Final steps TC
Well-Known Member
I was thinking today about some of my best mistakes I have ever made turkey hunting and wanted to hear some of your guys !!
Mistakes!!
- Thread starter Final steps TC
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deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
to many to list. but i know in my earlier years i over called like crazy. when i finally had a good grasp on when and when not to call and when to just sit quite my success rate sky rocketed. but i make all kinds of mistakes i guess you can call them. things i think should happen but usually don't and things like that. that's why i love it so much every year every hunt i learn something new.
Biggest mistake was going for the first time haha. Now it's like a drug I can't quit
Lifelong addiction for sure. My biggest mistake is being too aggressive trying to make something happen. I guess that happened because I hunt public land so much. I figure my aggressiveness is going to make a turkey hunt work so much faster lol.REN said:
REN said:
X2. I'd rather be fishing a lot of days, but like Tom Kelley, I have no choice.
Setterman
Well-Known Member
I've literally made a million, literally.
I will pick one from last year though because it still haunts me, even though I killed a different bird about 2 hours after several rookie mistakes, including letting my purist side get the best of me.
Walked into a place I hadn't hunted all season, got settled into my listening spot well before the sun even thought about coming up. Shortly after the first cardinal sang, a bird gobbled from a usual place about 200 yards out on the same elevation as me on the mountain. I've battled birds in this spot for years for the record. Knowing exactly where he was I instantly was on the move, slowly easing through the woods, as its so dark seeing limbs and stuff is nearly impossible. As I am getting closer another gobble from what I believe is a closer bird fires off. I pause for a few minutes to make sure, nothing....then the original bird hammers again. Here's where the mistakes begin.
I know deep down in my gut there is a bird in between me and my original target. He's maybe 75 yards down the mountain and other bird is about 150 yards in front of me. However, bird #2 has only gobbled once, and in this steep terrain sound plays games. So I decide screw it I'm going for the original bird, he is lighting it up big time now. I move about 50 yards and my gut instincts come true, Bird #2 hammers below me about 75 yards, sparking bird #1 to rip it again. I'm now 100ish yards from bird #1 and even with him, and 75 yards-ish from bird #2 but above it. I'm on an old logging cut that is ripped with scratching, so I decide the best bet is to just sit down now.
I find a decent tree and set up. I'm getting my calls out and getting settled in to kill one of these birds and as I pull out my friction call I swear I hear something touch down in the leaves below but in front of me. Again, gut instincts screaming at me to pay attention to them, and again I shrug them off.
Bird #2 hasn't made a sound in a while but bird #1 has lost his mind. I immediately hear hens below and in front, so as I usually do, I get set to do one soft set of tree yelps myself. As I am touching striker to slate, I catch movement at 15 yards. It's hazy light but immediately I see turkeys and beards swinging coming right at me. I drop my striker and call, and as I'm looking down the sights at the first of three longbeards in easy killing rang (15 yards) I decide this isn't right, I haven't made a single call yet. This is a text book ambush.....idiot inside my head at it again. Nevermind the fact these birds had heard me in the leaves more than likely and were coming to find the silent hen. Anyway, I literally let 3 longbeards walk by and at times they were 5 yards away. They drift off and start blowing up the woods once they get 100 yards of so away. Bird #1 is still going bonkers as well.
With the others gone, I can now focus on redeeming myself by punishing bird #1. I make my tree yelp to bird #1, he answers and pitches down just under the lip of the mountain, probably 60 yards away. The drumming is deafening and the gobbles are like thunder. Immediately I hear a bunch of other birds flying down to him (hens), knowing this could be over I go ahead and call, he answers and they answer. Now I can hear an army of turkeys coming up the hill. At this point it's not if, it's when and where he's going to die. Forever goes by, literally 20 minutes of me silent and him gobbling so close I can smell his breath, yet I cannot see him or any of the other birds. In a rash decision of idiocy and impatience, a trait which I generally don't possess while turkey hunting, I decide one more light call is needed.
So striker touches aluminum, traded out the slate for the death machine, and I hear a putt. Standing 10 yards from me are about 8 hens that the best I can tell had been there the whole dang time, but as turkeys can do managed to stay completely hidden in wide open woods until you make a mistake. When the putt rings off he hammers and I can now see the top of his head in easy killing range, but completely blocked by a downed tree.
Oblviously there is seconds to make a decision at this point as I have a nest of hens who have busted me and are nervously jerking around before leaving, and a gobbler who I just need to raise his head and he's dead. I should have cutt hard on my mouth call, or at least that's what I told myself aftewards, to get him to raise his head and die, but I decide to just stay very still and hope the hens would settle down. Well, they didn't and went down the mountain dragging him with them. Hunt over.
The birds I let walk had dropped 500 yards down the mountain, and this whole hunt in this area was toast. I made many massive mistakes in the midst of doing a lot of stuff perfectly. Even after decades of killing these crazy birds, it is fun to look back on the mistakes made each year and realize they are the same rookie things that I have done every year since I started. I just do less of them now then I did back then, which results in lots of dead turkeys.
For the record I did go over the mountain and found a lonely 3 year old bird free gobbling, that I did everything pretty much to perfection and crushed his face. So I made up for my mistake, but still laugh about the first part of that hunt and my stupidty.
I will pick one from last year though because it still haunts me, even though I killed a different bird about 2 hours after several rookie mistakes, including letting my purist side get the best of me.
Walked into a place I hadn't hunted all season, got settled into my listening spot well before the sun even thought about coming up. Shortly after the first cardinal sang, a bird gobbled from a usual place about 200 yards out on the same elevation as me on the mountain. I've battled birds in this spot for years for the record. Knowing exactly where he was I instantly was on the move, slowly easing through the woods, as its so dark seeing limbs and stuff is nearly impossible. As I am getting closer another gobble from what I believe is a closer bird fires off. I pause for a few minutes to make sure, nothing....then the original bird hammers again. Here's where the mistakes begin.
I know deep down in my gut there is a bird in between me and my original target. He's maybe 75 yards down the mountain and other bird is about 150 yards in front of me. However, bird #2 has only gobbled once, and in this steep terrain sound plays games. So I decide screw it I'm going for the original bird, he is lighting it up big time now. I move about 50 yards and my gut instincts come true, Bird #2 hammers below me about 75 yards, sparking bird #1 to rip it again. I'm now 100ish yards from bird #1 and even with him, and 75 yards-ish from bird #2 but above it. I'm on an old logging cut that is ripped with scratching, so I decide the best bet is to just sit down now.
I find a decent tree and set up. I'm getting my calls out and getting settled in to kill one of these birds and as I pull out my friction call I swear I hear something touch down in the leaves below but in front of me. Again, gut instincts screaming at me to pay attention to them, and again I shrug them off.
Bird #2 hasn't made a sound in a while but bird #1 has lost his mind. I immediately hear hens below and in front, so as I usually do, I get set to do one soft set of tree yelps myself. As I am touching striker to slate, I catch movement at 15 yards. It's hazy light but immediately I see turkeys and beards swinging coming right at me. I drop my striker and call, and as I'm looking down the sights at the first of three longbeards in easy killing rang (15 yards) I decide this isn't right, I haven't made a single call yet. This is a text book ambush.....idiot inside my head at it again. Nevermind the fact these birds had heard me in the leaves more than likely and were coming to find the silent hen. Anyway, I literally let 3 longbeards walk by and at times they were 5 yards away. They drift off and start blowing up the woods once they get 100 yards of so away. Bird #1 is still going bonkers as well.
With the others gone, I can now focus on redeeming myself by punishing bird #1. I make my tree yelp to bird #1, he answers and pitches down just under the lip of the mountain, probably 60 yards away. The drumming is deafening and the gobbles are like thunder. Immediately I hear a bunch of other birds flying down to him (hens), knowing this could be over I go ahead and call, he answers and they answer. Now I can hear an army of turkeys coming up the hill. At this point it's not if, it's when and where he's going to die. Forever goes by, literally 20 minutes of me silent and him gobbling so close I can smell his breath, yet I cannot see him or any of the other birds. In a rash decision of idiocy and impatience, a trait which I generally don't possess while turkey hunting, I decide one more light call is needed.
So striker touches aluminum, traded out the slate for the death machine, and I hear a putt. Standing 10 yards from me are about 8 hens that the best I can tell had been there the whole dang time, but as turkeys can do managed to stay completely hidden in wide open woods until you make a mistake. When the putt rings off he hammers and I can now see the top of his head in easy killing range, but completely blocked by a downed tree.
Oblviously there is seconds to make a decision at this point as I have a nest of hens who have busted me and are nervously jerking around before leaving, and a gobbler who I just need to raise his head and he's dead. I should have cutt hard on my mouth call, or at least that's what I told myself aftewards, to get him to raise his head and die, but I decide to just stay very still and hope the hens would settle down. Well, they didn't and went down the mountain dragging him with them. Hunt over.
The birds I let walk had dropped 500 yards down the mountain, and this whole hunt in this area was toast. I made many massive mistakes in the midst of doing a lot of stuff perfectly. Even after decades of killing these crazy birds, it is fun to look back on the mistakes made each year and realize they are the same rookie things that I have done every year since I started. I just do less of them now then I did back then, which results in lots of dead turkeys.
For the record I did go over the mountain and found a lonely 3 year old bird free gobbling, that I did everything pretty much to perfection and crushed his face. So I made up for my mistake, but still laugh about the first part of that hunt and my stupidty.
bvoss
Well-Known Member
Awesome story Setterman!
I've been chasing these crazy birds for 15 years now. EVERY year I make dumb,rookie mistakes, but I too have learned to look back on and laugh. Last year after an unsuccessful morning hunt on one farm, I heard a bird crank up across the road as I was loading up to leave. I had permission to hunt that place too, so I grabbed my gun and a mouth call and headed that way. He was on the far side of the hill and gobbling his head off. As I was easing my way in the woods he was gobbling at any and every sound. The plan was to get to the top of the hill and call him up to the crest. Right when I got to the top of the hill he hammered just over the other side. I had a decent tree right beside me and almost sat down, but there was another tree about ten yards ahead that would be "perfect"
. I was one step away from the "perfect" tree when I heard him putt and saw him sail off the hill top. I had planned to not make a call until I got set up, but that old joker was liking what he was hearing as I walked in the leaves and he made his way towards me and busted me. He would have died that day had I just sat up at the first tree. But that's just how I roll. I like to push the limit and get as close as possible before I make a call.
Good news is, I killed him the next morning by doing exactly what caused me to blow it the previous morning. THAT'S why I love turkey hunting!
I've been chasing these crazy birds for 15 years now. EVERY year I make dumb,rookie mistakes, but I too have learned to look back on and laugh. Last year after an unsuccessful morning hunt on one farm, I heard a bird crank up across the road as I was loading up to leave. I had permission to hunt that place too, so I grabbed my gun and a mouth call and headed that way. He was on the far side of the hill and gobbling his head off. As I was easing my way in the woods he was gobbling at any and every sound. The plan was to get to the top of the hill and call him up to the crest. Right when I got to the top of the hill he hammered just over the other side. I had a decent tree right beside me and almost sat down, but there was another tree about ten yards ahead that would be "perfect"
. I was one step away from the "perfect" tree when I heard him putt and saw him sail off the hill top. I had planned to not make a call until I got set up, but that old joker was liking what he was hearing as I walked in the leaves and he made his way towards me and busted me. He would have died that day had I just sat up at the first tree. But that's just how I roll. I like to push the limit and get as close as possible before I make a call. Good news is, I killed him the next morning by doing exactly what caused me to blow it the previous morning. THAT'S why I love turkey hunting!
catman529
Well-Known Member
Oh I screwed up bad on a bird in my first year solo hunting. I had killed my first turkey ever (jake) and one morning mid season I was in the same field as my first bird, at dawn. I heard a gobble very close to me and a few mins later I thought I heard wingbeats. Then a gobble right out in the field. Some bushes obscured my view of him but he wasn't much out of range. So instead of making a soft call and waiting, I started crawling to get a better view, and was a bit too hasty and then saw the bird with his head up, as he spooked and ran off. I had accidentally set up within 30-40 yards of his roost tree. He was a lone longbeard, probably a suicidal 2 year old that should have been stone dead.
Many more mistakes to come, but movement and calling and not getting your eye lined up on the bead properly are the main mistakes.
Many more mistakes to come, but movement and calling and not getting your eye lined up on the bead properly are the main mistakes.
catman529 said:
catman529 said:
That bead mistake doesn't have to be a mistake.
catman529
Well-Known Member
ha ha I know.... I like the bead, it has never failed me, but I have failed it.Spurhunter said:catman529 said:
catman529 said:
That bead mistake doesn't have to be a mistake.
Lawrence
Well-Known Member
Too many to just point out one
IMO it's any time you set up on one and don't kill him
IMO it's any time you set up on one and don't kill him
wgmac
Well-Known Member
Last year was my first year hunting turkey but we had a mistake we are still laughing about. Set up in an area I had scouted and seen 4 toms in. Started calling and they were firing right back. They were quite a ways away. So we stayed and called while they slowly started moving our way. After a little over an hour they were almost right on us. MISTAKE! The whole time we were listening to them we were so excited we forgot to turn around and face the direction they were coming from. My buddy at least go to see them. He said every time I hit the call they would start jumping all over each other and gobbled their heads off. I felt like a total idiot.
callemquacktn
Well-Known Member
Same for me. Sometimes I'm too aggressive. When I first started I always seem to get up and move too soon. Can't remember how many birds I bumped when standing up too soon.timberjack86 said:
TNhunter
Well-Known Member
Misjudging distance in the woods and not slinging lead at birds that I thought were too far out when in reality they were MUCH closer and well within killing range. Missing at < 15 yards using these super tight shooting magnum blends - it's like killing a bird with a 22 at that distance. Shooting at a bird you're so focused on that you don't see the lone tree branch hanging down that blocks just enough shot to keep the bird from dying. Lack of patience and over calling are two mistakes that are sooooo easy to make. One mistake I NEVER make is leaving a gobbling bird to end a hunt. Doesn't matter what is planned that I "need" to get to but I NEVER leave a gobbling bird on the ground.
I have made the mistake of "not leaving a gobbling bird" on many occasions......
Sometimes you're better off to move on. I learned this from the Knight & Hale boys years ago..A gobbling bird that won't come or has a bunch of hens can be a waste of time, but if its the only game in town it's hard to leave..
Sometimes you're better off to move on. I learned this from the Knight & Hale boys years ago..A gobbling bird that won't come or has a bunch of hens can be a waste of time, but if its the only game in town it's hard to leave..
First time I hunted and actually had bird respond to call,this thing was hot! Was pretty far off first gobble I heard so I took off in direction of bird,covered alot of ground but bird kept gobbling so I kept moving in that direction,finally got close and really had no good place to set up with cover so I sat down in a clump of saplings,called after setting up and it sounded like the bird was very close so I sat there for a few mins and finally see movement coming off side of ridge in front of me. I made soft cluck and what I thought was a bird turned out to be three birds,all keep coming closer and not being a very good judge of distances I thought they were about 50 yds so I thought call one more time,well learned that day do not call when you can see a bird unless their headed the opposite way,those birds looked right at me and then beat a quick retreat in opposite direction. Didn't get a shot but learned alot that day.
