Worst Turkey Hunting Story you got!

[Mossberg90MN]

Here's an idea... I see a lot of threads about people's best turkey hunting stories or someone recalling a great hunt, and yes, those are amazing and I hope these memories will remain with us all forever. With that said, let's start a thread recalling one of your WORST Turkey hunting stories! The truth is, some of these really bad stories are just as memorable as some of the best, and it's sometimes just as fun telling the bad stories as it is the good ones! I'll go first...

A couple years ago I got invited to go on a turkey hunt on a family members ranch in Central- North East Oregon.

Now this new family member was acquired by marrying my wife's cousin. I was told I would have access to the ranch and that it is absolutely LOADED with turkeys and that no one hunts it for gobblers. Sounds great right? 

I agree to go on the hunt and I'm pretty excited because I was told it would be a slam dunk. The closer we get to the date he begins communicating less and less, then a week before he tells me he won't be available that someone else will show me around the ranch, a couple days after that he's sending me a couple pins on some public. I'm thinking... "Man, I knew this was too good to be true, and If I was just going to hunt public I wouldn't have made the trip with such urgency".

I get out there only to find 1 small flock with 1 gobbler. The flock doesn't fully live on the property but goes back and fourth from the neighbors property, they seem to live on the border there.

I roost the bird and it's just over onto the neighbors property. I head back to the house I will be staying at. While there I get told that I should go get introduced to the grandfather because the parcel we roosted the bird on was the grandfathers. This fellow is pretty much an alcoholic and has a bad temperament, I truly doubt he even remembers meeting me. Now this concerned me because I thought "this guys not even going to remember meeting me and he will think I'm some trespasser on his property and shoot me!" This was a very isolated community in Oregon, extremely sketchy feeling. I decide to rule out a roost hunt until I can have someone chaperone me on the property in the day time. Now before going back to the house I will be in, the grandpa lays into us about not going on the neighbor's property, we assure him we did not. On the way back to the house I will be staying in I ask what the grandpa meant by the neighbor stuff. I get told that the neighbors are crazy and they cook Meth, ultra paranoid people.

They have been shot at by these loons for just walking the property line, that they have Rottweilers they send out on anyone they think is trespassing. Not to mention they have found some of there cows from the ranch mutilated.

So I'm thinking "wow, do you not think this info would have been good for me to know? Hahah we were just on the property line roosting a bird! Last thing I need is to be posted up on a tree waiting before first light, only to have a mean ol' Rott mess me up, that is if the grandpa doesn't shoot me first! After learning this I decided there was to many variables for me to be out there as a guest with no "guide" that I decided to not hunt and pack up. The house they put me in was incredible filthy and run down, expired food in the fridge and clogged up bathroom, bed was concave and dirty and the old lady that lived there liked to crank the heat to 90 degrees (horrible!) now this lady was pretty senile, and the last thing I need was for her to forget I was staying there and shoot me in the middle of the night while I get up to use the bathroom, so I painfully held it until the AM when my property chaperone arrived (this was just a family member that agreed to show me around while I was there).

I tell the guy that I've decided it wouldn't be a good idea for me to hunt because there's only 1 gobbler on the property and there better off leaving these birds to do there thing. If he can please drive me back into town (3 hours) and I will reimburse him. He was confused but drove me back into town where I stayed for the next 4 days.

On the way back I ask about the birds, said that there used to be a bunch, that he would get one every year... There method of take, was to drive around on 4 wheelers with a coyote call, as soon as they would get a response they would roll up on the bird and unload on it like it's some hog in Texas. Me personally,  I was appalled. I said "you mean you've never called a bird to the gun before"? Guy says no, that they don't even know how to use a turkey call, let alone own one.

To top it off Oregon TSA ran me through the ringer! I got that one guy that wanted to be a jerk and I almost missed my flight because of him. Made me run into town to buy a new case that he felt was adequate, they delayed my flight and it was real awkward when I showed up late and everyone was just sitting there hating me for making them late.

Theres much more to the story but I had to summarize it a bit or it would be way too long then this!

Let hear what you guys got! 


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[Greg Massey]

I didn't hear a gobbler for several mornings ... The worst time of my life is not hearing one gobble ...

[Howie g]

My worst hunts are when I have to leave a gobbler to get to a job .. this happens often sadly

[eggshell]

Wow Mossberg90min, that's hard to beat and I have had some similar experiences. However, my worse can be explained in one sentence. I went turkey hunting was shot by another hunter and nearly died. It deosn't get much worse than that, unless you die.

[Mossberg90MN]

Wow Mossberg90min, that's hard to beat and I have had some similar experiences. However, my worse can be explained in one sentence. I went turkey hunting was shot by another hunter and nearly died. It deosn't get much worse than that, unless you die.

Wow man that is horrible! Glad your okay, I would definitely say that's worse then my story haha


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[jhoward11]

No bad times, as long as I'm out enjoying Gods creation. Eggshell...I would find a different buddy to hunt with. Don't think he's your true friend. lol

[blake_08]

Opening morning of 2020, I was headed to the woods and about 20 minutes into my drive a bearing in my transmission went out. Luckily I was able to coast to a stop in my Grandpa's driveway. I called my wife to come get me in my other truck and went on hunting. $4000 for a new transmission.

[Sir-diealot]

I was working a turkey had him coming in a Mennonite comes walking up to me right at prime time between 8:30 and 9:00 in the morning chewing me out asking me if I had permission to be there and told him I did, he wanted to know from whom told him and I asked him who he was and what business it was of his? He said he had on the adjoining property. So yeah, it didn't go well from there. He didn't even own the property, jerk. That turkey was hot and I still believed to this day if that guy wouldn't have interrupted I'd had my first turkey back in the '90s.

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[ddturkeyhunter]

The being shot would be the worst of all trips I am thinking. Came close to that in 2009 on a WMA in Florida a guy shot my decoy I shouldn't been using. Turns out I was using a jake decoy on public grounds. I learned to never do again; but it was my brothers decoy anyway. He canceled bailed on the trip last minute so I went by myself. So being it was my broth rs decoy I was laughing thinking of. So I didn't get killed so it was funny to me that someone was stupid enough to shoot a rubber old decoy.  But trying to think of a bad story I have a lot of good ones not a lot I can say are bad. But the one I can think of now that was my worst happen to me just last year.  I was hunting one of the Indian reservation in SD. I was hunting tribal land but had made friends with a rancher adjacent to tribal property that was showing me around. Well he took me into this old homestead next to his property and said the turkey always come down out of here into his pasture. So I parked on the side of the road headed into this old homestead. Well I didn't have any success that day hunting but at sunset heard a bird gobbling across the road. This was tribal land I was able to hunt also. So before the Tom stopped gobbling I ran in and located what ridge he was on. The next morning I can back and parked in same spot as day before, but was hunting across the road.  In the dark I slipped in there and ended up with the perfect set up. The best fly down, the best calling to bring him in and closing the deal.  All with in half hr of fly down. A hr or so later after pictures and everything I walk back out to my car.  I come out on to the road and see a vehicle parked across the entrance to the driveway going into the homestead. And a guy looking into the window of my car so I yell to him and let him know it's my car. So he meets we walking up to him and he asked me what I am doing.  I have a gun in my hand, in cameo and a turkey over my shoulder. So I lay the turkey down to talk to him, and again he asked me what I was doing. And again I say turkey hunting. Just then I hear this Drunk lady(this is 7:15AM in morning) screaming coming out of woods.  She had just walked into the old house to see if the owner of car me, was in the old falling down house: what was remaining of it. He's son guy in his mid twenties yells to her mom it's just a guy turkey hunting.  Hear it turns out this is where she grow up in.  And she still clams it as her land but it's all tribal land and I had a right to be there. Here is where it gets bad, all of a sudden the guy picks up my turkey and say, think there should be a hunting fee. I said I shot the turkey across the road, and then he say a trespass fee then of twenty bucks.  Up until that time I was having the best day of my life so I said sure. I just figure give them twenty bucks for some more beer and we are both happy and I can go home.  Well the only problem was I was still twenty yards from my car and that's where my money was at. See the fee grew from twenty to forty by the time I reached it. Ones again I didn't want to destroy my great hunt so I give him forty bucks and just go away and leave me alone I will add the forty to expense of trip.  Well by this time the mother had another beer and we were on good speaking turns now and I could hunt there anytime. So next she wants to bless the turkey in there native way so I wasn't going to deny her that. And she finished that and next she says she wants one of the tail feathers. I didn't tell you this bird was huge a 3-5 year old with hooks to match. And a huge tail fan with not a wrinkle in it. I dropped him without a flop.  So I did not want to give up ANY feathers. But she wanted a tail feather and I knew at that point if I just wanted to leave I needed to give her a tail feather. I have so many fans already I just give them away anyway but I wanted to keep that one. I gave her the feather and I drove out of there.  My friend who lives in the area was not happy I gave them the money. And now after the fact I should have just call the DNR. But it's all part of turkey hunting you never know what to expect.
My good hunt bad hunt. 


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[quavers59]

   Just last year in  Northren New Jersey. I knew there were 4 Jakes moving around together.  I decided to go after one of them since even hearing a Gobble in  North New Jersey is not an everyday occurrence.
   I was there opening morning. I got the Jakes all worked up with Loud Yelping.  All 4 started to move my way. Safety off- left Knee up higher - all set and--- BOOOOM!
    Long story short- a bit later ,I saw 4 Turkey Hunters. 2 Adults and 2 Kids probably  around 14 or less. One of the kids probably  took an extra long shot and missed.
   This was a weekday- Monday. Youth day has passed already. I wish they did not skip School that day...
   

[WV Flopper]

 The experience I dislike the most

"We" were walking, stopping and calling, trying to strike a bird. While doing so a hen answers. We hit the dirt with me in front. The hen was over a small rise out of site, I was ready with head down and eyes down the barrel. After conversations with the hen she is working up the hill to us. When she pops the hill into view their is a guy standing there with a complete look of fear in his eyes. As he should have been.

I always set up on every turkey I hear while turkey hunting, every turkey means hens too. I have killed many a gobbler in this fashion that never gobbled that I heard gobble that day.

When the guy popped the hill, I had the bead of my 10g on his face at 30-35 yards. He was looking right at me. I told him he was a "F ing Dumb Arse".

I do not go to a invisible calling hen, neither should anyone else. Ever! Had it happen two days later a couple miles up the road, it wasn't nearly as close or dramatic, thankfully.

[Kylongspur88]

Working a bird in for a kid on a youth hunt on a management area only open to youth hunters when a guy slipped in between us and the bird and killed it. He was probably in his late 30s or 40ish. I had some choice words for him and called the warden but I'm positive nothing happened. That guy was a real POS.

[deathfoot]

Black Hills 2007... me and my buddy roosted a bird the night before. Worked up our game plan and got in their way before daylight (which there is like 4 am lol). The Turkey had roosted near a road. And by road I mean a forest road 3 miles off any main road. We sat a hen decoy up just off the side of the road and we were about 85-100 yards from his roost.

He was fired up. Just before fly down some guy in a green ford ranger drives right past us. I know he saw us and the decs. He stopped right beside the roost tree...hits a call. Then hits an owl call. Of course no turkey gonna gobble now. I stand up..start to walk toward him to ask wtf his problem was and he jumped in his truck and took off.

That's one. That's the maddest I had ever been. I've had the cops called on me once for trespassing, even though I wasn't. She gave them my plate number. Police ran my plates. Saw my name and disregarded because they knew I wouldn't trespass. It's good to be from a small county and know the police. Only reason I found out..a deputy came by my work the next day to rag me about it. We both laughed but what she told me she said was unreal. She told him she came out and yelled at me and I ran and hid. Funny...I never heard any yelling and I certainly wouldn't have ran. FYI, she rented a house on the property I had permission to hunt on.

[Tail Feathers]

I've been boogered by other hunters, usually unintentionally but my worst pales in comparison here.  Just wow at some of these.

[JohnSouth22]

Heres my most painful one. I got on a bird after daylight (south Al), worked him about 30 mins and missed a shot at 26 yards in the pines. As I sat there in disgust for awhile about 30 mins after the shot the bird had moved about 300 yards down into a bottom and slowly got cranked back up. Long story short I spent over 3 hours and 11 different sets before I convinced the bird to come back into 41-42ish. and I missed him again at 11:42. I was nearly drunk I was so dehydrated as I forgot my water that day. but hands down the most painful story to memory