How long after shooting at a turkey will he be killable again?

[Louisiana Longbeard]

I went this morning and had the perfect setup happen. Gobbler was hammering in the tree. I got in close to him. He pitched down and came straight in to my decoys at 20 yards. He was spitting and drumming facing away from me. I repositioned to get a better aim and when i did he got nervous and swung his head around trying to find me. Like an idiot, i didnt take my time and make a good shot. I totally whiffed the shot. He flew straight up and away. How long before this bird is huntable again?

[guesswho]

Five minutes.

[zelmo1]

Roost him again, kill him next time. Easy peasy. Z

[silvestris]

If he didn't identify you as a threat, he may come to good calling within an hour.  Now he may be wary of your decoys for quite some time as he was fixated on them when his world blew up in his face.

[Louisiana Longbeard]

He never knew i was there, He just turned his head around out the side of his fan because he heard leaves rustling. I just didnt take my time and let him turn all the way around, lol.    Sucker had me shook up, lol, but that is what its all about.

[Hwd silvestris]

I would think it's very situational.
No rule of thumb to go by in this topic.
Been a couple years back but got too tight with one off the roost.  Heard him leave tree and he just about pitched down past me in the bend of the road. 

Shot and missed.
He jumped/flew straight up and down in the curve of the road just out of sight.  Disgusted with myself I peeped around the corner of the road a there he was 75 to 100 yards strutting.  I shimmied the vest and layed down in the weeds in the curve. 
I called him back up 10 mins at the most a didn't miss the second time. 

Also I've seen them stay in a tree for half a day after a miss. 

I would dang sure hunt him as quick and as often as I could.


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[Hwd silvestris]

He never knew i was there, He just turned his head around out the side of his fan because he heard leaves rustling. I just didnt take my time and let him turn all the way around, lol.    Sucker had me shook up, lol, but that is what its all about.

You exactly right!  Everyone of them suckers makes me feel like I'm bout to go into cardiac arrest!  It can't be healthy for the body!   But makes up for it in your soul!  Very difficult to describe! Good luck go get him!


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[g8rvet]

My nephew killed the same bird three days after missing him (first day he could hunt again).  Knew it was him because he had a weird kinked beard.  Came right in like he owned the place.

[Mossyguy]

It all depends on a plethora of factors. I've missed in the morning and gone back that evening and sealed the deal. Others that have witnessed executions have sometimes taken almost 2 weeks before they reappeared.

[Spitten and drummen]

In a hour. Turkeys can't rationalize that they were shot at. They hear loud noises all the time and are nervous anyway. He will calm down and go right back to gobbling later. That is unless you put some shot in him. Saying all this , when I hunt him again , I would not set up in the same spot. Move a 100 yards and kill him. That's the advice I would give if you are going back another day. If I was gonna try again that day , I would go way around in the direction he flew. I would get comfortable and do no calling. Wait on him to start back up on his own , make adjustments and start working him again with a different call. I have killed a few over the years doing that. In this situation patience trumps everything. It may take several hours but you need to remain steadfast and do not call to him until he starts gobbling again. Good luck.

[Wigsplitter]

Get right back to business next day

[TauntoHawk]

I've seen minutes and Ive seen the bird completely leave the area and relocate

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[tad1]

OP your experience sounds strangely familiar to me!  He was back at it gobbling a few days later, didn't come in but seemingly undisturbed by my calling.
  It's the age old debate of whether turkeys are dumb as a rock or capable of intelligent reasoning.  Go get back after him and let us know if you get him!
  JT

[Louisiana Longbeard]

Will probably be Saturday before I can get back after him. I will let y'all know

[Marc]

These birds are avoiding predators every minute of their life, and probably have close calls frequently.  They get over it.

I certainly think a bird can be killed the same day, next for sure.  I typically switch calls and cadence on a bird I buggered recently.

Few years back, I killed a tom out of a  bachelor group with my daughter (too young to shoot at the time).  She walked out to get the bird I shot, and the other birds actually went after her.  I had to get up and intervene and scare them off.   

On the walk back out, she was calling, and they ran up the hill we were walking out, got ahead of us, and we flushed them (certainly killable) coming around a corner.

I think it is a combination of how horny, and how smart the bird you are hunting is.  (There is often an inverse relationship here, with the more horny a bird is, the less smart he becomes, very similar to human males)