggy longbeards would've been riding home with me. It is nice to be on em like that though.

Delmar- sounds like a good encounter man. Bummer he got away.

Good grief reading these stories gets me jacked up. I stretched a few mouth calls last week and I really like one of them. Hoping to call in a bird with a mouth call I make this year.

[Delmar ODonnell]

Broke the ice this morning guys. This 2 year old had an attitude we dream about. I'll post the score later


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[Mossyguy]

Good job man. I whiffed on one day before yesterday. Don't know why..just did..lol.

[twyatt]

Congrats Delmar! Tell us the story! That's a great picture

[zsully]

I love when I log on and see a new post to the harvest thread! Congrats Delmar!!!!

[Yoder409]

CONGRATS, brother !!!!!!!!!!!!

How'd I know you'd be the first to punch a tag ?   

[Delmar ODonnell]

Thanks guys! I went into a ridge before dark where I knew 2 gobblers have been pretty consistently. I stayed with them all morning on Tuesday and counted 16 hens with them, so if something was going to happen I figure it would have to be more position than calling.

It was muggy and windy this morning, and nothing gobbled on the roost. I eased in and gave some soft talk and one of the gobblers answered me. Over the next hour he would answer me, but the whole flock was drifting around me.

After one sequence a different pair of gobblers answered from 300 yards over the property line, and I went ballistic about blowing the reeds out of my call. They ate it up and I believed they were alone based on their attitude. After about 15 minutes of silence I had to hit them pretty hard to answer, and they were in the same spot. 10 minutes later I gave one bubble cluck and they hit back only 100 yards away.

I got in the ready position and 5 minutes later I hear the sphht, vroooom directly down my gun barrel. A couple minutes later and the pair of gobblers walked out of the thick, dark piney ridge into the hardwood bottom I was set up in.  The first gobbler stepped into an opening at 38 yards and I let him have it at 8:45 in the morning. It was as good a hardwoods turkey hunt as you can have, and I'm very blessed to come across these birds in such a mood this early in the year.

It felt good to have some redemption after Monday's mishap, and the first one of the year is always special.


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[Yoder409]

Most excellent !!!!

Little tip on Monday's "mishap"............  It happens.  You ain't gotta like it.  You never do.  But it will happen.  If he scrammed that hard, he'll live to die another day.

Years ago..........buddy of mine came up from WV to hunt our place.  First day we talked to a guy who had "missed one" that morning up on the south end of the next ridgetop.  Said he "only got a few feathers".   Next day, we spotted a gobbler with a hen in the creek bottom.  We got way around above them (on the north end of that ridgetop) and I put my buddy about 60 yards downhill from me.  Long story short.........the gobbler got done with his hen and I talked him into coming up the hill.  My buddy capped him.  BIG bird.  IIRC, something like 22 lbs, 11" beard and 1 3/8" spurs.  His breast had more than a few fresh #6's in it.   My buddy was shooting #4's. 

He'll be there for you next time and he will have forgotten about it.