Wife talked me off the ledge, again..

[Bgoodman30]

Today was by far the best morning I've had in a long time...

I decided to try one of my spots that had been pretty quiet this season before I gave up on it.

Set up in valley in far corner could here a few roost gobbles but they broke loose after the fog lifted.

Had 2 off to right in a big field when a single hammers 100 yards to my left. I was downhill from him and the perfect silent morning it was one of the loudest most forceful gobbles I've heard in a long time.. He moves right behind me and sounds off at 75 yards. I hear him drumming and walking and then he moves back down to field and gobbles along the cattle fence line...

I can't tell you how many birds these d@mn fences have cost me... He continues around the perimeter and then up the ridge ahead around 400 yards now. I give him 45 and I move back to where he sounded off in the woods.

I am walking left and 2 hammer 100 yards, I scramble for a clear setup in thick woods and now again 75 yards they are coming right to me.. I freeze and sit down in place slowly no time for tree I think.. They gobble again I see them lit up like a Christmas tree in the road and the back bird putts... I'm still. How does he see me? It must be the red dot mirror?

The lead bird doesn't care he is coming and hard almost jogging.. I get him clear shot 30 yards still moving but he is now alarmed and head starts bobbing and he's moving and I let it fly before he's gone...

He flys off. Nothing. Again. 6 misses in a row.

I went straight to the paper and I think I have a winning combo Mag blends again....

This is tough but I can't quit... Need advice.

 

[catman529]

You rushed a shot while he was head bobbing...done it too many times myself. That's a tight pattern, even easier to miss


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[X-Tennessean]

Paper at 30 yards?

Your POI is low if your POA is the black square and as Catman mentioned that is a tight pattern!

Open it up a bit and see what that does for you as well as shooting it at 40 yards to see how it performs. Inside of 30 with that pattern you would have to be dead on and will blow his head off!!
No wiggle room AKA "bobbing heads"

 

[Bgoodman30]

You rushed a shot while he was head bobbing...done it too many times myself. That's a tight pattern, even easier to miss


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It was the only shot. 1 second more and gone.. Clear and totally doable...

Yeah I probably rushed it, but with this steak I get this sense of panic... I feel like I had the dot on him..

That wasn't my pattern I was shooting Longbeard XR #6. This was what I got later with magblend which was dead on the dot, TSS shot high. I.C. 665

I got a more open pattern with the #5 pheasant load I use to dial in the dot, maybe I should use that...


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[Bgoodman30]

Paper at 30 yards?

Your POI is low if your POA is the black square and as Catman mentioned that is a tight pattern!

Open it up a bit and see what that does for you as well as shooting it at 40 yards to see how it performs. Inside of 30 with that pattern you would have to be dead on and will blow his head off!!
No wiggle room AKA "bobbing heads"

I shot paper at 30 because I wanted to see what it looked like at 30 because that's what I missed. I would have tried 40 but I'm down to 3 turkey loads and school was about to let out...


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[Bgoodman30]

To clarify this isn't the pattern or shell I shot this morning but what looked best between TSS #9 and Longbeard XR #6.

Magblends IC 665 pictured.


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[Bgoodman30]

Paper at 30 yards?

Your POI is low if your POA is the black square and as Catman mentioned that is a tight pattern!

Open it up a bit and see what that does for you as well as shooting it at 40 yards to see how it performs. Inside of 30 with that pattern you would have to be dead on and will blow his head off!!
No wiggle room AKA "bobbing heads"

True,honestly the Double X pheasant loads were pretty good and a lot more open..

Pretty dang sure they will kill a turkey..

It's going to take more shells and time to get it perfect.


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[muddyboots]

I would move it up and to the right. Don't take this wrong but I wouldn't hunt with it like that.

 

[scn]

Not trying to be harsh, but it seems to me that it is your choice of shots rather than the gun or loads. We've heard of a 55 yd shot missed, another one at a running turkey, and now with an alarmed turkey bobbing his head. Just because a killing shot is POSSIBLE, doesn't mean that you need to pull the trigger. It is OK to let one leave the scene rather than taking a risky shot. If you let it walk, chances are that it will be in the vicinity to hunt again. It beats missing or wounding the bird.

If I were in your shoes with a string of misses like that, I'd wait for a sure thing. Call you a bird in and shoot him with his head up and standing there. If he doesn't give you the shot, let him walk. There is nothing wrong with not pulling the trigger. Six misses in a row may show some judgement issues.

 

[Bgoodman30]

I would move it up and to the right. Don't take this wrong but I wouldn't hunt with it like that.

I agree but still about 1.5" from dead on black square. I do wish is was not as tight.


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[Bgoodman30]

Not trying to be harsh, but it seems to me that it is your choice of shots rather than the gun or loads. We've heard of a 55 yd shot missed, another one at a running turkey, and now with an alarmed turkey bobbing his head. Just because a killing shot is POSSIBLE, doesn't mean that you need to pull the trigger. It is OK to let one leave the scene rather than taking a risky shot. If you let it walk, chances are that it will be in the vicinity to hunt again. It beats missing or wounding the bird.

If I were in your shoes with a string of misses like that, I'd wait for a sure thing. Call you a bird in and shoot him with his head up and standing there. If he doesn't give you the shot, let him walk. There is nothing wrong with not pulling the trigger. Six misses in a row may show some judgement issues.

Not harsh. That's good advice I'm thinking of shooting my old 870 with a modified even though I haven't patterned ever.. I'm a ethical hunter I wait for the best shot and take it if I know it's within my guns capabilities and they all have been. Pretty sure 9/10 on here would have taken them... One was a gimme like you said I let him do his thing to 25 yards... Another in field open 30 yards hit a branch from a tree that had to be 10 yards to left that I couldn't see. My luck is just terrible...

I'll admit passing on birds is increasingly hard when I haven't punched a tag since 2016... limit in 15. I'm desperate to get this monkey off my back so I can go back to enjoying hunting again...




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[muddyboots]

Here mine. Try to get us oerfectky centered. Aim at the wattles and let it eat. It may seem over the top but treat it like a rifle and the misses will stop.

 

[Bgoodman30]

Here mine. Try to get us oerfectky centered. Aim at the wattles and let it eat. It may seem over the top but treat it like a rifle and the misses will stop.

Yeah looks good. I know it's all mental. I went from stacking them up without ever recording a miss to terrible overnight...

Funny thing is I never missed with my first two guns and I never patterned them...


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[catman529]

Having a dry spell will make it easier to rush a shot and miss, and since you only had 1 more second to shoot and he was head bobbing, definitely a shot I wouldn't take. I just passed on a bird doing the same thing yesterday. I had a 2 second window before he went over the rise, but his head was moving and I knew he'd fly if I tried to shoot him that way.


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[Bgoodman30]

Having a dry spell will make it easier to rush a shot and miss, and since you only had 1 more second to shoot and he was head bobbing, definitely a shot I wouldn't take. I just passed on a bird doing the same thing yesterday. I had a 2 second window before he went over the rise, but his head was moving and I knew he'd fly if I tried to shoot him that way.


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I tell you it's a wild swing of emotions.. I'm thinking this is it! Finally redemption. Then something happens, No not again! panic!!

I've never had this problem because I've never had a lull.. I just think once I get that one bird down, all will be alright in the world and I go back to normal hunting again...


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[bloodtrailing]

Too focused on the grip and grin facebook post vs shot selection.


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[Bgoodman30]

Too focused on the grip and grin facebook post vs shot selection.


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That's the last thing on my mind and I don't post much on Facebook. Nice try though [emoji1360]


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[Gravey]

Turkey fever?

Tend to agree with muddyboots and scn. Hang in there and good luck!

 

[Bgoodman30]

Turkey fever?

Tend to agree with muddyboots and scn. Hang in there and good luck!

Lol, Ya think? The struggle is real.

Doesn't matter how many I kill it never changes..

Thanks for the luck I'm gonna need it!

I'm going back after them in the morning even though my butt should be in church...


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