Crying shame

YEKRUT":x8j3fn13 said:
Until you have missed 4 birds before lunch on the same day you don't have a problem. #5 that day wasn't so lucky. Best way to get over it is to go kill one. It won't be the last time you miss one.
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I thought my 5 in a week was a low point, dam I'm not sure I could have drug myself off the mat to try again. I'm laughing but I promise it's not at you in any way, it's at the idea of what my attitude would have been like if that happened to me, which is entirely possible.
 
Man I must be lucky. Only ones I have ever missed is because I mis judged yardage and it was farther than I thought. I'll 2 nd a good quality red dot. Saying u can't afford it is like saying u can't afford to hunt. Just save til u have enough. Might b next but sometime when I shoot a turkey with my eotech I think man that's too easy. The one my 6 yr old killed on juvi I asked her was the shot difficult she said no daddy put the red dot on the head and pull the trigger. Lol. She's right. Also u can not believe me but I would switch to some sort of hevi shot. Dead is dead I agree but hevi shot will shine on marginal hits. Like I said just my opinion but sure don't miss many.
 
You are going to have to find a way to concentrate on the shot better and more importantly the follow through. I had a buddy that got into a habit of looking to see if hit the ducks when he pulled the trigger and it ended up always making him shoot high and right. It's like golf you have to follow through with the shot which most people seem to forget.

I'm not going to sugar coat it, you have a very high miss rate so you really need to figure out a way to get your bad habits out and learn the correct way to shoot and then form good habits. A lot of ths comes with practice practice practice but a lot also comes with you mentally being able to focus on that prior to the shot.

Having said all that, everyone misses! I missed the same bird 2x in a 3 day period and it was all from rushing the shot and failing to use proper shooting habits in all the rush.

It will get better as long as you want it to, but your going to have to spend the time to lose the poor habits and learn good ones. Don't get down though man , it's just part of hunting


Joshua 24:15
"But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."


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Something that helped me and doesn't cost a dime was REALLY considering aim point. "Shoot him in the head" is not nearly as precise as aim for where his wattles meet the feathers. It's soooooo easy to shoot over a bird (at least that what I've heard :) ). Put that bead on his NECK...not his head.
 
Buddy I hate you had a tuff day. Don't get down on yourself. Look how many guys are behind you here and confident that you will pull it off on the next Tom.
As others have said a red dot is the cats meow. Once he commits turn it on those batteries last for ever. I screwed up letting people look at mine last week left it on 2 days. It's as bright as ever and works great for turkey hunting. Dot on his head circle is 24" at 30 yards. It boosts my confidence in my ability to kill one because I missed nearly 10 before I ever switched.


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Setterman":32mkingd said:
YEKRUT":32mkingd said:
Until you have missed 4 birds before lunch on the same day you don't have a problem. #5 that day wasn't so lucky. Best way to get over it is to go kill one. It won't be the last time you miss one.
Click to expand...

I thought my 5 in a week was a low point, dam I'm not sure I could have drug myself off the mat to try again. I'm laughing but I promise it's not at you in any way, it's at the idea of what my attitude would have been like if that happened to me, which is entirely possible.
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It's perfectly acceptable to laugh at this now, it was the worst day ever at the time though. Even after killing one that day I was so mad I couldn't see straight. It was last year and turned out to be my best year ever, but those will always be with me..... Hadn't missed in about 50 shots and then all in one day all hell broke loose before lunch. Every time I would go to leave I would hear another and turn my sad self around and go ask for more punishment. Shot an invisible 2" sapling 3 foot from me, had one at 5 steps and just slap missed him trying to blow his head off left handed, had one duck under a limb just as I squeezed one off, and one at 40 yards in open woods that I guess I just never lined up. Somehow I scared the fifth one to death or something that day. I think I shot at every gobbler I had on that farm that day. I'm glad as hell whatever bad ju ju was going on is gone now. :) it's going to happen if you shoot at enough birds. The best thing folks can do is make sure that all of the equipment is in tip top shape and if there is an error it is on the trigger puller.
 
I'll add this. I am fanatical about my equipment. If it doesn't perforn flawlessly I really won't have it. I have a buddy who bought a new auto 5 and wanted to go shoot it. He shot a foot to left 3 times. He said here u shoot it. Guess what a foot to the left. I told him get some sights. He went and got a lead slead and yugo it strapped down and it did good. I still woukdnt have it. Anyway he used it and missed one yesterday. I guess what I'm saying is shoot your equipment until you know it is perfect and take all mechanical error out of the equation.
 
Don't beat yourself up so bad. I don't know you personally, but from what I do know of you through this forum, you are a dang good hunter and have certainly had your share of success. Everybody is going to miss, that's just part of the deal. If you have no confidence whatsoever, I would get out and shoot and shoot and shoot some more. My son went through this a few years ago in Kansas. He missed 4 birds in two days. Finally hit one, but hit it low and I had to belly crawl out in a field and finish it off for him. He beat himself up like you are, but when we got home, I made him shoot that gun until he was tired of shooting it. He hasn't missed one since.

Keep your head up and just know that the frustration you are feeling has been felt by the majority of hunters at one time or another. You'll work yourself out of it, I promise.
 
It's very possible I am anticipating the shot and flinching or pulling the shot. If I had stacks of boxes of shells and a good field to shoot in down the road, I'd shoot several times a week. But then I don't shoot poorly at paper, I don't know.... Red for might be worth saving for down the road but I can't blame not having a red dot for poor shooting.

Yekrut you must know the feeling better than anyone. Can't imagine missing 4x one morning. The thing is I could have called and killed that other one that gobbled 3 times in a row, but they all started flying up to roost, I missed the bird again, saw the other one fly off too, and then a few mins later, shooting light ended. Has to be the worst ending to a long day. I guess the exercise and a few morels were good. I'm going to delete every single video I took today. Can't even watch it, I had good footage of the jakes I called in earlier, and the hens coming in close before I missed the gobbler. I have 3 tags left maybe i can skip the video for the next bird and try to get back on track. I just hate to think that I might miss again or miss 3 times next year. Won't trust myself anymore.


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Cat, as everyone else has said...it happens. One thing you mentioned though. Maybe just leave the video camera at home for awhile. Maybe you got to much going on trying to make sure your getting both shots at once. Just you, your calls and your gun. Breath deep relax and concentrate on making the shot that really counts. After you've got a few, then break the video camera back out. Just make it as simple as you can for awhile. Hold your head up and carry on, you'll be alright.
 
Follow through is everything. No different than golf, trap, or basketball. I feel like you are missing by raising your head off the gun to see the kill shot? By your post. I've missed only one bird and it was a follow up shot from a friend shooting. I knew it was far but was sure he had a few pellets hit home. None the less no bird and Im sure it was a wounded bird. Never did find it. That was a first after many birds but Im sure it want be the last! All you can do is pattern your gun and be confident at a max range and follow through!

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I wouldn't get too torn up over it. Bring it out to the farm and we will see how it patterns. Too many people point and shoot with a shotgun thinking it is a sure thing. Turkey shells and chokes are designed for a reason. I have missed them at 20 yards for that reason. Just like any other animal, if they are on high alert, they duck and dodge.
 
The one thing I wish I had money 2 spend on in the off season was ammo. I feel I'm a poor shot with a shotgun and rifle and only way 2 fix that is practice. I guess like law infrocment with practice comes muscle memory
 
letsgohunting":25v2dgga said:
The one thing I wish I had money 2 spend on in the off season was ammo. I feel I'm a poor shot with a shotgun and rifle and only way 2 fix that is practice. I guess like law infrocment with practice comes muscle memory
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might be my problem. Still isn't the same shooting a bird you called in as shooting paper. Won't hurt to burn a few rounds though.

Thank you all for the advice and sorry to bother everyone with my moaning. I needed to vent, still won't get over it anytime soon. I still cringe when I think about the birds I missed 2 and 3 years ago.


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Dang, that is terrible. But, like everyone else says it happens. Two of the best hunts I have ever been on resulted in me missing the bird. Learn from it and move on. We all get excited and the blood gets boiling when he is strutting, spitting and drumming and it feels like it takes an hour for him to close that final 20 yards. One thing that I do is once I know he is committed and he is doing his slow walk is I will tend to take my eyes off of him, either close them or look straight ahead or something. Seems like it speeds it up then, when it comes time to mangle his head. Take a deep breath, hold it in, left half of it out and send him home to Jesus.

Good luck buddy, keep your head up. Quickest way to get over a miss is to kill one so get in the woods!
 
I know its easier said than done but keep trudging on.. you gotta just push through the hard times, it will get better. Happens to all of us.
 
Catman, I hate it for you.... I have "missed" one or two in my short time turkey hunting as well.... In my opinion, you need to take time away from the video camera and concentrate on your actual hunting. No worrying about the perfect setup for good video.... just hunt, set up to kill only that bird. I tell myself EVERY time, and as well as reminding my Mrs., to keep your cheek on the stock and be aiming down the barrel rib no matter what. I know you like to video, I like watching them as I know everyone else does too.... but there are plenty of other things to focus on when chasing a gobbler, adding a solo video just compounds the whole situation. Keep your head up young man, things will turn around.
 
I've missed a bunch, and it will happen again. Same with you.

I think you just need to concentrate. The ones I miss are either too far, to thick, or I rushed.
But also, I've caught myself in the act of looking up to see if I killed him simultaneously as pulling the trigger. I've shot guns for a long time, but it still happens sometimes.

Get a red dot and some heavy shot. Sight of in, you will have all the confidence in the world.

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