Upset this AM

[Turkeygirl]

Totally blew it...finally had it all come together...and blew it!

Last night watched the gobbler with now 5 hens feeding in the field by the old gravel pit. They did not roost until 9pm and roosted in some trees right by the field so I knew they'd fly down in the field in the AM. Got up early and walked in, put my hen and jake decoys out in the field...There wasn't a good tree where I wanted to sit so ended up tucked in a honeysuckle shrub. Must have been around 5am when a hen talks a little bit and he gives one gobble. Shortly after a hen flies down and is clucking around looking at the decoys. Soon after HE flies down and lands to my right....just as anticipated. Then he makes a straight line right to the decoys. He's starting to puff up and tuck his head in. Well he was out 20-25 yards. If he got to my left any further I wouldn't be able to swing the gun. So I put the red dot on his neck and BOOM! He jumps/flaps into the air and takes off, 2nd shot missed as well. I watch him fly and land down in the woods. My heart sunk. The one hen actually just stood around awhile and eventually all the other hens flew down into the field. I called one in to about 5 yards from me and she hung around a little but then moved out to the other hens.

I should have let him just walk right in and should have waited till his head was up and made sure I had the gun shouldered well....The excitement got the better of me, again. After the hens disappeared up the field, I went out to check the shot sight....a few feathers...mostly were dark black, I think breast or back and most of them were the tips shot off...and couple whole ones broken in half....Looked for blood, no blood. Eventually took a peek down in the area about where I thought he flew, just to make sure he wasn't dead in there, didn't see anything.

I hope and pray I didn't wound him or not too badly at that. I'm not sure how bad I just messed up my last 1-2 days to hunt but I am so bummed. Guess all I can do now is see if he's back in there tonight or the other ridge...

Any suggestions/tips? Anyone experienced similar thing and still get the bird? I'm going to take a shot or two just to make sure my red dot wasn't off somehow....

I can't believe it...just can't believe it....

[Hoyt03]

Bummer! If anything maybe he's a little lonely now and might be more eager to find his hens, or maybe he's spooked out of the county.

[Turkeygirl]

Well I feel slightly better just finding out my TruGlo Red Dot was totally messed up...found it shooting low and to the left...Not sure what happened. Tried to get it sighted back in but whenevr I moved out to 30 yards, I had no pattern, and at 25 I kept moving left and right. Andy looked at it said my dot was floating. I looked at it to then thought something looks off kilter within the scope itself!! Like a ring or something crooked! I took the red dot off and shot with the fiber optic sights on there and all my shots were dead turkeys...5 times better than what I was getting trying to re-sight the TruGlo.... I'm going to try contacting TruGlo at some point...

[ruttinbuc]

Bummer, Ruth! It does get exciting when they're coming in. Too bad a bout the Red Dot. I refuse to put one on my tried and true shotgun for that very reason. Hope you get a second crack at him.

[Goinghuntin]

Wow sorry to hear that Ruth, you've been working hard at him. Every bird that I've ever missed at I had to say goodbye to, they never come back in :no:

Nathan

[bobwhite]

It's a bummer that it happen but if your season is still in that means game on yet. Go after him and put the bead back on his head and let him have it,Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!

[3seasons]

Ruth, I’ve been there a few times. It doesn’t get any better the next time trust me you still get that sick feeling. At 20yds its not hard to miss with your setup.

As far as the bird, it’s heartbreaking to hunt a bird hard all season only to mess up at the end. But it’s not the end of the world; chances are he will make it. Give him a couple days and go back after him. May be a little more call shy but will still be killable. I missed a bird and was able to call him back to the same tree four days later. I was so excited that I just about messed up the second time. I’ve been lucky enough to get all three of the birds that I have missed and been able to hunt the next week. So it can be done. I have missed a few that I never went back after.

As hard as it is don’t beat yourself up to hard, just chalk it up as a learning experience. I’ve shot a red dot for years now and wouldn’t have anything else. i trust it 100% If I miss its always been my fault(jerking or looking up) because I get caught up in the moment.

Heck a guy I work with called up a huge bird for his son and his son spooked him, two week later he called him up again and missed him with his 12ga, the next day he was gobbling again. He calls him up for the third time and cuts his leg with his bow. And he was blowing it out that afternoon. He said he made it by them three times; ill let him live another year, just wasn’t his day.

Good luck; go back and get him,

Scott

Edited May 30, 2010 by 3seasons

[RTF]

I have had it happen to me a few, including on the last day of the season during the last hour of the season.

[Turkeygirl]

Thanks guys...it's a bummer but hopefully he bred alot of those hens and there will be plenty of poults running around!

Going to check up back tonight, if nothing, then that's the season for me. Glad tp have put a tag on a jake though. Dunno if I'll use a Red Dot next year or go back to the open sights....

[ruttinbuc]

Dunno if I'll use a Red Dot next year or go back to the open sights....

Ruth, there would not be a problem using the Red Dot, but you need to make sure they are on, often. As careful as you might be with your shotgun it goes through a lot of abuse. Especially, running and gunning while turkey hunting. To me something like what happened to you with the sight would be a kin to missing a knot and losing a giant fish. You gain a confidence in something and then it burns you in the end because you failed to make sure everything was right. So many times it is that one little thing between success and failure.

Just so you know it was a lot of fun tagging along with you trying to kill this bird. He'll be a real challenge next year...

[Turkeygirl]

Yeah, if he sticks around for next spring, he'll be a whopper.

Yeah I'm going to see if TruGlo will fix it, I swear something is not right within the scope, something looks nocked off...maybe it happened when I fell or some other time, I dunno.

[Rhino]

Been there before too Ruth and I've killed gobbling, strutting birds that had pellets in them too. Some were fresh wounds too.

I used to use a red dot scope on my muzzleloader years ago and had problems with it holding zero. For that reason, I never considered a red dot for my turkey gun. Went to the holosight when they 1st came out with them. Never had a problem with them holding zero yet. They will hurt you in the hip though compared to the cost of a red dot.

[earnhardts12000]

atleast got shot never got bird close enough whole season

[WHISKEYSWAMP]

that really blows... was looking forward to seeing his pics. A buddy shot a gobbler this year with his bow. the bird's breasts were loaded with shot... the meat looked infected so he didn't eat it.

[dbHunterNY]

sound like it still was exciting as ever. at least you know it wasn't you and just your equipment. maybe he'll be around next year even bigger. My luck didn't get much better this weekend either.

[hunterbobb]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. As they say though we learn more from our mistakes than we do from success.

First off never shoot unless their neck is extended. I had a similar problem with a scope I had on my shotgun. Shotguns really punish any optic. So now only the highest quality optics go on my shotgun. The scope I have on there now cost more than the shotgun did.

Better luck next year.

[Ethan Givan]

That does suck. Ive only missed one turkey and it was with a bow. After you shoot and see that bird run off there isnt a worse feeling in the world.

I wouldnt give up on him though. I called a big gobbler in for my cousin this spring and he shot and missed. We came back the next morning and set up on the same bird. I got him to come within 15 yards of us but my cousin couldnt get a shot because of brush. That turkey worked just as easily as he did the morning before. It didnt seem like being shot at had affected him at all.