A story with a question.

[bhunterED]

On Friday I took a buddy to one of my spots. We went in blind but having hunted there the past 5 yrs I had a good idea of the turkeys roosting areas. We climb to the top of the ridge and I set him right at the crest with a single hen 20 yds in front of him and I sit 25 yds to his right. As the woods began to lighten up a single gobble erupts from the trees 50 yds in front of us. A minute later he gobbles again and now I can see him on his branch so I give 2 soft clucks and he double gobbles. When he does this 3 birds on the other side of the road start gobbling and I can see him pacing on his branch so I gave a cackle and flapped my Primos real wing a few times and he double gobbles again. I did one purr and he drops straight down and starts strutting our way. At 5:55 when my buddy is putting his tag on him he ask if I want to go after the ones across the road. We come down off the hill and leave the bird and his gun in the truck and head up the hill across the road. When we get to the top of the hill we still haven't got a bird to sound off so we start to go across the ridge and about halfway across a bird gobbles behind and above us. We sit down and call a little and it's obvious the bird isn't going to come around a swampy area as he keeps going from end to the other gobbling. When the bird gobbles at the opposite end of the swamp from us we make our move to get around our end of the swamp and get set up. The bird is now coming but at his own pace. It had to be a half hour for him to come 150 or so yards. Before my buddy could get there he is out I heard him spitting and drumming. The bird is now behind a huge split trunk oak and I can only see glimpses of his white head and fan as he struts there for 10 minutes. Suddenly a Jake comes from behind him and goes past him to my left. I figure the stutter is going to follow him to chase him out so as the Jakes head is behind another tree I get my gun off my knee and swung to my left. Now as I'm free handing my gun the Jake goes back in the direction that he came from and past the strutter. Just as I'm about to swing my gun back to my knee I hear something in front of me and look without turning my head to see 2 hens 10 yards away looking in my direction. They started milling their way past me in the direction my gun is pointed and I think thank god as my gun now feels like I'm trying to hold up an elephant. The bird finally breaks strut and starts toward my opening. As soon as his head enters my scope I hear the hens putt and take off he lifts his head and I squeeze the trigger and watch as he turns and runs so I send another load of 5's at him and he never slows down. Now as I'm wanting to wrap my gun around the tree thinking how can I miss at 25 yards from a gun I just patterned a week ago my buddy tells me that he could see me wobbling from 20 yards behind me. So as we walk back down the hill talking about the hunt and if we did this or that he stops with that crap eating grin and says you know we could of had a good pic of a double if you didn't mess it up. So I declare that I now have a turkey nemesis. All in all it was a great hunt and a memory my buddy will not let me forget anytime soon I'm sure.

Now for the question. I have gone after birds that have busted me before shortly after and got them but I have never gone after a bird I have shot at and missed. Is a week enough time for him to settle down and should I get to the area he was at when first contact was made using different calls?

Edited May 6, 2014 by bhunterED

[whaler]

Honestly, he will probably be huntable later that day if it was legal. I have gotten back on birds that i missed a shot on the very next morning. Now they may seem skittish if you set up exactly as you did when you spooked him.

 

Just completely switch it up. use decoys or not depending on what you did prior. dont go to the same spot.

 

good luck.

[TeeBugg]

Honestly, he will probably be huntable later that day if it was legal. I have gotten back on birds that i missed a shot on the very next morning. Now they may seem skittish if you set up exactly as you did when you spooked him.

Just completely switch it up. use decoys or not depending on what you did prior. dont go to the same spot.

good luck.

X2. Ive had friends miss birds and i setup later in the morning, around the same area and harvested the bird they missed. Like above they may be skittish. Go get him!

[bhunterED]

I'll be after him for sure, time restraints and other obligations have kept me from hunting that piece again until maybe tomorrow morning.

[bowaholic]

Friday  morning I missed one of two birds just seconds after I spooked off a big tom, I know he obviously heard the shot.  Saturday morning I sat right where I missed the birds the morning before and sure enough here comes the big tom with a  hen...I just had him for lunch yesterday    so I agree that you can hunt a bird that has been shot at or very close to a shot just one day after.  Hopefully you get him

[G-Man]

Give him an hour or two and move in direction he went a few hundred yards... if you miss and a lot of birds are present its just like a fall break.. they come back pretty good.