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Knocked down nice long beard today. He flopped for 30 seconds, then stopped. Walking to get him, glanced at other tom running away, when I looked up the bird I shot was running and twenty yards away. I shot at him twice, but between having a red dot and his crazy motion due to having been shot, he got away. Haven't ever had that happen in 40 years of hunting

Sorry to hear about your situation  today. Tough day of hunting. Come Monday you will get another chance.

Guess you could have body him or caught him on the fringe of pattern?
What you shoot him with and how far?

 Sucks to lose a game animal.

Do red dots not work well for moving targets? I've never used one but just bought 2. Sorry about the bird!! I had it happen to me last year and it still bothers me.

Shot him with 20 gauge, apex tss 9's at 35 yards. Not sure what happened other than he didn't ride home in my truck.

 Sux.   Sorry that happened. 

Quote from: Duckdogdad on March 18, 2023, 09:04:01 PM
Shot him with 20 gauge, apex tss 9's at 35 yards. Not sure what happened other than he didn't ride home in my truck.

Just wasn't his day to die.

I've had this exact situation happen one single time, and was sick over it for awhile. It's why I will never archery hunt turkeys, because that's a common occurrence in that scene.

If you hunt them long enough anything can happen. Don't give up.... We have all had disappointing hunts...

Quote from: Turkeybutt on March 18, 2023, 09:16:45 PM

Quote from: Duckdogdad on March 18, 2023, 09:04:01 PM
Shot him with 20 gauge, apex tss 9's at 35 yards. Not sure what happened other than he didn't ride home in my truck.

Just wasn't his day to die.

Tomorrow will be that day though most likely.

If he was anchored for 30 seconds he'll be coyote food before long.

Quote from: Duckdogdad on March 18, 2023, 09:04:01 PM
Shot him with 20 gauge, apex tss 9's at 35 yards. Not sure what happened other than he didn't ride home in my truck.

I dropped my gun 3 days ago. So after the rain yesterday I had to check see if nothing moved. 1st shot I seen the dot move right just a hair at trigger pull. The main body of the shot was atleast 10" wide. Just a smattering of pellet holes in the kill zone. Unless a magic pellet hit the spine or brain that bird was getting away. Shooting tss 9 at 35 steps. From a 20. The bulk of the pattern was still pretty tight at that distance. Second shot I made sure the gun was anchored well and not moving. Dead center. It doesn't take much movement at trigger pull to throw that pattern off. My 12 with copper plated 5's is much more forgiving.

The truth is , if you hunt them long enough and shoot at them enough , this will happen. I have missed a few and lost a couple over the 45 years I have hunted them. It's just part of it. I know how devestated you feel when things like this happens. You just have to dust yourself off and get back in the saddle. It's really easy to get over confident only to be humbled by these great birds. Go get them and good luck.

Man it sucks to wound one and lose it.  Been there, it leaves a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach.  Hate that it happened.

The big question is did you go look for him? From what it sounds like you hit him well enough for him to go hide in a nearby deadfall, brush pile, or something until he recovered well enough to move along or died.

Everyone eventually loses an animal if you hunt long enough. Sucks, but it's a learning opportunity. If a bird goes down, keep your eyes on it as you approach. If the head is up, shoot him again.

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Lost a deer two years ago, shot at close range with a 30.06 that I know was on target. No clue what happened, huge pool of blood to start and decent trail then nothing. Came back the next morning and searched for several hours with no luck. It is a sickening feeling.

Keep your spirits up. There is not one Turkey hunter on this earth that has hunted for many years that hasn't had this happen. Unfortunately it is part of the game. Stay at them, good luck!

I had something similar to this happen a few years back.  My son at that time was 9yrs old and we were fortunate enough to get a pair of gobblers fired up at in the afternoon.  They both came in hot.  My son wanted us both to shoot on 1,2,3 boom! I told him no and  when he was ready to shoot to shoot and I would deal with what's left. 
Long story short he shot (bird flopping).
I then shot (bird flopping)
We both walked up with my gun in hand (his gun back at tree) and admired the birds. He wanted to make sure his birds spurs were bigger. 
We high fived, hugged and celebrated with adrenaline still pumping.  Birds have quit flopping at this point.  I went back to the tree to get all my stuff together.  I heard him say in a yelling type whisper (Daaad!).
I looked up and my bird what walking away!
Now keep in mind my son is right out there in the mix with both birds.  I couldn't shoot because my son is between me and the walking away turkey.  I ran past my son and  then sent 4 rounds toward that turkey. Nothing, didn't touch him.   Now my gun is out of shells.  The turkey was trying to escape the lil opening.  I noticed after I shot 4 times, that his wing was broke and dangling below him.  The woods were too thick right there on the edge for him to slip thru.
I threw my gun down and form tackled that sucker!
Gosh! I remember that so vividly!
My son standing there (im sure confused) watching all this go down
Ive never and still not one of those guys that just sit back after the shot.  I'm getting to the turkey flopping as quickly as possible.  What I did learn is to put my hands on the bird. 

Hang in there ole buddy.  As everyone has stated at some point stuff life that happens if you hunt long enough. 


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Sadly , it happens to everyone.  But don't worry!
You will get over it in about 20 years ????

Sorry to hear it.  I have been there before.  You never forget but eventually that pit in your stomach goes away.  Get back on the horse, it helps heal the wound.

It happen to a buddy in my club Thursday, He went and got a guy with just a house dog and they found him still alive under a log, finished him of with a stick.

Looked for two hours, found tracks in mud showing me direction he went it.

Quote from: Duckdogdad on March 19, 2023, 04:51:44 PM
Looked for two hours, found tracks in mud showing me direction he went it.

Bummer, nice effort on the the recovery attempt. Many would just load up and move on to the next spot.

I've lost a bird before. It sucks and I still think about it. Fact is even in middle age if I knock him down I'll make a mad dash to him that would turn an NFL scouts head at the combine and get a boot on him. I know some people thinks it's disrespectful but considering I just shot him in the face... probably not that bad. Get back on the horse. You'll kill the next one stone dead.

It is a bummer but it can and does happen to the best of us.

One time I shot a tom at 30 yards and he immediately flew up, traveled about 80 yards and then went down at a steep angle. I knew I hit him. Looked for about 1 1/2 hours then decided to go get my dogs (2 bird dogs). I also got my back-up turkey gun which has no sight on it and put some lead 4's in it. Was back in about 45 minutes and told the dogs to hunt dead in the area. In less than 5 minutes both dogs go on point in some thick grass. I move in and the bird flushes and I wing shoot him at 25 yards. That bird wasn't 50 yards from where I saw it go down. Doubt I would have ever found it tho without the dogs as it held really tight and was completely buried in the grass.

Never figured out what when wrong with the initial shot, sight was on.

When 8 was first getting into turkey hunting my brother rolled one over that proceeded to get up, catch air, and barely crest a nearby rise. When he showed up at the cafe and told the story. I asked if he looked for it. He said he hoped it would laying just over the rise but it didn't. I told him what I read about wounded birds hiding right away and we needed to go back and check. So him, my dad and I went back to look see after finishing breakfast some 3 hours after the shot.

My brother was the only one carrying a gun as my dad and I already filled our tags. On the way into the spot where he shot, we were walking a forest road that has a thick fence line running along it that bordered the woodlot where he was hunting.
We hear something run a few steps and hear this thump.

Not knowing what was I s

When I was first getting into turkey hunting my brother rolled one over that proceeded to get up, catch air, and barely crest a nearby rise. When he showed up at the cafe and told the story. I asked if he looked for it. He said he hoped it would laying just over the rise but it wasn't. I told him what I read about wounded birds hiding right away and we needed to go back and check. So him, my dad, and I went back to look see after finishing breakfast some 3 hours after the shot.

My brother was the only one carrying a gun as my dad and I already filled our tags. On the way into the spot where he shot, we were walking a forest road that has a thick fence line running along it that bordered the woodlot where he was hunting.
We hear something run a few steps and hear this thump.

Not knowing what it was I stepped through the fence line and look around. The sounds came from near brush pile just inside the woods. I look around and don't see anything.

We proceed onto the spot where the shot was taken and started to look over the rise where he last seen the bird. We start checking everything. We spread out with my brother in the middle with the gun. We sweep the area in the direction the bird was heading and are coming up with nothing. I keep thinking of those sounds in the fence line and how unnatural the thump was. I had to go check again. I let my brother know and him and my dad continue the sweep. I get back close to where the funny noise came from and out steps, from behind a tree the wounded gobbler. He starts running away as I start screaming for my brother and chasing after it. It gets to the fence line and runs straight into it 3 time before I get there. He's obviously still dazed and takes another run at the fence. I reach out to grab his neck and he ducked, did an about face and ran between my legs. With no fence to stop him this time I couldn't keep up and he catches air and glides into a tree about 200yds away. My brother arrives just after all the commotion and can't believe I almost had his gobbler. I show him where it sailed to but was he spotted before getting a shot and the bird flew across a nearby ravine.

I don't know what would have happened if I would have got my hands on the birds neck but I was willing to take one for team. I'm not sure if the bird made it. Thinking he might have been blinded in one eye that's why he was running into the fence as his other eye was on me.

These damn birds have become immune to any shot other than TSS. They really are evolving wow.

Quote from: Kylongspur88 on March 19, 2023, 06:59:25 PM
I've lost a bird before. It sucks and I still think about it. Fact is even in middle age if I knock him down I'll make a mad dash to him that would turn an NFL scouts head at the combine and get a boot on him. I know some people thinks it's disrespectful but considering I just shot him in the face... probably not that bad. Get back on the horse. You'll kill the next one stone dead.

This exactly!  I've been reading in the last few years that some people think it's disrespectful to put a boot on his head when he's flopping.  I just don't get it.  As long as that bird is still flopping, I always make a beeline and end his suffering faster.  And I don't have to worry about the scenario unfolding like some of what I've read above which is a bird running away.

 If you hunt these birds long enough it will either happen to you or come dang close.  It came close to happening to me about five years ago, I was set up on a fire lane that ran along the spine of a ridge.  It was just after noon and I was cold calling with a long box and eating a sandwich   I had just finished calling and put the box down when I hear a gobble off the back side of the ridge. I waited about five minutes soft called with the box and instantly heard several birds gobble. There was more than one bird and they were much closer.  I put the box down, placed the gun on my knee and waited. A few minutes later five longbeards stepped out in the fire lane about 60 yards from me and proceeded to line up in full strut like they were in a parade. I couldn't shoot, only had one tag. So, i watched them proceed to walk right by me until they got about 10 yards past me when they all stopped, folded their wings and started milling around. One of them stepped off the fire lane and separated himself from the others enough so I took the shot and he went down. As I approached him, he was not flopping but he jumped up and starting running off the ridge, As he ran, he would try to fly but it was somewhat thick and he kept flying into trees. It was evident that he was blind. He must have heard me walking because he turned and flew right at me and I had to drop to the ground in order to keep him from flying in my face. At that point, he went another 25 yards and settled down long enough for me to shoot him again. That's the one that almost got away from me and he would have been a meal for a coyote for sure.

If that's the first time in 30 years then I think you can consider yourself an ethical hunter and chalk it up to a series of unlikely events.  I had it happen to me once in my 25 or so years I've been hunting.  I felt terrible and searched for hours, but never came up with the bird.

Quote from: TurkeyReaper69 on March 20, 2023, 06:38:31 AM
These damn birds have become immune to any shot other than TSS. They really are evolving wow.

The OP was using TSS

One of the first years I was old enough to start sitting on my own, my dad and I had split up and sat at different ends of a property. After a while I hear a shotgun blast from his direction...then after about 30 seconds 2 more! About 30 seconds after that I see a turkey running from that direction out of the woods across an open pasture. Then I see my dad come out of the woods a good 200 yards behind him trying to keep up! Luckily from my vantage point I was able to see the tom tuck into the last bit of good cover and not come out. We were able to sneak up to the tom in that clump of cover and ended up taking him home. Dad had hit him, sat his gun down and leaned back to celebrate, then watched the turkey jump up and take off running.

The sight of my dad emerging from the trees chasing after that turkey still makes me laugh. We were lucky the bird ran out of cover, cause dad wasn't gonna catch him!

Quote from: Treerooster on March 21, 2023, 08:34:45 PM

Quote from: TurkeyReaper69 on March 20, 2023, 06:38:31 AM
These damn birds have become immune to any shot other than TSS. They really are evolving wow.

The OP was using TSS

;D

I've been turkey hunting for 30 years. I have 22 gobblers,6 jakes, and 6 hens. I've wounded 2 gobblers,one seriously. The other flew off. I looked for both. I have only totally missed one bird. One of the birds I wounded was a result of having the wrong tube in.My fault. Preparation is very important. Having the right load. I use 1 7/8 oz. Lead BB. Or 2s.