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Closest turkey kill

My closest was one of only a couple I have killed out of a blind. I went back into an area in the afternoon where I had called one up in the morning (not in my blind) that I passed due to being just a few yards out of comfortable range. I heard one gobble about 3:30 just about out of hearing distance. He would answer my call about ten seconds after I called. But, he kept coming my way with the sporadic gobbles. After about an hour of playing the cat-n-mouse game, he was within range, but was off the slope of the ridge where I couldn't see him. He ended up circling and gobbling where I had called from in the morning.

He walked within a yard or so of the blind and stood out there at 8-10' and thundered. I had the gun pointed out of that window where I didn't have to move much to get on him, and I shot. He went down thrashing. I got out there pretty quick and put a foot on his head. He had dagger spurs, so I was not grabbing on that end. His head was bloodied up pretty good, but not like I would have suspected at that range.

When I looked back at the blind, I figured out why. Although my scope showed nothing of the blind when I shot, my barrel was an inch or so lower. I had cut a semicircle in the window of the blind. I've always known it was better to be lucky than good. Huge old bird with almost 1.5" dagger spurs.
 
Believe it or not, it really happened this way. I was sitting on an old logging road around noon one day a couple of years ago listening (napping) for that sound that gets all our hearts to thumping. A crow sounded off in the distant that was immediately followed by two distinct gobbles. I grabbed my gun and ran down the road to close the distance. As I rounded a bend in the road, the road came to T about 50 yards in front of me. I sat down, made a few soft clucks, and got an immediate response. Two gobblers soon showed themselves and knowing that they weren't going to come down that road I was on, I opted for about a 45 yard shot. Must of pulled off a little because the bird I shot flew straight up in the air and off down in a bottom. I hurried to where the bird flew into the bottom and saw him squatted in brush pile. He knew the hide-and-go-seek game was over so off he took through the woods. Shot once... missed, shot again...missed, out of ammo. I watched as the bird went down through the hollow and up the other side. Now this is where it gets interesting. I'm standing on one side of a ridge that makes a big horseshoe and watching this bird run up the other side. When he hits the top of the other side, he makes a hard right turn. This is when it hits me. If this bird continues to run this ridgeline, he's going to run right back into me. I start fumbling for shells and can't find one. I look back up and he's running straight at me and closing fast. What do I do? We'll my baseball instinct's take over and when he runs by me at 3 feet, I took my gun and swung it like a baseball bat and hit him in the head with the barrell. Dead turkey. I kid you not, it really happened. I dont think I could make something like that up. I guess things like that is part of what drives us to chase those fantastic creatures.
 
I killed an Osceola once with my bare hands, does that count? Being an Osceola and how hard they are to come by, I saw him strutting in a clearing with his hens. I shed my vest and belly crawled up a ditch beside the log road until I THOUGHT I was within range. I then sat up on my knees and took the shot. He flew up and I shot at him once flying, last shot I had in the gun and the rest were in my vest 60 yards behind me. With that 2nd shot, he dropped down in the palmettos and I ran in after him. I no sooner had got in the thick of it and here he came running straight at me! When he got 2 ft in front of me I tackled him like a linebacker and the fight was on! I finally got my hand around his neck and broke it. He had ONE pellet in his eye. I had blinded him on that one side but that was the only damage my shots had done!
 
Savage said:
It was inside of 20'. He crested on a railroad track right where I was verses where the hens crossed 30 yards away.

There was a train coming as well so I knew I had to make something happen. I nearly missed. He went down and never flopped. Not a good sign.

The train was about 400 yds away and he was laying between the tracks. I grabbed him but he drew his legs up and I only got one. Then he came back to life.

Here I am fighting a turkey that is spurring me like crazy, with a freight train literally bearing down on me…. I tossed my gun and got ahold of the other leg.

I got out of the way of the train, and when it came by, it made the gobbler that much more excited. I had him by the legs and it was like flying a June bug on a string. If I had let go, I firmly believe he would have flown off.

Anyway, I got off the crest of the tracks and gave him a good thumping against a poplar tree, and while he was addled, I got my foot on his head. It was one to remember!
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Playing "turkey" 🐓with the train😅
 
Huntaholic said:
I killed an Osceola once with my bare hands, does that count? Being an Osceola and how hard they are to come by, I saw him strutting in a clearing with his hens. I shed my vest and belly crawled up a ditch beside the log road until I THOUGHT I was within range. I then sat up on my knees and took the shot. He flew up and I shot at him once flying, last shot I had in the gun and the rest were in my vest 60 yards behind me. With that 2nd shot, he dropped down in the palmettos and I ran in after him. I no sooner had got in the thick of it and here he came running straight at me! When he got 2 ft in front of me I tackled him like a linebacker and the fight was on! I finally got my hand around his neck and broke it. He had ONE pellet in his eye. I had blinded him on that one side but that was the only damage my shots had done!
Click to expand...
Very similar experience to this. I was hunting a river bottom with a buddy of mine and we found 2 Tom's out strutting in the field just over a rise. We worked them for a while and they eventually came over the rise towards us. At this point they're only about 15 yards from us but we were set on trying to double up and it just wasn't working out the way we needed it to. When I could see my bird his birds head would be down and vice versa. After 4 or 5 "I'm on him" and "I can't see him's" I finally told my buddy to just go ahead and shoot when he got a chance and hopefully I would get a clean shot at mine (by this point my bird has already worked all the way across in front of us and had gotten behind a blow down) I could see him but I didn't have a clean shot. About this time
By buddy's gun goes off, BOOM!! Both turkeys take off away from us about 30 yards then I hear BOOM! This time he hits his and knocks him down. He immediately jumps up and takes off after him into the field. About halfway to him this turkey gets up and my buddy completely blows his next shot. Here I come laughing and I tell my buddy "yeah I guess daddy will finish off for you" and I pull up and shoot and completely miss this turkey about 15 yards. (Keep in mind he is still running in a circle) somewhat embarrassed that I'd just missed after giving my buddy a hard time I handed him my gun. We are both out of breath from making the short sprint into this field and from laughing. He pulls up and BOOM! Dirt kicks up everywhere right behind this turkey. At this point I'm almost in the dirt laughing and I tell my buddy you don't have but one more shot! He takes a deep breath and lines up his shot. BOOM! More dirt kicked up and the turkey is still running full speed in a circle anywhere from 10 to 20 yards in front of us. He proceeds to chasing this turkey around with my gun and this turkey turns and runs right at me and as he was coming by I reached out like a snapping turtle and grabbed him by the neck and proceeded to choke him out. After 6 shots (4 of which were basically at point blank range) we had managed to kill a turkey by strangulation. I told my buddy that the turkey was begging us to kill him and finally got tired of waiting and gave himself up. I think he was tired as we were lol
 
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