What's Your "Zero to Turkey" Time?

[Spurs Up]

Just for grins on a lazy (soon-to-be) summer day, would you say you more often loiter, linger, chill, tarry, amble, plod, stroll, dawdle, mosey, sashay, saunter, trot, gallop, scoot, scamper, skedaddle, run, dash, bolt, hightail it, haul azz, scurry, or race to a gobbler after shooting it?

I'll start...with age I've lost a step or three to Usain Bolt, but rarely rest until I place a firm grip or boot on a gobbler. Even on a certified "no flop" turkey, I'm quickly out of my usual seated position and at "full" trot. If I have a chance for a double, might just linger. Usually don't. More often, it's hightail-it time.  On his azz quick. Been know to engage in hand-to-turkey combat upon arrival and on occasion...

What's your average and best zero-to-turkey time?  Wind-aided and downhill count.

[Happy]

Anymore I just sit and let em flop. Less it's really steep and gonna mean more work if i don't get on them fast.

Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk

[Spurs Up]

Anymore I just sit and let em flop. Less it's really steep and gonna mean more work if i don't get on them fast.

Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk

Wish I could/would. Force of habit with me.  Hard to break.  Conditioned--I think--by youth and (in those days) comparatively less effective shells and chokes.  At same time, glad I still can.  Most of the time...

[Greg Massey]

Most of my hunting ground is mostly flat and if i shoot him in the range of 20 - 30 yards and he's not doing lot of flopping i don't get in any hurry. But i do find it a lot easier getting up after i kill one with my old bones..ha ha ha ... spending a morning in the turkey woods is better than any day at home....season 2018 just little over 9 months and counting...

[Tail Feathers]

If I can see him as he hits the ground, I stay put for a while and keep the gun ready just in case.
If he hits where I can't see him well I usually stand up pretty quick and get the gun on him.

If I see that head his back when I shoot, I'll amble on up at my leisure.

[Hooksfan]

Depends on the position of his head. If it is up, I am on him fast. If it is doing the jello neck wabble, I take a little more time. When I was younger,  Im sure I broke some land speed records on every turkey I shot.

[Greg Massey]

Depends on the position of his head. If it is up, I am on him fast. If it is doing the jello neck wabble, I take a little more time. When I was younger,  Im sure I broke some land speed records on every turkey I shot.

agree x2...

[Spurs Up]

Most of my hunting ground is mostly flat and if i shoot him in the range of 20 - 30 yards and he's not doing lot of flopping i don't get in any hurry. But i do find it a lot easier getting up after i kill one with my old bones..ha ha ha ... spending a morning in the turkey woods is better than any day at home....season 2018 just little over 9 months and counting...

I'm with you.  Must be an adrenaline thing.  I too find an extra step--one that isn't there for much else--after pulling the trigger.

I can't be the only one who gets to them quickly.  I'm sure I've been on some in <5 seconds.  Hand-timed of course...

[Spurs Up]

Lots of wisdom and experience in some of these (others') posts, particularly regarding the head up versus down following the shot.  Like HooksFan, I'm either on him quick--darn quick--if his head is up or calling in reinforcements.  Only in my case, those follow-up shots are often while closing in.  And for the record, I don't stretch shots.  Nothing long...

I suspect that if I was less quick on my "get up", I'd have finished off some that I've lost.  Yes, I didn't say missed...

[zsully]

I'm on them pretty quick.  I wouldn't say that I sprint.  Maybe jog is even a stretch most of the time but I tend to let them get pretty close.

[1iagobblergetter]

I sit back and savor the moment unless it looks like a chance of a get away.   My Htl 7s can travel alot faster than my legs can carry myself.

[VaTuRkStOmPeR]

It really all depends. 

If it's a completely open shot with no debris between myself and the bird and he goes down hard.... I'll pick up my calls and put my wing back in my vest before I even think of getting up.  It might be 90 seconds to 2 minutes before I'm to the bird.

If I'm brush busting one at 25 yards, I'm up fast with the gun in my shoulder as I close the distance to him looking down my sights ready to send a second one if his head is up.

[davisd9]

Sit back and let it all sink in for a moment. Since I started shooting HTL loads I see no reason to jump up and run to the bird.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[larry9988]

If he can't pick up his head, I just sit there, collect my things and enjoy the moment. If his head is up, I shoot again. I have been spurred  and wing slapped before and I am too slow to run one down.

[SteelerFan]

30 years ago, I was up and running before the empty shell hit the ground! Lol

Now? Not so much. I've raced to downed birds, and on more than one occasion I was watching the bird so closely that I did not see that 1" stout stick - you know the one, the one that's dead and on the ground, but still stiff enough not to break as you clear it with one foot but not the other? The one that grabs your ankles like a frustrated linebacker laying on the ground? Yeah... that one. And of course, not wanting to scratch the gun, you fully extend your arms up and out as you face plant. (you know you've done it...and if you were lucky, you were alone!)

And if your fast enough, and not thinking, you'll throw your hand onto the birds chest just as he gets really wound up on the flop & and spur pump. You generally only do that once, though... 

Now, probably because of more faith in my gear - I don't "panic", and I'll let the shell do it's work.