Last week I missed a bird on public land here in PA (details in my hunt log thread), its a long hike in the walk out feels even longer thinking about a blown opportunity.
I hate misses, especially on turkeys.. It doesn't happen often but when I do it just bothers me to my core, probably my ego I doesn't enjoy the hit. On the drive home I called my wife and told her all the "I should have done this scenarios". I finished by saying and you know when you miss you don't get that opportunity back, I'll probably have to eat that tag.
My wife reminded me of the last time I missed as we were hunting together... I had just worked a bird up enough to get him to fly a creek on some NY DEP ground and was watching over a steep bank for the bird to show up below me at 20yds when he appeared over the bank at 3 steps. We saw each other in the same moment and he won that dual. I muttered about that for a few days talking about how that bird had a huge rope swinging when he flew off. The next weekend I went back and shot that bird at 8yds and he sported my longest beard of 11.25in
I'm sure I had a yeahhh but but something... And she hit me with a "I'll take the kids to daycare Monday you go and smack that smug bird right in his snoodle noodle"
I love having a wife that not only turkey hunts with me but full appreciates a good snood joke. The Snoodle noodle line ended up being a popular tag at this past weekends Vet Hunt
And Smack that bird I did, up 35min earlier leave nothing to chance I wanted in early. I also opted to upgrade fire power and show the 12ga some love leaving the 20 at home. It was down right cold being 36 and breezy but I made the hike in and was positioned inside a 100yds from the anticipated roost zone moments before first gobble. He was the first and most frequent talker this morning out of the 4 or 5 I heard. I eased into maybe 70yds and set up. He had all hens with him today so I didn't call to him much although i did have to wave a coyote off. At fly down the hens all pitched out over the ridge top out of sight so by about the 4th one I got on him to put in his mind that a hen was right here. gobbled and flew down banking toward me as he flew to my yelping. He landed in Gun range spit and immediately flicked his head pure white and began searching with his eyes. I let him ease a few yards closer before I hammered with a load of hevi's.
Who really know's if this was the same bird or not but once again I was rewarded with an upgrade to my longest beard with 11 5/8th in, he came in at 22lbs 10oz and some lopsided spurs with 1 1/8th sharp on one side and meager 11/16th runt on the other. Which I explained to my buddies was because he kept it wore down from throwing so many "right hooks". For South East PA where birds can be tough to just find to kill him on public made me even more proud as this roosting area was the result of miles and miles of scouting. The area continues to show tons of promise too as last spring they did a controlled burn on some of the SGL timber where I saw a lot of activity over this past winter.
