If I had it to do over…

[ChesterCopperpot]

End of season always leaves me second guessing and replaying all the mistakes I made or all the small things I could've done differently. What's a scenario you might've changed the way you handled this season if you had it to do over?

I've got two: 1) Bird I hunted multiple days. Had a roost that was truly unapproachable. First day I found him I still don't know if I spooked him off the limb or if he just pitched and came sailing by me. Caught back up with him later that morning and played my hand about the only way I could've played it. Got him to 25yds and needed one more step and he just wouldn't take it. After that it was like a spaceship beamed him up. He was just gone. But on another morning I waited for him to come off the roost. I got him fired up but it sounded to me like he was hung up and there was a lot of big country between us. I started pushing close. I got to the point I was looking for a tree to sit down. No good spots. Bad set ups. I start to take a step and I hear him walking just over the lip of a small ridge. His head comes up over the rise and there I am. He buggers and gets up into the air, sets them wings, and he's out of there. One, I shouldn't have ever pushed that close. I should've trusted him to come. Patience kills turkeys. Patience kills turkeys. Patience kills turkeys. But, two, once I made the decision I did and got that close I should've just stayed behind the tree and set up standing. If I do that he pokes his head over the rise and he's dead. I'm sure he heard me walking and believed it was the hen coming to him. If I'd just realized there was no good ground set up and held there behind that tree, he's dead.

2) Last day of season on a bird me and a buddy had hunted multiple days. Had him close twice. He would respond some to hen calling but would only come to gobbling. That last morning I told my buddy we don't make a single hen call. We gobble him in. Last day is horrible weather. High wind and rain and fog to where you can't see 30yds. We're both positive we won't hear a thing. But sure enough he hammers on the limb. My buddy gets to one spot and I get to another. I wait awhile and start gobbling on a box. He answer. I do this a time or two and every time he answers. I double gobble on the box and this bird flat loses his mind! He starts coming and cutting the distance. I drop back and go silent. He gets to the point he could probably see where I'd been standing. He gobbles once more. I still stay silent. I never hear him again. Buddy said he turned and came back toward him and started gobbling again once he was about 300yds away from me. Now if I had it to do over I'd have just stayed put and kept gobbling. I'd have kept gobbling till I was certain I couldn't get away with it one more time. I think if I'd just stood there at that tree and kept him fired up he'd have come in like he did and I'd have seen him. Not sure I could've killed him but I think I'd have seen him and maybe had a shot. Boils down to just reading the bird. I read him well on what we needed to do that morning but I did a poor job of taking his temperature. He'd ghosted us two days already coming close, spinning, and walking off. When I had him on fire I think I should've done everything in my power to keep it that way.


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[Tail Feathers]

In FL I had one gobble real close behind me as I was leaving a set up.  I moved back closer to the gobble, thinking I had a little room.  Never heard him again.  Pretty sure I moved too close and was busted trying to find a set up spot.  Next time one is that close, I'll just plop down real fast.

[lunghit]

There are two things from this season I would do over. For the first time ever I needed a second shot on a bird that I crippled. I used an expensive TSS round because that's all I had. I could have easily slipped a cheap lead shot in the gun and finished the bird that way, so for now on I'll carry one or two lead shot.

The next thing is my Shotkam battery died on my second bird and it would have been the best footage I ever got. I learned to keep that thing charged at all times lol.

[RutnNStrutn]

I had a good season, but if I could change one thing, I'd have attempted to take one more bird off of my place. After harvesting one good gobbler on my land, I decided to lay off of them. But since then, it's been gobbler city around here. There's a group of 3 gobblers that hang around together, a nice double beard, and a stud with wicked spurs on the property. Plus I routinely hear birds on the neighboring properties. So in retrospect, I think the population would have been fine if I'd continued hunting for another gobbler.

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[Yoder409]

If I had a do-over for this season I'd have not punched both my tags by 6:10 AM on the second day............

[eggshell]

While we're having do-overs. I would like all my stamina, reflexes, mental acuity and other faculties from about 45, instead of 67,  then I wouldn't struggle to get to hot gobblers and not make old man judgement mistakes like misjudging range because of these damn cataracts.

[Jimspur]

While we're having do-overs. I would like all my stamina, reflexes, mental acuity and other faculties from about 45, instead of 67,  then I wouldn't struggle to get to hot gobblers and not make old man judgement mistakes like misjudging range because of these damn cataracts.

Hahaha!

[Greg Massey]

I look back on this past season and the only regret i have is the way i set up on one bird. I was on field edge and the bird gobbled down the field road about 200 yards, i should have moved across the field and set up on the entrance of the road instead i stayed across the field about 85 yards and the gobbler came all the way  to the edge of the field road opening, but he wouldn't come across the field. I sat and watched him in all hid glory for probably 30 minutes or more strutting, dancing and gobbling but that was it ... at least i got a great show and another learning experience, but all said and done i still knew better and should have closed the distance across the field. I think back and it's one of those moments i want to kick myself in the backside ... LOL....

[Turkeybutt]

If I did get a do over or mulligan I wouldn't have had  total shoulder replacement surgery three weeks before the season.

[Happy]

No real regrets on how I handled things as far as turkeys are concerned. Like you Chester, I tend to analyze everything after the fact and try to apply what I learned towards future hunts. I wish I had spent more time with some great guys out west just visiting and relaxing. I wish I had slowed down a bit on the turkeys around here and got some more hunt days in but I was counting on taking others out and they all bailed on me. Other than that I can say I did learn a few things. I also made some great friends and feel like I got a lot out of this spring. I still already miss it and am starting to make plans and subtle gear changes for next year. As I get older I realize that I appreciate the month or two before turkey season almost as much as turkey season itself. The buildup of excitement and slowly getting things ready is something I have come to love. It also keeps me motivated to stay in shape and try to maximize my years out there  having them.

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[Cowboy]

So many that I can think of right now. Biggest regret was on a cold windy dreary morning couldnt find or even hear a gobble. So I was basically scouting/walk hunting thru my area. Walked over to a large bluff edge and peeked over. I was actually looking for an old cemetery marked on my OnX. Didnt know if it was on top of bluff or below the bluff.  Anyhow I looked over and its probably 100 foot or so maybe more. I'm scanning around and I hear leaves crunching so I looked that direction and spot a lone longbeard feeding around. Classic winter look about him. No red white or blue head . Nothing. So hunkered down a called softly to him. No reaction whatsoever.  Acted like a fall gobbler. I knew there was only 2 ways for a long direction that he could even get up to the top. So I went several hundred yards east to where the bluff leveled out enough to where you could go up or down it. I sat there for almost 2 hours hunting and soft calling. Didnt hear anything.  Froze out, so I started headed back west to the spot where I saw him 2 hours earlier. Approached the edge again and this time ss I was looking off the top he gobbled on his own 80 yards to the right of where I saw him 2 hours before.  I quickly yelped back at him and he answered back. So I knew there was another way up the bluff 200 yards or so WEST so I headed to that cut. I would yelp, he would gobble. He was moving to the west below the bluff and me on top of the bluff. Forgot to mention that it was early season and you could see a LONG ways in the woods.  I finally pick a tree and set up.  Gun pointed towards the west.  He turned and started up the cut. I heard him clumsily break a stick and I smiled to myself.  Then there he was in full strut and stepped from behind an tree but 75 yards or so away.  He looked my way and buggered. Folded up and walked back down the cut. For some stupid reason I set up too far away from the dang draw. Looking back I would have set up gun range of the cut. I have no idea why I picked a spot 75 yards out??? He picked me off easily. I later walked down to where he was and crouched down and looked back up to my setup and I could have picked me out too.

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[g8rvet]

I messed up and sat down where I knew I should not.  My Son in Law was with me and I really wanted to get him a bird.  He said not to move and set up where we were, but I could tell after sitting down by the vegetation there was a wet spot between us and where the birds were likely to come.  I should have listened to the voice in my head that said it was a bad set up.  I should have moved away from the birds and got on the same side as them.  Sure enough, I call them right in to where I knew they would come and they would not come closer.  They were fired up, steady gobbling after I had stopped calling looking for the hen. But they just would not cross that muck.  After we waited a long time, I went and looked and sure enough it was just too mucky for them to want to cross.  If the water had not been so high, they could have come straight to us, but they were just not gonna cross that area. 

[Howie g]

My only regret from this year was the fact I drove 16 hrs to an area that historically been pretty good and very few pilgrims .  This year it was my home state tags everywhere!!
Any of you that think loose lips and social media have no effect ?  I beg ur pardon !!

[GobbleNut]

While we're having do-overs. I would like all my stamina, reflexes, mental acuity and other faculties from about 45, instead of 67,  then I wouldn't struggle to get to hot gobblers and not make old man judgement mistakes like misjudging range because of these damn cataracts.

"Old man judgement mistakes"       Yep, that pretty well sums up our situation!   

As I age, my mind and my body are constantly having this debate:  My mind is telling me what to do and how to do it,...while my body is telling me,.."Uhhh,...NO!,...we ain't doin' that anymore,... and if you try it, I am going to make you really regret it here in just a little while."

As for the question at hand, I should have filled a couple more tags this spring than I did.  The problem simply comes down to the fact that I don't have the focus or concentration at the moment of truth, as well as the desire, that I had when I was younger.  Hate to admit that,...but facts is facts!   

[Turkeyman]

My regret which I later corrected was, in the dark, setting up amongst them. I couldn't do anything call-wise because I was surrounded by hens et al. Would have been picked up. I had to wait for all to fly down before calling otherwise I would have spooked them. By then the toms had their minds made up where and what they were going to do for the day...follow the hens like puppy dogs. When I could finally call they'd gobble like crazy telling me to join them, but that was it. I know this timber well and should have set up on the perimeter where I could have joined into the tree talk, perhaps getting one to pitch my way.