Last day of the season was today. My third season ever, and still no turkey to show for it. Regardless I have been hooked on the gobble.
Today I has a special draw for some public land that only got hunted twice a week for the season. Could hear for miles this morning but nothing gobbling close. So I began wandering around looking for signs. Looks like I drew the worste area on the map because I can't find a scratch. Finally I find a feather and a bunch if scratches, I set up and begin a soft calling routine on my slate. After about 30 minutes I pack up my slate pull out my mouth call and do some really fast yelping and holy I got an actual answer. This goes on for a bit until it sounds like he's coming closer so I shut up. I see him finally to my left about 80 yards, I start shaking from adrenaline. Of course he doesn't come in though he crosses in front of me working closer fanning then gobbling the whole way. He ends up 30 yards on my far right and I'm no lefty. He jerked around out there for ten minutes then turns like he might decide to walk away. I give a shitty cluck he ignores it and does the turkey magic trick of just disappearing. I am incredibly disappointed but at the same time I'm psyched i even got that close. Till next season I guess, damn.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Man you are all over it. Got everything down except the trigger pull! ;D
Put in your scouting time, practice the calling and keep after 'em next spring!
It will happen, I'm betting on it. :icon_thumright:
Exciting hunt!! It'll happen if you keep after them.
go to the range with some dove loads and practice left handed! I am ambidextrous and have shot birds either way!
Dont give up hang in there, it will happen.
Quote from: Dtrkyman on May 24, 2015, 10:36:03 AM
go to the range with some dove loads and practice left handed! I am ambidextrous and have shot birds either way!
^^ This is well worth doing, it will pay off sometime
plenty of time to practice before next season
congrats on your close encounter, very rewarding to be that close
Quote from: Dtrkyman on May 24, 2015, 10:36:03 AM
go to the range with some dove loads and practice left handed! I am ambidextrous and have shot birds either way!
Amen
there was a period of a few years that pops shot more left handed than he did right handed.
my wife is an amazing shot in good conditions. I'm going to yank her scope off or buy another gun for her one and have her practice offhand shots, shots in thick woods and also shooting left handed. She's killed a truck load of gobblers but there's also been a couple that if she could had switched over to left hand she would have killed.
sounds like a petty dang good way to end the season if ya ask me
Keep at it. It took 5 years to get my dad a turkey. All public land.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: Dtrkyman on May 24, 2015, 10:36:03 AM
go to the range with some dove loads and practice left handed! I am ambidextrous and have shot birds either way!
Left handed waterfowl season!
Honestly if it was half the distance or little less thick area I would have been fine going lefty.
You tricked him!!! The adrenalin rush ends
When u pull the trigger. That was a successful hunt!
Bird on ur back or not!
Great job!
Thanks for sharing.
You come that close you will kill one for sure. Maybe next year, glad you had a good hunt despite not pulling the trigger.
Sent from the talk of tap
I don't know how many hunts I've messed up because the bird stayed to my right and I either didn't switch to shooting lefty (and I've got a dominant left eye) or I didn't trust myself to swing on him and shoot. You got the hard part done, bringing him into range, the rest was the luck of the draw. This year I had 2 birds come in from my right and the only thing that brought them to where I was able to take them was my decoy which I had positioned off to my left. The decoy did its job.
I got excited just reading that... I bet your heart was pounding!! That's awesome. Just like others said - you did the hard part, getting a gobbler inside 40. You'll get-r-done!!!
I would get some dove loads and go to the range sit down as you would well hunting and practice raising your gun and shooting as smooth as you can ,,some times you just have to raise up and shoot the bird ,I have been cought with my gun in my lap to many times .lol so know when you think you have the shot you just have to go for it kind of let instinct take over .I have killed a ton of birds this way .it is nice when you know were thy are coming from and can have the gun up and ready but this is not always the case .practise shooting this way and it will become second nature ..if you do not shoot you will not be carrying a bird out over your shoulder ,,Dutch
Nothing like turkey hunting..if that turkey will gobble it will raise the hair on the back of your neck....learning from spending time in the woods is one of the best ways to learn... also take this from a old turkey hunter turkeys don't always leave a lot of sign....and have lots of Patience ... as I tell people why get up drive 30 min to hour or more to want to leave the woods at 8:30 to go back home or to get a biscuit ... always have a bottle of water and jerky and peanut butter crackers in your vest... if you put in the road time you will be successful ...good luck..
Get him next time...
Persistence and patience will get the job done. Sounds like you have it together and you'll get there.
Sounds like you got everything but the kill. Stick with it & good luck next year. Success will be that much sweeter because you've had to work for it.
A buddy of mine killed a 2 year old gobbler in less than 1 hour into his first ever turkey hunt. Now, he thinks there's nothing to turkey hunting and it is easy to call in and kill a gobbler.
Jim
Regardless of which shoulder you normally shoot from, if you hunt long enough you'll have opposite shoulder shots presented. Last season I sat up for a right handed shot based on the last four gobblers that I'd taken from this big cottonwood tree on the point of a thicket; however, the gobbler came from my right making it necessary for me to shut my right eye forcing me to use my left eye as I squeezed the trigger with a left handed 40 yards shot. He flopped for a few minutes as I gathered my decoys. One deer season, I took a couple of does shooting from my left shoulder, utilizing a Horton knee pod to steady my H&R Ultra Slug Hunter. You might want to try a few left handed shots with a .22 to get used to the awkward feeling before moving up to a shotgun's recoil. Shooting from the opposite shoulder is not a hard thing to do, but it does feel uncomfortable. Just concentrate on the shot and it will probably work out.