Sorry Team 13.

[slowpoke]

I messed up. This year I got me a new super duper Rem 870 3 ½” Turkey gun, put a super duper 1 to 4 variable Leopold scope on it, a super duper Indian Creek choke tube, super duper Hevi-Shot number 13’s 2 and 1/4 oz of 6 shot, did lots of testing then miss my bird at 20 yds. I did 2 thinks wrong. I put a improve cylinder choke tube on my new gun and tried slugs in it to see if I can used it this year to hunt deer with. It shot slugs great. I made a little sight adjustment to the left, I was sighting it in at 80 yds and have used so much money new gun, trying different shells (pattering), scope and turkey tube, I thought making that small adjusting would not make that much of a different but at 20 yds my new gun shoots so tight maybe that’s why I missed ( Back to testing before I go out with this gun again). I could have taken that bird with my 4:10! The other mistake I made was not having my mouth call in my mouth to make a puck to get the turkey to stretch out his neck. By telling this maybe someone will learn from my mistake.
There were 3 long beards that came in on my blind side and was close, like 25 yds before I seen them. I had to move my gun to the left without them seeing me. I was on the ground and had a nature blind made out of limbs so I got the gun moved and brought it up to my shoulder, put the cross hairs on the tom that was doing all the stunting, he had a good beard, all 3 of them had long beards and I couldn’t tell which one had the best beard (wish I had my mouth call in to make a puck) but they were so close I thought I might spook them to much to get a shot. Complete miss. Hope they come back. I will let them rest a few days.

[GoneFishin]

Don't feel bad over the years I've got a long list of shouldn't have dones while turkey huntin'. One tip while usin' a scope that I found out the hard way, don't tip the gun to the side while bending around a tree that'll throw ya off also, learned that the hard way, pretty hard to get the bird in the scope for a runnin' shot after that. Bird was at 20 yds, scope was a Pentax Light Seeker 2.5 power turkey scope. :rolleyes: :rant:

[FREEPOP]

I believe a soft whistle, mouth grunt or any similar noise would've worked in that situation.

Better luck next time :)

[slowpoke]

How's your turkey hunting been?

I check my gun pattern and it's right on. I was thinking, There might have been something in the way of my shot. I had a clear shot through the scope but didn't check to see if something was in front of the barrel. I was trying to be as low in the ground blind as I could because I had to move my gun to another spot to get a shot. I have to go and take a look. Maybe that's why I missed. Have not been out since I miss that bird at 20 yds. I will be trying hard to get my bird now that I check my pattern. Got to help the number 13 teem out.

[Citori]

Missed twice this season. One small jake and one nice tom. I patterned my gun but after I missed I patterned it again. I was not getting as good a pattern as I had thought. Probably too late for new shells at this part of the game, maybe next year.

[slowpoke]

I called him in from a long ways away. He’s not the best long beard I have killed but I’m happy. He was something like a 1/4 mile away when I thought I heard a gobble, as it turn out I think it was him. A few minutes later I heard him for sure. I made a few calls and never got a response, He was up wind from me and it was blowing really hard at times so I didn't think he was hearing me. I got my mouth call out and made a loud call, that did it. He was on his way. I didn't use any decoys because I had toms that came into a field this year twice and didn't commit to the decoys., they just wouldn’t come in. Well I seen him at 300 yards. through a shooting lane I made for deer hunting. He was stunting, I made a call and was watching him with my binoculars and seen him react when he heard me. He starting running toward me. To make a long story shorter, he hung up at 100 yards. behind some brush, I gave him a short call and not to loud just so he could locate me a little better, that did it, he came in and I took him at 25 yards.
It’s been a hard season for me this year. I called in 4 different Jake's and 3 other long beards of which I miss one at less then 20 yards. I had numinous answers from toms but they were with hens I think and wouldn't come to me. I've had hens come to my call as close to 15' and I was not in a pop up blind but a natural on behind some grape vines when she came in. Sure had fun this year.