I went to missouri for the week to turky hunt. Spotted a huge gobbler,jake,2 hens in a crop field over the small swollen creek and up a 20 ft bluff. I waited by creek until dark and watched the huge black gobbler crash threw branches and roost halfway up a large tree. I snuck back in before daylight with bro in law. I figured tow 3.5 12s fired at once could knock out gobbler at 60-70 yds. We reAch creek edge and gobbler still 70-90 yds away just out of reach. What to do?? I knew fly down was going over fence to crop field. I am committed now. I find sloping bank into swollen creek,take off coat and vest. I slip into the dark swirling water with a submerged tree at my back to save from sweeping away. The cold water is shocking sucking my breath away. I move to far bank 15yds. Bank is tall and newly collapsed. My boots get stuck and I can't get onto tree trunk. I have to back out and move 20yds downstream. One hole was neck deep. Argh! I find another barkless mossy husk that I might climb to stand on far bank. I struggle with cold and slowly balance onto log and onto bank. I am breathing hard. I look up and gobbler head against the sky looks like a snake doing figure 8. I point 3.5 12 ga 870 hevi shot magnum blend as fast I can. BOOM gobbler falls out of tree at 35yds and no flopping dead as a tater sack. I am excited till I remember now it is back into creek with gun and now 25 lb turky. I slid back in almost falling forward under water and waded back across. Got home 15 min later tired and cold but happy.
Swam the creek to bust the roost !!
- Thread starter Deek1965
- Start date
Awesome! A lot of ppl against shooting one roosting but hey if it's legal I say good job.
catman529
Well-Known Member
Congrats, you did more than I would swimming across a cold swollen creek. But it paid off. 25 lbs is a big bird too. I walked across a small shallow creek last year and shot one out of the tree at only 10 yards from the tree. Walked up on him by accident and wouldn't risk getting busted before I got the shot!
Great Job!
If you can get close enough to one on the roost without it seeing you and flying off you deserve to kill it. Thats just like sneaking up on a bedded deer and getting a shot at it.
If you can get close enough to one on the roost without it seeing you and flying off you deserve to kill it. Thats just like sneaking up on a bedded deer and getting a shot at it.
easy45
Well-Known Member
Congrats , I'd done the same thing
A
Anonymous
Guest
Congrats
WMAn
Well-Known Member
rem270 said:
The only thing easier than killing one in a tree is shooting one at a distance with a scoped rifle. Considering the marksmanship needed for the latter, even it is probably harder than lifting one off a limb.
catman529
Well-Known Member
not if the sky is lightened or you are swimming across a creek. Not anyone could kill one off the limb the way he did. Aint the same as walking in the darkness on wet quiet ground and shooting him when it's light enough.WMAn said:
Outdoor life
Well-Known Member
A bird is a bird, and at 25 pounds, a nice bird at that! Congrats! You worked for it!
Grizzly Johnson
Well-Known Member
All I will say is I'm glad we aren't reading news about a hunter drowning after being swept away in a raging creek..... or that rescue squads are out looking for a body.
I'm glad you got your bird, but sometimes it might be worth the risk, sometimes not.
I'm glad you got your bird, but sometimes it might be worth the risk, sometimes not.
WMAn said:
How many times have you got close enough to a roosted bird without it flying off? It dont happen often no matter how "good" a hunter thinks they are.
WMAn
Well-Known Member
rem270 said:
The better question is, How close do you have to get to flush a roosted turkey? The answer, usually directly below him.
I'm an average turkey hunter at best, but sneaking up on a roosted bird is easy. Think about it.
Why do many turkey hunters object to it? Because the ease of doing it diminishes the sport of the hunt.
Second, why is that turkey in the tree to begin with? He flys into the tree to avoid danger. It is his first way of escaping. Flying off the roost is his last option.
If you think it's hard, try it. Get there early, wait for the first gobble, and close the distance. Every time he gobbles move closer. It's that simple. The only risk is bumping hens or silent birds roosted with him. Even if they flush it doesn't mean he will.
It's not illegal. It's each hunters choice whether to do it or not. But don't do it and claim you've accomplished a great feat. If you're goal as a turkey hunter is to limit out as quickly as possible, shooting them off a limb should be your number one strategy.
catman529
Well-Known Member
Realistically, you won't be directly under a roosted gobbler before he flushes, especially if there is some light in the sky. How many times have you actually been in shotgun range of a roosted tom? I have only once, and I shot him. Ive snuck and called in a lot more turkeys than i have been in range of on the roost. I've been in range of maybe a few hens but they flew quickly. Shooting one off the roost definitely isn't sporting, which is why I had no desire to do it this year (or in the foreseeable future) but sometimes it's ok to just kill your turkey legally whether its sporting or not. Wading a swollen creek sounds like a pretty intense hunt though and I might shoot another one out of the tree if I was in such a situation.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Deek you need tough skin around here sometimes. There are a few on here that like to stir the pot on every topic and some that want everyone to hunt only by their standards. As long as your legal hunt and fish how you wish! Sounds like you enjoyed your hunt.
ImThere
Well-Known Member
Comgrats on your bird!
catman529 said:
I have been under roosted birds several times, but not toms. Usually I can only get to 30-40 yards on them. I have never had an issue getting within in range. that being said I killed my first this morning. I roosted him last night. My strategy was to limb shoot him, to give me the highest possible odds of getting him. Once i got there, I realized I couldn't sneak to where I had an open shot without bumping him, so I set up where I had planned to last night. I left it in Gods hands and it worked out.
Now if I could have got close I'd have limb shot him. I'm not going to mount him, all i want is the meat. Sure I feel like I cheat them a little, but some people go to the grocery store and buy meat and some of us go get it ourselves, so I can't say that hunter's cheat the animal that much considering farm raised animals don't have a chance. That bird CAN fly. If he's dumb enough to sit there, then he's going home with me.
Congrats dude.
catman529
Well-Known Member
ain't that right.... And usually he is dumber coming to a call than he is sitting on the limb with you trying to sneak under.Bone Collector said:
Southern Sportsman
Well-Known Member
I like to wait until i get one using the corn pile regularly, then i slip in in the dark and add a little rat poison. Then i just pick him up under the roost tree the next morning.
bowhunterfanatic
Well-Known Member
Congrats man! Some people around here seem to forget that after you kill it you eat it, and that could be your main motivation for hunting to begin with!
