[20']

Well I roosted them the night prior, nothing too close, but good intel nonetheless! As they awoke they were gobbling pretty darn well and I eased to within a 150 yards in the sparse woods....had couple jake groups flat do multiple times, and a gob to the north and one to the south within a 70 or so, but I couldn't coax them to the finish line. Moved a couple hundred yards around 10 am and struck a gobbler a couple hundred yards to the NE.....set up call and a couple minutes later spy a male bird running towards me, then a second and a third, ergh, dang jakes again! let them pass and stand and start walking to a different spot and one gobbles near my 1st setup and is probably 200 yards away, sit straight down wait a minute and let some soft yelps, he responds closer so I shut up, he closes some more and gobbles, then in silent for awhile I let some excited cuts out and he thunders to my left (south) and is running in...stops at maybe 12 yards and nothing but sparseness between us, I ease the gun from 12 to nine and he stands there head held high........and rush the shot and WHIFF! Would have been an great hunt, Tried to strike another in the remaining 2 hours, but rightfully so, the turkey Gods only offer up so much!

The TSS and indian creek are meant for good shots, not scatter brained shots! Maybe tomorrow!

Congrats to the successful hunters yesterday & today!

 

[Refuze2falo]

Best thing is you have him educated now so that is a ''plus 1'' for 2020

 

[fishshooter]

That hurts, but it happens. :cheers:

 

[rat]

Sounds like you had some excitement though!

 

[hazelvillebucks]

Proper education builds Mocking birds. ABOUT 8 30 I had one within 30 yards that did not die. HE WAS OPEN BUT THE BRUSH I WAS HIDING IN MUST HAVE SNAGGED THE HEAD PELLETS.This Morning they did not play / something about me making to much noise.

 

[Wings Fan 19]

The MOT ain't for everyone.
Sounds like a decent enough hunt, birds did what they do... and so did the trigger man. :clap::scared:

 

[20']

The MOT ain't for everyone.
Sounds like a decent enough hunt, birds did what they do... and so did the trigger man. :clap::scared:

it was a bit overwhelming for some reason, I was just certain he was going to FLOP, but forget a few key steps like aiming...I share successes, why not share blunders as well!

 

[Reflex]

You had better luck than me. I sat down within 50 yds of 2 hens. They didn't bust me, but didn't hear a single gobble on public ground that was close enough for me to do anything with. Woke up this morning with a killer headache. 10:30 was long enough for me. I'll be back out in the AM.

 

[ducksNbucks]

I missed one in Nebraska Saturday. Same deal with rushing a shot & had quite a bit of brush to contend with. **** happens.

 

[Wings Fan 19]

it was a bit overwhelming for some reason, I was just certain he was going to FLOP, but forget a few key steps like aiming...I share successes, why not share blunders as well!

My last whiff was at very close range with the IC tube as well, as in 11 yards or so... I straight rushed it and sent it right over his head due to not burying my cheek on the stock. Maybe me being more than 1/2 asleep had something to do with it...the bird was in the dekes and I had no clue until I heard wing flaps on the deke. I had to wait a good while to get the gun up and by then he'd broke off the deke and was bugging 'out' but closing on me.
Heck, yesterday morning waiting for the pair of toms to either break apart a bit, stop flogging the jake and stop swapping rights and lefts with eachother... after a little minute of that, I wasn't exactly 100% steady.

 

[20']

My last whiff was at very close range with the IC tube as well, as in 11 yards or so... I straight rushed it and sent it right over his head due to not burying my cheek on the stock. Maybe me being more than 1/2 asleep had something to do with it...the bird was in the dekes and I had no clue until I heard wing flaps on the deke. I had to wait a good while to get the gun up and by then he'd broke off the deke and was bugging 'out' but closing on me.
Heck, yesterday morning waiting for the pair of toms to either break apart a bit, stop flogging the jake and stop swapping rights and lefts with eachother... after a little minute of that, I wasn't exactly 100% steady.

hopefully this can serve as a PSA to be sure to settle in the bead! My boys are sure having fun with this miss!

 

[callaojoe]

hopefully this can serve as a PSA to be sure to settle in the bead! My boys are sure having fun with this miss!

You sure have given them a lot of ammunition over the years....

Sucks to miss, but the good news is, you can hunt more this week now....

 

[Wings Fan 19]

hopefully this can serve as a PSA to be sure to settle in the bead! My boys are sure having fun with this miss!

I bought a red dot after that... years later the red dot sits in the closet & the bead has done it's job and not missed since.

 

[henry]

Those close range misses are common with these tight shooting guns these days.

 

[truehunter]

How can you the great 20 , Miss with a scatter gun ?

 

[PHhunter]

Should have shot a crossbow.

 

[hazelvillebucks]

You sure have given them a lot of ammunition over the years....

Sucks to miss, but the good news is, you can hunt more this week now....

One should feed the ticks to get them off to a great start before even thinking about killing turkeys.

 

[killmode]

I never remember aiming at the MOT... NEVER

Knock on wood, only whiffed once but got him with the follow up.

 

[henry]

I never remember aiming at the MOT... NEVER

Knock on wood, only whiffed once but got him with the follow up.

Where exactly is the MOT on a turkey ?? I always aim at the snood.

 

[callaojoe]

One should feed the ticks to get them off to a great start before even thinking about killing turkeys.

This clears up everything, thanks again for your wonderful insight.... :tup:

:cool!::quack::thinking: