Bouncing back from miss

[turkeyfool]

Hey guys

Recently posted about opening day in Maryland. Had 3 birds fly down to me at first light, didn't swing on them because they were at my 3 o'clock and the jake pegged me. Fast forward to this weekend, back in Maryland. Had a bird gobbling, slipped in on him before calling-think I pushed it too far because he went silent after I sat down. I have a tendency to get too aggressive and try to get too close before calling.

Anyway, I had a bird come in behind me looking for that gobbler/hen about 15 mins later. Dead silent, came in on a mission. I tried to swing on him at my 3 o'clock and he started trotting/I missed badly. How do you get over a miss fast? Other thing-what do you tell yourself to force yourself to make sure everything's good before pulling the trigger? I've averaged 5 birds a year for the past few seasons (I don't say that in a bragging way). What I mean is, I typically don't have an issue with nerves. And all of sudden I feel like I have the "yips"

[guesswho]

After confirming he wasn't harmed (search for any sign of a hit) (then search some more).   Once confirmed he's alive and well just laugh about and convince yourself it was a warning shot to make it sporting.  Anybody can kill them on the first shot.   Shake your fist at him and tell him don't you ever come back.   Once all that is out of your system program yourself for your next encounter.   I will not swing on a bird, I will not take a running shot etc,  it will be clean or I will save my shell and kill him tomorrow.   For us it's not life or death, for him it is.   I enjoy telling a good warning shot story as much as a kill story, especially if it's somebody else's warning shot, and I have more than my fair share of warning shot stories.   But turkey hunting is meant to be fun, if you can't accept Murphy's way of thinking and laugh at yourself from time to time it's time to take a step back and relax.   Then get back after it and have fun.   

[Tom007]

After confirming he wasn't harmed (search for any sign of a hit) (then search some more).   Once confirmed he's alive and well just laugh about and convince yourself it was a warning shot to make it sporting.  Anybody can kill them on the first shot.   Shake your fist at him and tell him don't you ever come back.   Once all that is out of your system program yourself for your next encounter.   I will not swing on a bird, I will not take a running shot etc,  it will be clean or I will save my shell and kill him tomorrow.   For us it's not life or death, for him it is.   I enjoy telling a good warning shot story as much as a kill story, especially if it's somebody else's warning shot, and I have more than my fair share of warning shot stories.   But turkey hunting is meant to be fun, if you can't accept Murphy's way of thinking and laugh at yourself from time to time it's time to take a step back and relax.   Then get back after it and have fun.

Best advice you can get here, well done.....

[tha bugman]

Been where you are and getting in a slump.  My mentor always told me that the only way to get over a miss is to stick with it and kill the next one!  The pendulum will swing in your favor! 

[ChesterCopperpot]

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[ChesterCopperpot]

...program yourself for your next encounter.   I will not swing on a bird, I will not take a running shot etc,  it will be clean or I will save my shell and kill him tomorrow. 

On a serious note, I agree with everything [mention]guesswho [/mention]said. With the real takeaway of what he said being set rules for yourself. You're the only one who can make these rules and implement them. Early on we tend to push the envelope a lot more on shots than we do later on in our careers, and the reason for that is inevitably that we miss enough game and/or wound and maim enough game that we don't push the envelope anymore. The easier thing to do is just implement those rules early. You know what you did wrong. Try not to do it again. That's all any of us can do. Be more steadfast than those of us who reach the same conclusion by other means. Be thankful the bird wasn't injured. Every year I make mistakes and every year I make more rules.


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[Mountainburd]

After confirming he wasn't harmed (search for any sign of a hit) (then search some more).   Once confirmed he's alive and well just laugh about and convince yourself it was a warning shot to make it sporting.  Anybody can kill them on the first shot.   Shake your fist at him and tell him don't you ever come back.   Once all that is out of your system program yourself for your next encounter.   I will not swing on a bird, I will not take a running shot etc,  it will be clean or I will save my shell and kill him tomorrow.   For us it's not life or death, for him it is.   I enjoy telling a good warning shot story as much as a kill story, especially if it's somebody else's warning shot, and I have more than my fair share of warning shot stories.   But turkey hunting is meant to be fun, if you can't accept Murphy's way of thinking and laugh at yourself from time to time it's time to take a step back and relax.   Then get back after it and have fun.

Some of the best advice I've ever read on these boards ever. This precisely. It happens to everyone. When I have seasons that start out that way, I really hyper focus for my next shot and make sure it's a very killable bird. And when I get him, all that confidence and joy comes back again. You know what you're doing. Stay the course.

[Zobo]

One thing I always do is try to control my breathing. I take at least two or three slow deliberate deep breaths before I pull the trigger. It will calm you and make you more patient for a clean ethical kill.

[Howie g]

If you ain't missed ? Then you haven't shot at very many .
We all get humbled now and again . Shake it off, learn , and move on to the next .

[zelmo1]

Everybody misses. The next shot is a new streak bro. I missed one at the end of my boot, laughed my butt off until he stopped and gobbled again. I killed him at 42 yards with the second shot. Go figure 

[runngun]

It can be frustrating for sure. Everyone misses every once in a while. Keep your head in the game. 
Keep your cheek down on the stock and PRESS the trigger!

Have a good one
Bo

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[JohnSouth22]

drink some black coffee get some lead in the pencil and decide its nut cutting time