This morning I worked a gobbler off the roost. I struck the gobbler on the roost with my owl call. He was HOT!!! He gobbled at everything, owl calls, hen calls, gobble calls, trucks on the road, crows, song birds, loggers a couple of hollers over, you name it. I fired him up on the roost with hen talk. He flew down and headed to his strut zone near where I was sitting. He gobbled at least 300 times, often triple, quadruple and quintuple gobbling!! Maybe the hottest bird I've ever worked.
Finally he broke strut and started coming in. I gave him a few soft clucks and he came in on a string. At 20 yards I dropped the hammer.........
AND SHOT A FRIGGIN' TREE!!!! 
I have NEVER done that before, ever!!
Not realizing what I'd done, but realizing I'd made a bad shot, I jacked another round and went after him in case he was wounded. In the process, I lost my aluminum striker that I'd stuffed in my boot.
I searched to no avail, went back and looked, no feathers. So I suddenly realized what may have happened. I went back and looked at the small tree I tried to shoot around. Sure 'nuff, there was the proof.
Totally my fault!! (or so I thought at the time) If I'd have just let him keep coming, it would have been a slam dunk!! But this was the first opportunity I've had in a month of hunting, and I rushed the shot.
It was an incredible hunt, and what a gorgeous bird!! But I was stick to my stomach, and still birdless in this season of misery.
Around 12:30, I was near the scene of this morning's fiasco, with a DSD hen out, doing some soft calling. I spotted a gobbler step out on the ridge trail. I clucked at him a few times, he turned and saw the deke, and popped into full strut!! He was absolutely gorgeous!! He slowly strutted down the trail making his way to my deke. When he was standing next to her at 20 yards, I put the green dot in the middle of his neck and dropped the hammer!!
To my amazement, he just stood there. I missed AGAIN!!!
He turned and took a few quick steps behind a couple of large oaks. I jacked another shell into the chamber, and aimed for the other side of the tree. He stepped out, and I put the dot on him and fired again.
This time I hit him, but he did not go down.
I jacked another round and jumped up as he started to run away. He tripped over a big log
landed on the other side, and stuck his head up. I aimed and fired again
this time putting him down for good!
I retrieved my bird, and his head appeared to be clear of any pellet impact.
I noted that one shot impacted his left side, mid wing. That would have been my second shot. The first shot was a clean miss. The third shot also hit his body. Both wings and one leg were broken.
Apparently I did not shoot the tree this morning, the scope had been bumped out of alignment. That cost me one bird this morning, and almost another this afternoon!!
Needless to say, that Truglo hunk of junk is coming off of my gun, and getting returned to Cabelas!!
Anyway, he was a really nice gobbler.
22 lb's 11 oz's, 10-1/2" beard, 1-1/4" 1-1/8" spurs, scoring 67.4375!!
Talk about redemption!! And I added another state to the list, N Carolina!!
