NO birds down for me this year.
Missed one and I completely know it is my fault. DO NOT TAKE A BRAND NEW GUN HUNTING W/O AT A MINIMUM SHOOTING IT. I had a public land gobbler chasing 4 hens past me at 20 yards. As he topped the hill, I put the bead on his bubbles and pulled the trigger... but didn't hear any flopping. I stayed down on the gun and realized the issue. I had cheeked over the gun and tilted it and shot 10 feet to the right. After searching for any sign of blood or feathers for 20 minutes, I found the wadding that confirmed my suspicions. The gun didn't have a rear site, so when I put the bead on his neck, it was on his neck but pointed the wrong direction. Complete and utter rookie mistake. That was the last time I heard a solid distinct loud gobble on that section of the Public Land.
I ran and gunned most of the season on other sections of Public Land but just never heard any loud strong gobbles at all; I never managed to get in the bubble.
I can tell you this. This was my first year hunting Public Land. Hunting Public Land makes you not only a better hunter but a better woodsman. I'm hooked on public land. Some of the best spots I found all season I feel safe to say hold turkeys earlier in the season and I didn't know about them until later in the season. Next season will be a different story.
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