Turkey hunting fails

[Bigman]

Just as the title says. Turkey hunting fails let’s hear all those stories of the biggest fails we had turkey hunting it can be anything from when you were a kid to now. 

[vdep217]

3 seasons ago I missed a long beard at 13 yrds.  Never put my head on the gun.

[Swamprat]

1 minute ago, vdep217 said:

3 seasons ago I missed a long beard at 13 yrds.  Never put my head on the gun.

I've done that. More than once.  Lol. 

 

[Swamprat]

This is my 10 season turkey hunting. 2 or 3rd season in I had found a good roost. Next morning I'm set up 75 yards away. All set up. Decoys set. I let out a few yelps. Gobbler pitched down, he read the script. Came right in. Gobbling his ass off. I slide the safety off and pull the trigger. Boom! The bird is rocked but scrambles down the firetrail and is gone in an instant. I'm so dumbfounded I just stand there. Wasn't sure what happened. Look over my gun...uuuggghhh....no choke tube in the gun. It's now the first thing I check.  Lol. 

[LanceinNJ]

My second year Turkey Hunting. I'm in NY and had a bird working the better part of the morning, but he wouldn't commit. I hadn't heard him in almost 45 minutes and decided it was a good time to take a leak. As soon as I stood up, I get the alarm putt and off he goes. He wasn't 25 years behind me and I had no idea he was there. Lesson learned.  Damn that was over 30 years ago. I've also missed a few at embarrassingly close ranges. 

[Rusty]

I worked 2 strutting gobblers for roughly 10 minutes,  they were too close to each other to take a safe shot.  Finally they separated and I shot the bigger of the two and the second bird flew away.  When I walked up on my bird there were 2 birds down!  

There had been 3 birds not 2, I never saw the third bird behind the 2 that were strutting.  

I called F&W and the CO met me at the check station,  he took the 2nd bird.   

 

Edited March 12, 2020 by Rusty

[Buckeyes11]

Had a couple of misses where I would have been better off throwing the gun at em. Worked a tom one morning   Stood up leave. Heard the alarm putt and saw him at same time. He ran through an opening and I rolled him. Unfortunately I didn’t have the gun mounted properly and gave my self a bloody nose. 

[deadonshot2]

First turkey hunt. I was at base of tree and called and got response in front of me. So called again but this behind me. WTF. Called a third time and again behind me. So I moved facing that direction. A minute later I see a tom coming in. I am right on him but I see a second tom and he is bigger. I moved the barrel an inch and both were gone that fast. That was how fast it took me to find out how good their eyes are. 

My other screw up was I got into patch of woods and sat down. My first call and the tom was in the tree right over me. Oh crap. I sat there and sat there. I never heard him after sun rise. From just using my eyes I did not see him on roost. So I decided to call- no response. Hmm, I guess he must have flown down. I thought I totally blew that spot so I decided I was going to another spot I had scouted. Well when I stood up that tom busted out of the tree and and flew directly away from me. I could only laugh. 

[johnyanu]

My dad accidentally  put the wrong choke in my gun and  I missed a bird at 45 yards we accidentally had a open choke in the gun 

[Merkel]

My first season I pulled the trigger on a gobbler about 30 yards away as he walked behind a big tree.  I was so sure I got him I was thinking of what kind of mount to get.  I walked over to the tree but never found him.... 

[johnyanu]

10 hours ago, Merkel said:

My first season I pulled the trigger on a gobbler about 30 yards away as he walked behind a big tree.  I was so sure I got him I was thinking of what kind of mount to get.  I walked over to the tree but never found him.... 

That’s sucks

[johnyanu]

On 3/12/2020 at 5:28 PM, Buckeyes11 said:

Had a couple of misses where I would have been better off throwing the gun at em. Worked a tom one morning   Stood up leave. Heard the alarm putt and saw him at same time. He ran through an opening and I rolled him. Unfortunately I didn’t have the gun mounted properly and gave my self a bloody nose. 

That’s sucks

[johnyanu]

On 3/12/2020 at 4:43 PM, Rusty said:

I worked 2 strutting gobblers for roughly 10 minutes,  they were too close to each other to take a safe shot.  Finally they separated and I shot the bigger of the two and the second bird flew away.  When I walked up on my bird there were 2 birds down!  

There had been 3 birds not 2, I never saw the third bird behind the 2 that were strutting.  

I called F&W and the CO met me at the check station,  he took the 2nd bird.   

 

[toxo]

Roosted a Bird one night,set up in the dark the next morning,I was sitting at the base of the tree he was in! Didn't work out!

[MGHunter66]

36 minutes ago, toxo said:

Roosted a Bird one night,set up in the dark the next morning,I was sitting at the base of the tree he was in! Didn't work out!

 I did the same thing.