buckfever
04-17-2008, 05:12 PM
Missed a bird on Tuesday that was described in this thread. . .
http://www.kentuckyhunting.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60500
I learned that my turkey choke made my pattern shoot about 12-15" high at 30 yards. After putting a sight on the gun and sighting it in, I was back after 'em this morning.
If you can believe it, I missed 2 more toms today! :( And this wasn't your run of the mill miss a bird with the first shot and then try a second hail mary shot as he was vacating the premises. This was a second miss on an entirely different tom about 3 hours later about a 1/2 mile from the first miss.
Before daybreak, I tried to hunt one end of field that I thought might hold some toms back in a cedar bushes. I mouthed some owl hoots before shooting light, and elicited some gobbles, just none where I was hoping to find a bird. Within 10 minutes, I was hearing so many toms gobbling off in the distance that I was fairly certain that weren't any birds in the block of woods I had set up in. I moved to the far end of the field which was a lot closer to where I was hearing toms that were gobbling, and set up a second time.
I still had about 5 minutes before shooting light so I decided to go with a tree yelp. This got some new birds gobbling. Unfortunately, I was about 150 yards from an 11 acre lake, and all the toms sounded like they were roosted on the far side. Even worse, I could hear some hens over with them. I knew that if they hit the ground on that side of the lake, I had no chance. I did a fly-down cackle while slapping my hat against my leg. The woods erupted and the toms went berserk. I did a second, third and fourth fly-down with no calls, and the toms still went berserk. I was hoping that some of the hens would join suit and fly over to join me.
I started a yelp and got cut off by several gobbles, so I picked up the volume and did a serious cutting sequence. And then I shut up. About 3 minutes later, I heard a turkey leave the roost and could see it fly across to my side of the lake. A few minutes later, a second bird followed. After landing, I could not see either bird, but a resonating gobble a few minutes later told me that at least one was a tom.
It didn't take long for him to strut and gobble his way into range. When he passed behind a big tree, I got my head down and trained my gun on an opening. When he emerged at about 25 yards, I clucked and he put his head up. I squeezed the trigger, but the tom ran back down towards the lake putting. I immediately cut again, and continued to cut aggressively. He stopped putting and started to gobble again. Although he wanted to get at that hen, he was still a little frightened by the big bang he had just experienced. After sticking around trading calls with me for about 10 minutes, he moved a little deeper into the woods. He was just too spooked to work a second time.
At that point, I heard another gobble from the other side of me and quickly realized that while I had been trying to coax back in the bird I had just missed, I had not been paying attention to the other birds in the area. This new gobble was less than 75 yards. Just as I started to shift over to face the new bird, I saw a white head moving through the woods. This gobbler came in strutting as well. He had at least one other strutting gobbler with him, a jake and several hens. Those toms started to gobble, but I was in clear view and couldn't move an inch.:o The first strutting tom came in directly behind my off shoulder and moved up to about 15 yards to inspect the jake and 2 hen decoys I had put out. My only hope was that they would re-enter the woods and cross in front of me.
I guess he or one of the other birds didn't like the decoys, b/c I heard a putt and then they went back the same way they entered in short order. I never moved or even blinked, so I don't think the birds ever made me.
I got one a group of 5 gobblers about an hour later, but they were with a flock of hens. They gobbled hard at me from about 125 yards, but wouldn't leave the main group. I could see a couple of them strutting back and forth on the hillside. I managed to call in 2 of the hens, but no toms joined them. Eventually, something spooked the birds (I suspect a yote), b/c they putted and all flew up into the low branches of the surrounding trees. Two of the hens flew up in a tree about 20 yards from me. When they flew back down, they all went back to the same spot, but the toms stopped gobbling.
Instead of waiting these birds out, I backed out of the area and headed toward the front of the farm to meet with the farm manager. While en route, I stopped on the edge of high spot in a long 800 yard long native grass and clover field that ran down to a creek bottom and gave it one last try. After yelping lightly with no response, I yelped again with a little more volume to help the call carry in the wind. Two toms suddenly emerged about 300 yards down from me and began to strut towards me. Two hens came out behind them and headed directly across the field. Although the toms didn't gobble, they strutted their way towards me. At about 150 yards, 2 more hens came out from the brush and walked right to the toms. The toms lost interest in me completely and the hens guided them back the way they had come towards the creek bottom.
Once it was safe to move, I circled around and ran down to the creek bottom to cut them off. Once I got set up, I yelped lightly. Nothing. I waited about 15 minutes and saw that 2 hens had gotten underneath me all the way in the creek bottom. I figured I was not quick enough and watched the hens move into the brush. Once they were gone, I started to stand up to finish my walk to the front, and I saw a big fan about 20 yards in front of me. I quickly hit the ground, but a putt from in front of me told me I was too slow. I knew the tom was within range, but he wouldn't be for long after that alarm call. I then stood up and put the bead on his neck as he fell completely out of strut. At the ka-boom, turkeys exploded from all sides of me. The tom started to run off when I shot at him a second time at about 30 yards (this was the hail mary shot:rolleyes:). I'm pretty sure that second shot hit the bird, but I found no confirming blood or feathers. I searched for him for the better part of an hour, but just couldn't find him.
3 misses over a span of 3 days.
I've concluded that I can get on turkeys and call 'em in with the best of 'em, but when it comes to closing the deal in killing range, I'm a lost puppy right now.
Needless to say, my Winchester Super X-2 and it's newfangled turkey choke and sights are going straight into my gun cabinet. Whether it's the equipment or the user (probably the latter) doesn't really matter anymore. I've lost confidence in that piece of equipment and it will not see the turkey woods again. I'm going to dig out either a Remington Turkey Pump that I won at an NWTF banquet or my Remington 1100. I've killed turkeys with both guns and still have confidence with 'em.
http://www.kentuckyhunting.net/forums/showthread.php?t=60500
I learned that my turkey choke made my pattern shoot about 12-15" high at 30 yards. After putting a sight on the gun and sighting it in, I was back after 'em this morning.
If you can believe it, I missed 2 more toms today! :( And this wasn't your run of the mill miss a bird with the first shot and then try a second hail mary shot as he was vacating the premises. This was a second miss on an entirely different tom about 3 hours later about a 1/2 mile from the first miss.
Before daybreak, I tried to hunt one end of field that I thought might hold some toms back in a cedar bushes. I mouthed some owl hoots before shooting light, and elicited some gobbles, just none where I was hoping to find a bird. Within 10 minutes, I was hearing so many toms gobbling off in the distance that I was fairly certain that weren't any birds in the block of woods I had set up in. I moved to the far end of the field which was a lot closer to where I was hearing toms that were gobbling, and set up a second time.
I still had about 5 minutes before shooting light so I decided to go with a tree yelp. This got some new birds gobbling. Unfortunately, I was about 150 yards from an 11 acre lake, and all the toms sounded like they were roosted on the far side. Even worse, I could hear some hens over with them. I knew that if they hit the ground on that side of the lake, I had no chance. I did a fly-down cackle while slapping my hat against my leg. The woods erupted and the toms went berserk. I did a second, third and fourth fly-down with no calls, and the toms still went berserk. I was hoping that some of the hens would join suit and fly over to join me.
I started a yelp and got cut off by several gobbles, so I picked up the volume and did a serious cutting sequence. And then I shut up. About 3 minutes later, I heard a turkey leave the roost and could see it fly across to my side of the lake. A few minutes later, a second bird followed. After landing, I could not see either bird, but a resonating gobble a few minutes later told me that at least one was a tom.
It didn't take long for him to strut and gobble his way into range. When he passed behind a big tree, I got my head down and trained my gun on an opening. When he emerged at about 25 yards, I clucked and he put his head up. I squeezed the trigger, but the tom ran back down towards the lake putting. I immediately cut again, and continued to cut aggressively. He stopped putting and started to gobble again. Although he wanted to get at that hen, he was still a little frightened by the big bang he had just experienced. After sticking around trading calls with me for about 10 minutes, he moved a little deeper into the woods. He was just too spooked to work a second time.
At that point, I heard another gobble from the other side of me and quickly realized that while I had been trying to coax back in the bird I had just missed, I had not been paying attention to the other birds in the area. This new gobble was less than 75 yards. Just as I started to shift over to face the new bird, I saw a white head moving through the woods. This gobbler came in strutting as well. He had at least one other strutting gobbler with him, a jake and several hens. Those toms started to gobble, but I was in clear view and couldn't move an inch.:o The first strutting tom came in directly behind my off shoulder and moved up to about 15 yards to inspect the jake and 2 hen decoys I had put out. My only hope was that they would re-enter the woods and cross in front of me.
I guess he or one of the other birds didn't like the decoys, b/c I heard a putt and then they went back the same way they entered in short order. I never moved or even blinked, so I don't think the birds ever made me.
I got one a group of 5 gobblers about an hour later, but they were with a flock of hens. They gobbled hard at me from about 125 yards, but wouldn't leave the main group. I could see a couple of them strutting back and forth on the hillside. I managed to call in 2 of the hens, but no toms joined them. Eventually, something spooked the birds (I suspect a yote), b/c they putted and all flew up into the low branches of the surrounding trees. Two of the hens flew up in a tree about 20 yards from me. When they flew back down, they all went back to the same spot, but the toms stopped gobbling.
Instead of waiting these birds out, I backed out of the area and headed toward the front of the farm to meet with the farm manager. While en route, I stopped on the edge of high spot in a long 800 yard long native grass and clover field that ran down to a creek bottom and gave it one last try. After yelping lightly with no response, I yelped again with a little more volume to help the call carry in the wind. Two toms suddenly emerged about 300 yards down from me and began to strut towards me. Two hens came out behind them and headed directly across the field. Although the toms didn't gobble, they strutted their way towards me. At about 150 yards, 2 more hens came out from the brush and walked right to the toms. The toms lost interest in me completely and the hens guided them back the way they had come towards the creek bottom.
Once it was safe to move, I circled around and ran down to the creek bottom to cut them off. Once I got set up, I yelped lightly. Nothing. I waited about 15 minutes and saw that 2 hens had gotten underneath me all the way in the creek bottom. I figured I was not quick enough and watched the hens move into the brush. Once they were gone, I started to stand up to finish my walk to the front, and I saw a big fan about 20 yards in front of me. I quickly hit the ground, but a putt from in front of me told me I was too slow. I knew the tom was within range, but he wouldn't be for long after that alarm call. I then stood up and put the bead on his neck as he fell completely out of strut. At the ka-boom, turkeys exploded from all sides of me. The tom started to run off when I shot at him a second time at about 30 yards (this was the hail mary shot:rolleyes:). I'm pretty sure that second shot hit the bird, but I found no confirming blood or feathers. I searched for him for the better part of an hour, but just couldn't find him.
3 misses over a span of 3 days.
I've concluded that I can get on turkeys and call 'em in with the best of 'em, but when it comes to closing the deal in killing range, I'm a lost puppy right now.
Needless to say, my Winchester Super X-2 and it's newfangled turkey choke and sights are going straight into my gun cabinet. Whether it's the equipment or the user (probably the latter) doesn't really matter anymore. I've lost confidence in that piece of equipment and it will not see the turkey woods again. I'm going to dig out either a Remington Turkey Pump that I won at an NWTF banquet or my Remington 1100. I've killed turkeys with both guns and still have confidence with 'em.