Best Worst Day Ever (long read)

[anbrown]

Saturday evening I roosted some birds in an area we had seen activity before. The next morning my buddy and I slipped in and set up on the logging road about 200 apart from one another as we weren't sure exactly where the birds were. As the sun came up the woods came alive and the owls, crows and gobblers were going after it! There were 5 gobblers we counted, 2 were close and those were the 2 we wanted to work.

My buddy went to work calling...it didn't take much and he didn't have to call much at all. A few yelps here and there and the gobblers were going crazy. Every yelp or cluck would be answered by two gobblers and they were closer and closer with each one. My buddy had slipped closer when they were about 100 yrds out and set two decoys on the logging road. I could hear him calling about 20 yards from me but I couldn't see him exactly so communicating was going to be tough. Finally he yelped and the two birds cut him off with gobbles about 50 yards away. I set up for a shot, though they were going to have to pass about 15-20 yards right in front of me to get a shot. I thought about letting them both slip so that my buddy and I could both get a shot. But as close as we both were and not knowing exactly where each other was at I decided that was going to be dangerous and chose to take a shot at the first bird.

The gobbler was gobbling his head off and spittin' and drummin' (mind you, this is my first time being this close to a gobbler who's this hot). My heart was pounding out of my chest. Finally I had a good clean shot, put the bead of the gun at the base of his neck, took a deep breath in and squeezed the trigger as I released the breath. I fired the shot, the gobbler jumped about 2 feed in the air flapped around, took off running and flew into a tree. 

I had missed. At 15 yards I had missed my first chance to shoot a gobbler in my first turkey season. It was quite disappointing, but also the most exhilarating hunt of any kind I have ever experienced. I could chalk it up to shooting a shotgun I hadn't shot before or whatever. I think I was simply more excited then I have ever been, jerked the trigger and shot high...simple as that. But to be that close to a creature doing what is so natural to him was incredible. My heart raced, my adrenalin was through the roof!! My buddy laughed at me, gave me a pat on the back and said "Welcome to turkey hunting man...consider that your official indoctrination. Oh, and it'll probably happen again one day, that's just turkey hunting." It was disappointing but after that experience I think my buddy who convinced me to hunt this season has won a lifetime turkey hunter.

[TRKYHTR]

That is a great hunt. Welcome to turkey hunting. Now go shoot your gun at some paper to see where it's shooting. You don't want to miss, or wound a turkey, like that again.

TRKYHTR

[tomstopper]

That is a great hunt. Welcome to turkey hunting. Now go shoot your gun at some paper to see where it's shooting. You don't want to miss, or wound a turkey, like that again.

TRKYHTR

x2

[DirtNap647]

we all miss better luck next time

[anbrown]

That is a great hunt. Welcome to turkey hunting. Now go shoot your gun at some paper to see where it's shooting. You don't want to miss, or wound a turkey, like that again.

TRKYHTR

Thanks, it was a great hunt! And we shot the gun again and it patterned beautifully....seems I just pulled it a little high.

[alloutdoors]

That's how it goes some times. It's obvious you enjoyed yourself though and that's what's important.

[surehuntsalot]

nothing like one up close and personnel to get the old heart racing
been doing it for over 30-35 yrs and mine still races every time,welcome to turkey hunting

[anbrown]

nothing like one up close and personnel to get the old heart racing
been doing it for over 30-35 yrs and mine still races every time,welcome to turkey hunting

That's great! After that hunt and everything I've learned from the guy mentoring me this season, I hope I am still hunting turkey 30 yrs from now.

[remmy1187]

In all the excitement its not hard to not have your cheekweld off the stock and shoot high not to mention the your pattern at 15 yards is about the size of a baseball, it happens a lot.  Just go gettum next time and good luck!

[leasburg]

I rolled one in is that got up and ran off, drove to mo and missed one at 15 yards the next day. :TrainWreck1:Luckily I smacked one in ks before. It's been tough weather in mo and is the last week?
Than two buddies missed as well this weekend.  It happens

[jordanz7935]

That stinks you missed that bird. So let me get this right, u and your buddy are hunting the same turkeys but setup in different loctaions? then he moves on the birds and is 15-20 yds away but you dont know exactly where he is? And you shoot @ the bird not knowing where ur partner is? Not trying to be rude but that sounds pretty dangerous to me.My advice would be to stick together when hunting the same land let alone the same turkeys. Me and my buddy stick together when we hunt and have killed dozens of turkeys over the years. Not trying to be "that guy" but ive shared the woods with some dumb rookie turkey hunters and almost got shot. not a good feeling. As far as the miss goes, @ that range your pattern is the size of a softball. I love red dots because it makes killing turkeys easy and you can see the whole turkey and watch his body language all while having the dot on his head ready to take the shot @ any moment if the bird starts to get nervous. Alll u can see when bearing down open sites on a gobbler is part of his head and neck.

[anbrown]

That stinks you missed that bird. So let me get this right, u and your buddy are hunting the same turkeys but setup in different loctaions? then he moves on the birds and is 15-20 yds away but you dont know exactly where he is? And you shoot @ the bird not knowing where ur partner is? Not trying to be rude but that sounds pretty dangerous to me.My advice would be to stick together when hunting the same land let alone the same turkeys. Me and my buddy stick together when we hunt and have killed dozens of turkeys over the years. Not trying to be "that guy" but ive shared the woods with some dumb rookie turkey hunters and almost got shot. not a good feeling. As far as the miss goes, @ that range your pattern is the size of a softball. I love red dots because it makes killing turkeys easy and you can see the whole turkey and watch his body language all while having the dot on his head ready to take the shot @ any moment if the bird starts to get nervous. Alll u can see when bearing down open sites on a gobbler is part of his head and neck.

Setting up in different spots then moving was obviously not the best move. I've never hunted turkey until this year so I was following my buddy's lead on that. I'll say this, we won't be doing it again. While this is my first season hunting turkey, it's not my first season hunting, nor is it my first time around firearms. I've hunted for over 20 yrs and was raised around firearms by my father who served 20 yrs in the service and is also an avid Outdoorsman. That said, I knew my partner was 20 yds or so to my immediate right. He was obviously not in the logging road or open field 10 yards in front of us. The barrel of my gun never crossed over to the right side of my field of fire since the birds approached from the left....in fact my back was turned to him. And as I explained in my second paragraph, all of that was taken into account for safety's sake and was the reason I chose to shoot when I did, not after. I understand that a by reading a simple explanation of a hunting experience, it can be perceived otherwise, but I can assure you that nobody but that turkey was in danger....and obviously even he wasn't in that much danger.