What Is the Biggest Mistake Hunter make at 1st Light

[Halfski]

Another big mistake is to walk through open fields, instead of following tree lines, etc., to get to where you want to be. 

[Thomas6689]

calling to much and wanting to head off to the first bird that gobbles

[Spring_Woods]

I hunt in the hills. One mistake I made a lot early on was not checking the "rises" before clearing. I can't tell you how many times I have walked out over a rise and stood flat footed eye to eye with a gobbler. Not a great feeling.

[nate12285]

Mine used to be patience. I would always find myself thinking he's not coming and need to set up somewhere else. I still catch myself sometimes trying to do that.

[J Hook Max]

  Not picking the proper setup spot. Your best chance of killing a gobbler depends on where you are sitting.

[appalachianstruttstopper]

I would say bumping birds off the roost by trying to get to close after day starts breaking. But a spooked bird off the limb don't mean the game is over. I have successfuly called tom's back to their roost area after being bumped, and I have watched and listened to the direction they flew and worked a bird that is spooked. I have also spooked them completely out of the county as well!!   

[atoler]

not knowing the terrain between where you plop down and the tree the bird is in. or calling too much to a bird in the tree.

personally, I hunt a lot of different places, probly atleast 15 different properties every year. a lot of them I'm not familiar enough with, and this one costs me several times a year.

I rarely call to a bird in the tree. What I will do is wait til its close to flydown and do a cackle and beat my hat. Normally thats the only thing I do when a bird is in a tree.

[BrowningGuy88]

Well I think the #1 overall is calling way too much.

For me however, I have made a bunch of mistakes and have started correcting them. I get where I think he wants to go after flydown. I don't care if I am 50 yards from his tree or 300 yards. I want to be where he wants to go. I call softly to him on the roost. If he answers me I hush. At flydown I will give him a cackle and hat pop. Generally that fires him up and he flies down shortly. Once on the ground I use clucks and purrs with scratching to draw him on in. Once I can tell he has fully committed I put the calls down and get down on my gun.

[birdyhunter]

Always that extra few steps for me. I have lost about 40% of my hearing in my right ear so birds always sound farther away.

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[appalachianstruttstopper]

Always that extra few steps for me. I have lost about 40% of my hearing in my right ear so birds always sound farther away.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

I have a 67 yr old cousin that is nearly deaf without hearing aids. He was telling me how he wished he could hear better so he could turkey hunt. Come to find out, he could hear them when they where about 80 yds or so, and I told him if he could hear them, to set up imediately and keep his eyes peeled as he done some calling. He tagged out within 4 days after trying this, and hadn't killed a bird by himself before because he would always bump them without even know why.

[birdyhunter]

Always that extra few steps for me. I have lost about 40% of my hearing in my right ear so birds always sound farther away.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

I have a 67 yr old cousin that is nearly deaf without hearing aids. He was telling me how he wished he could hear better so he could turkey hunt. Come to find out, he could hear them when they where about 80 yds or so, and I told him if he could hear them, to set up imediately and keep his eyes peeled as he done some calling. He tagged out within 4 days after trying this, and hadn't killed a bird by himself before because he would always bump them without even know why.

that's good advice! I'm not 67 or anything, just an unlucky 25 year old lol.

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[paboxcall]

It doesn't matter what call you make, how softly or loudly you make it, nor how often or little you make it.  Just like Jim Spencer once wrote, "Sit down wrong, and you're beat." 

[huntinhard]

The Biggest Mistake a Hunter makes at first light staying in bed!!!!!!!   

Agreed! At least if you're out of bed you can learn from a mistake, can't learn a thing snoring in bed.

[TnTurk]

It doesn't matter what call you make, how softly or loudly you make it, nor how often or little you make it.  Just like Jim Spencer once wrote, "Sit down wrong, and you're beat." 

^^^^^^^^THIS ABOUT SAYS IT ALL^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[ridgerunner]

One mistake I've made that hasn't been mentioned is forgetting to spray down with bug spray when Mosquitos are bad...nothing worse than having a big gobbler working in to your setup and havin Mosquitos buzzing your face or biting the heck out of you and you're locked downand can't move..it will drive ya nuts resisting the urge to itch or swat Mosquitos ....spray down good