2021 Wild Turkey thread

brybenn said:
Dont know if its just my phone but looks almost like pellet holes in his head and neck?
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Nope, he was hung up... had to clean lots of blood for the photo. His chest is all matted.... but just looked at it and I can see what you are referring to.
 
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Well today was a heartbreaker. Got to my blind and had about a dozen roosted birds right above me. I did well not to spook anything when setting up. As sunrise approached, I could see a Tom was in the mix and it didn't take long for him to start gobbling away. I figure it was going to be a quick morning, but it wasn't so. The hens decided to fly down away from me and of course, they took that Tom with them. Then about 30 mins later I got into an argument with a pissed off hen who was screaming as loud as she could. This got the attention of another Tom from an adjacent property. As he made his way in the pissed off hen got quiet and went in the opposite direction. Well the Tom can my way and started making his way down the hill. He got to about 40 yards when the pissed off hen started screaming again from the opposite direction. Now this Tom was conflicted. He saw my decoys and was on his way in full strut before getting hung up because of the hen yaking away. I waiting about 40 mins to get to this point so I had a decision to make. I’ve cleanly harvested birds at a greater distance. When I shouldered the gun and put it out the blind window, I got snagged on something. Initially I thought it was my sling, but it turns out it was my rear sight. Anyhow, I take the shot and it appears as though I missed and the bird takes off. Fack. Not convinced that I could have missed that shot, I head out to see if I can find evidence of a possible hit. About 20 yards away, I find quite a bit of blood that has been dropping onto the leaves. That can only mean one thing, the bird is overhead. Just as I look up, the injured Tom flushes off the tree and heads over the fence into the neighbouring property that I do not have permission to access. The amount of blood that bird lost means certain death, and that just makes me want to puke. I asked the landowner if he could call the neighbour to ask if I can go in to retrieve the bird, but that was not successful as she wasn't home. Looks like I punched my first tag and have nothing to show for it other than a short video of the Tom strutting.

Im so disappointed. This is what my rear sight now looks like

xagZaqC.jpg
 
Bummer... when I read these words "I got in an argument with a pizzed off..." I thought oh, oh... was expecting to hear about a battle with the guy that set up across from you! So... it could have been worse. You will whack them tomorrow... losing a bird like that is very discouraging.
 
1963beretta said:
Well today was a heartbreaker. Got to my blind and had about a dozen roosted birds right above me. I did well not to spook anything when setting up. As sunrise approached, I could see a Tom was in the mix and it didn't take long for him to start gobbling away. I figure it was going to be a quick morning, but it wasn't so. The hens decided to fly down away from me and of course, they took that Tom with them. Then about 30 mins later I got into an argument with a pissed off hen who was screaming as loud as she could. This got the attention of another Tom from an adjacent property. As he made his way in the pissed off hen got quiet and went in the opposite direction. Well the Tom can my way and started making his way down the hill. He got to about 40 yards when the pissed off hen started screaming again from the opposite direction. Now this Tom was conflicted. He saw my decoys and was on his way in full strut before getting hung up because of the hen yaking away. I waiting about 40 mins to get to this point so I had a decision to make. I’ve cleanly harvested birds at a greater distance. When I shouldered the gun and put it out the blind window, I got snagged on something. Initially I thought it was my sling, but it turns out it was my rear sight. Anyhow, I take the shot and it appears as though I missed and the bird takes off. Fack. Not convinced that I could have missed that shot, I head out to see if I can find evidence of a possible hit. About 20 yards away, I find quite a bit of blood that has been dropping onto the leaves. That can only mean one thing, the bird is overhead. Just as I look up, the injured Tom flushes off the tree and heads over the fence into the neighbouring property that I do not have permission to access. The amount of blood that bird lost means certain death, and that just makes me want to puke. I asked the landowner if he could call the neighbour to ask if I can go in to retrieve the bird, but that was not successful as she wasn't home. Looks like I punched my first tag and have nothing to show for it other than a short video of the Tom strutting.

Im so disappointed. This is what my rear sight now looks like

xagZaqC.jpg
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Never good to read stories like this. Sorry you had such a rough hunt.
I hunted a parcel of public this morning. I didn’t scout beforehand, only online topo and satellite maps. I found a nice ridge that I thought would be an awesome place to roost. Well, unfortunately I was right. I was trying to cut through and make it a little closer to the edge of a field. At about 20-30min before legal shooting, Im walking along and hear a big twig snap. Too loud for a squirrel.. all of a sudden a turkey flushes. I stood still for the next minute or two while I screamed creative profanity in my head when one by one the rest of the birds flew off the roost in separate directions. I wasn’t paying attention to my gps while I was moving in and didn’t realize how close I was to the pin I dropped while scouting online. In the end I was pleased with my digital scouting, but furious with my execution.

Having a rest on my deck then down to SW ontario for a private land hunt. Im more familiar with the land down there, no whammies!
 
hoytcanon said:
Bummer... when I read these words "I got in an argument with a pizzed off..." I thought oh, oh... was expecting to hear about a battle with the guy that set up across from you! So... it could have been worse. You will whack them tomorrow... losing a bird like that is very discouraging.
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I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t being a little creative in an attempt to lead the story on a bit based on my previous post about the other hunter.....

As for the sight, it obviously wasn’t that bent when I took the shot. I guess it was still snagged when I pulled the trigger so the rearward motion of the gun on recoil made it bend upwards.
 
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1963beretta said:
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t being a little creative in an attempt to lead the story on a bit based on my previous post about the other hunter.....

As for the sight, it obviously wasn’t that bent when I took the shot. I guess it was still snagged when I pulled the trigger so the rearward motion of the gun on recoil made it bend upwards.
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Yeah, you got.me...

You gotta hate it when an equipment Gremlin bites you in the azz... anyone who has hunted long enough has experienced similar bad luck. Just hurts when the game pays for it... even if it does succumb to those wounds, it is a far better death than to a coyote, 3 or 4 years from now.
 
1963beretta. Snags happen. Although no damage other than my pride ive missed a chance at a tom using an old hammer gun. Wanted a closer shot so i wore a ghillie suit. It all went good until it didnt. Went to slowly raise the gun and got the hammers caught in the ghillie suit and as its a full cover up i was of course leaning on the webbing and couldnt get the gun up for the shot. After that i i only use hammerless guns when wearing the tree suit and ive got rid of all my rear sights. Bead or scope is all i use now
 
Looks good fellas, still nothing for me.

Sunday morning watched 12 turkeys make a wrong turn and head the wrong way down the field, weeks of scouting and thinking I had them figured out only to watch them go the wrong way.

Monday I set up at the east end of the field the direction they all went Sunday but only had hens within range, 4 Tom's all held back about 100 yards from where I was set up.

Oh well work next few days and try again Friday good thing the season is nice and long now.

JJ
 
Incredible lighting storm last night in SW Ontario made the birds leave the roost early. They dropped down around 5am and had 3 gobblers making their way in before legal shooting. Had to wait 25min before we could load. Birds were about 60 yards away.. you want a drill? Practice loading your shotgun quietly! The big boy made his way in, told my buddy if only one comes, it’s his shot. But if two come in I get the bigger one. Waited a few minutes while he beat up my jake decoy. Finally decided just to take him. My buddy puts the bead on him and pulls the trigger.. swing and a miss! 6:00am..

He was miserable for the next few hours..
 
Well today was my first day out. Buddy was out at this spot two days prior and saw a circus of birds and patience gave him the chance to take his pick and nabbed the biggest bird hes ever taken.

I was feeling good that the birds were still around and active.

We have a bir of a hike through the woods to get the spot and flush a pair of birds off the branch about 500 m from our stand. We werent too concerned because the flushed right towards our spot, but couldnt tell if they stopped or kept going.

We get into position and set up a little over a full hour before legal hunting, which us rare for us and unexpected because we got delayed leaving the house.

All is quiet for about 30 minutes and then the gobbles start. Some close, some a little further, but three distinct groups with 1-2 gobblers each surrounding us on 3 sides. A few little yelps on the pot and they all light up. We figure we are solid.

And then we never saw a damn for more than 90 minutes. Steady gobbles, all moving away, until a lone hen comes in hot, mills around our decoys for a minute or two, and then starts screaching out the warning and moving at not quite a run. Never heard a peep afterwards. Another hour and nothing. It was pretty cold so I got up to go for a walk through the woods mostly get the blood moving, but also to see if I can A hear or see anything a little further out, and b, in the highly unlikely event that I can flush a bird over to the post with my partner in wait. Never heard or say a damn thing anywhere within a kilometer of our post in every direction, which is unusual. So we packed it up and called it a day. BCk out later this week.
 
due to covid i got in late. as i drove in just before my blind i had to stop truck on the road to let the turkeys walk across. (lots of swearing was done by me)

went in blind anyway. did some calls and got no replies. tried off and on through the day while id did other work around the property.

I may go back, i may not? either way it was day out of the city so not a total bust.
 
squidxm said:
Incredible lighting storm last night in SW Ontario made the birds leave the roost early. They dropped down around 5am and had 3 gobblers making their way in before legal shooting. Had to wait 25min before we could load. Birds were about 60 yards away.. you want a drill? Practice loading your shotgun quietly! The big boy made his way in, told my buddy if only one comes, it’s his shot. But if two come in I get the bigger one. Waited a few minutes while he beat up my jake decoy. Finally decided just to take him. My buddy puts the bead on him and pulls the trigger.. swing and a miss! 6:00am..

He was miserable for the next few hours..
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Sxs gun my friend. Very quiet. Also 2 chokes. Tight for far out and not so tight for less chance of a miss in close
 
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