You closest call?

[Cutt]

What's your closest call to being shot while turkey hunting?

On Public have had a few over the years and all involve hunters sneaking in. The closest was one morning on a ridge that went to a point a 100 yards in front of me but dropped off steep 30 yards to my right. Was set before first light and a guy came down the ridge line to my right, so I signaled him with my flashlight as it was still dark, and he acknowledged and drooped over the hill. He knew I was there, so figured he went to the next ridge?

Fast forward a half hour later or so, and I have 2 birds working from the point a 100 yards out towards me gobbling off and on. As they closed he distance I realized they were 2 jakes and had no intention of shooting them. By the time the jakes were mearly  10-12 feet in front of me, BOOM! and there layed a flopping jake right in front of me. The same idiot had snuck back up the ridge from my right, well behind my right shoulder, where I couldn't see him and shot. Being he was behind me some the shot pattern came really close to me, and this was shortly after he knew I was there, unbelievable, and I let him know I wasn't the least bit happy about it.

[fallhnt]

We always walk and call in the fall. Well I walked up on a guy that heard my calling who said he had his gun pointed my way. When I walked up on him he just sat against a tree until I made eye contact with him. He knew I wasn't a turkey before I got to close. Nice to have a seasoned vet in the woods. Another time,same public land,we were doing the same thing when my buddy saw a guy "tracking" me with his gun. My buddy let him know it was a person and not a turkey. The guy had slipped between us. Same land,my buddy roosted a fall flock. We slipped in under cover of darkness. He was to go north at the fence and I set up where we parted.. I shot a bearded hen that came in quite. My shot went over my buddies head because he didn't go north. He was the below the next small ridge over to the west where I shot.

[Farmboy27]

What's your closest call to being shot while turkey hunting?

On Public have had a few over the years and all involve hunters sneaking in. The closest was one morning on a ridge that went to a point a 100 yards in front of me but dropped off steep 30 yards to my right. Was set before first light and a guy came down the ridge line to my right, so I signaled him with my flashlight as it was still dark, and he acknowledged and drooped over the hill. He knew I was there, so figured he went to the next ridge?

Fast forward a half hour later or so, and I have 2 birds working from the point a 100 yards out towards me gobbling off and on. As they closed he distance I realized they were 2 jakes and had no intention of shooting them. By the time the jakes were mearly  10-12 feet in front of me, BOOM! and there layed a flopping jake right in front of me. The same idiot had snuck back up the ridge from my right, well behind my right shoulder, where I couldn't see him and shot. Being he was behind me some the shot pattern came really close to me, and this was shortly after he knew I was there, unbelievable, and I let him know I wasn't the least bit happy about it.

That's too close!!!!

[catman529]

Guess I'm lucky I haven't come close to being shot (that I know of, lol). Seen a few people here and there. Usually I whistle when someone gets close, because nobody ever notices another hunter blending into the ground against a tree.


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[Cutt]

That's too close!!!!

True, I consider myself lucky there. Worse yet could have taken some shot if he popped up the ridge just a few more feet behind making for a tighter angle for his shot.

Lesson, learned, I'll never let a turkey get that close to me I don't intend on shooting,  if I know someone is or was close by.

[Cutt]

Usually I whistle when someone gets close, because nobody ever notices another hunter blending into the ground against a tree.

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Sometimes you you don't get that chance, when hunters sneak in without calling or you seeing them, like my few close calls all have happened. That's why it's important for those who stalk turkey's to think twice about what they are doing. It's illegal to stalk turkeys here, which means moving close enough to a bird to shoot without calling, but many still do it.

[mote1977]

Not turkey hunting but my buddy was shot when we were 16 years old , mistaken for a SQUIRREL.  The kid that shot him was 23 and said he saw his foot move , thought it was a squirrel. I was 20 yards away from him against another tree. The kicker is we both had flo. orange vests and hats on. Very easily could have been me that got shot. My buddy still has over 70 pellets in his flesh from  his ankle all the way to his head.

[Marc]

Never had an issue turkey hunting...  Most of the areas I hunt are pretty steep, and it would be tough to sneak up on me.  But this morning, I was calling and a hen started coming closer...  I was pretty sure it was an actual hen, but was still relieved to see her, and I was looking for a hunter until I did.

Been peppered pretty good while pheasant hunting public land.  I could see he was going to shoot and I turned my back to him...  Couple pellets when through the game-bag of my vest, but nothing penetrated my skin.

My father was shot pretty good quail hunting...  knocked him off his feet, and his hand was up, blocking one eye, and his glasses took some pellets...  Had 8 pellets in his hand, several in his forehead and neck...

Hunting flushing birds is about as dangerous as it gets...  Some guys seem to become oblivious to their surroundings when a rooster gets up, and quail are low flying birds in heavy cover.  I have become far more particular about who I will hunt with when it comes to upland birds.

[OldSchool]

I was fooling with a bird one morning that was out in a field with a few hens. I was back from the edge a ways but I could see them once in a while through some brush. They'd feed back and forth passing by a finger of trees every so often, so I was slowly trying to make my way out to the edge.

I'd made it almost to where I wanted to be, when a hen started yelping close by, then the Tom gobbled. They were close so I froze where I was, hunkered over on my knees. I couldn't see them through the brush and didn't have much choice but to stay put for the time being.

Pretty soon I could make out parts and pieces of birds moving right in front of me in the field, but it was too thick to do anything but wait til they moved off again and try to get to the edge.

All of a sudden I heard a bang and the sound of birdshot tearing through the brush right by me. The next thing I heard was flapping wings in the field right in front of me. I didn't dare move, but I let out a yell so he knew I was there. When the other hunter said something back I stood up shaking like a leaf and in shock over what had just happened.

The guy had his young son with him on his first hunt with Dad and the kid was almost in tears. I was pretty shook up and I was turning the air blue at that point, but not directing it at them. I got myself calmed down and was telling them it was just one of those things, neither of us knew the other one was there, I was ok, disaster averted.

Then Dad tells me he saw me go by him, but didn't call out because he didn't want to spook the bird and was hoping his son could see him shoot it. The air got blue all over again only this time it was directed at Dad. I felt terrible for the poor kid and before I walked away I told the boy I was sorry that he had to go through it all, but Dad was wrong to do things the way he did and I hoped they both learned something from it.

Bob

[Hooksfan]

The 15 years of marriage to my hag of a first wife. She wanted to kill me every turkey season.

[njdevilsb]

I've never had a shot go off that was close enough to me to make me feel like I was in danger, but I did have a hunter stalking our strutting decoy with his gun raised.  My dad and I were on private land and the guy came in on the state land that borders the backside of the land we hunt.  He had to cross about 200 yards into our property before he got to us.  We were sitting on a planted field with a barn in the background which doesn't really scream state land to me.  He knew he was trespassing.  I noticed him about 60 yards away and eased out the orange safety flags in my vest pockets.  I yelled "hey" and he turned a trotted out of there.  I think that the angle he was at would have sent his shot passed us and in a safe direction, but it was too close for comfort and it's something I think about every time we set up in that spot.

[dirtnap]

Think Treerooster has got this thread won.

He is lucky to be alive.

[2eagles]

It was pheasant hunting though. My young son and I came over a hill head on to another group of hunters. We did an about face upon seeing them just as a rooster took flight. An idiot killed the bird and peppered me in the back. I'll only say my son learned a few new words while I was chewing on the shooter.

[Frylock]

I haven't really had any close calls as far as being shot at.

My friend did though...and a close call as far as living or not.

He was shot in 2005 on private land by the guy he was hunting with. There are 2 pellets still lodged in his heart. He has recovered and continues to turkey hunt to this day.

Holy cow!! 
That's just crazy, lucky he survived that.


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[Tail Feathers]

I would have to say the time I hit the snooze button on my alarm clock and then got up left the house at 4:30am to go turkey hunting.  My wife almost shot me that time.