Well, if you hunt long enough, it’ll happen to you too.
I went back in this past Monday (5/6) for that hard gobblin bird I had heard last Thursday and Friday. Got down to where I had heard him around 0700 and set up. I never heard a gobble out of him until he gobbled on his own at 0920.
He was about 200 yards off through the woods downhill.
I gave him a series of soft clucks increasing to a short cutt. He fired right back.
I’m thinking this is looking good.

Waited 10 minutes and sent out a short series of clucks. He fired right back and I thought he maybe sounded closer.
Waited another 10 minutes and did a series of clucks and he was definitely closer now, maybe 150 out.
10 minutes go by and I call again…he was on top of me about 70 yards out. He was coming up on my left side which I wasn’t ready for cuz it was real thick cover.
I move the gun to my left, and I hear him spitting and drumming, but cannot see him cuz it’s so thick. Then I see him finally through the thick brush and confirmed the long beard of a mature Tom. He continued to move from my left to right and when he got totally blocked by some cover I adjusted to the next opening he would hit. He was about 25-30 yds out and when he walked into the opening he stopped and I thought he was acting like he saw something and was gonna bugger on me.
I got my fiber optic sights adjusted on his white and red head and let off the shot.

The next thing I hear after the shot are wings beating and I see him flying off downhill. He was out of range before I could get the gun on him for a follow up.

Lessons learned:
1. Try to remain calm and not let your accelerated heartbeat dictate your actions. After listening to him for 30 minutes work his way into me I was hyper-excited when he finally got into range. Needed to take more deep, calming breaths.
2. Be patient and let him work through the thick cover. My field of view was pretty open and clear to my right. If I had let him come another 20 yds the way he was heading I would’ve had him clean w/o all that screen that blew up my pattern. Don’t take shots through thick brush.
3. If he was gonna bugger, it would be better he did and walked off than educating him w/ a shot. Now my chances of calling him in again are gonna be slim-to-none.
4. When setting up on a known strut zone use a hen deke. I’m pretty sure if I had my hen out he would’ve been focused on her and not seen me move (if he did) and come strutting on in right down my barrel. After all, he had just come 200+ yds to hook up w/ the hen he heard. He would be expecting her to be there, so when no hen was there, he might’ve been getting suspicious something was amiss.

Anyway, glad I still get the rush everytime I call one in.

Unfortunately, this was not my first miss in my 38 of chasing Spring Toms, but one axiom about turkey hunting: If you hunt long enough…you will miss.

Everybody has done that who has hunted long enough, some a lot more than others. It’s one of those things that just happens.

Hopefully all are clean misses and the turkey can live on to kick our butt again another day. Or alternative, we will win the next battle.

Sounds like a perfect hunt, until it wasn't. For some reason i can vividly remember the ones that got away far better than the ones i did kill.

Interesting read. This happened to me this year as well. Part of my issue was misjudged distance, 55 yds rather than 40. Also, went to the range just to make sure and my gun was shooting low, 6" at 30 yards. So at 55 yds it was probably a foot low. So I probably dusted his feet. Mine came in very fast, from wondering if I heard a turkey, to knowing it was a turkey to 55 yds in less than 5 minutes. Was exciting.
I am guessing my truglo sites slowly moved over time to where they were finally too low. I had to raise them a lot. My guess, got pushed down the ramp from putting the gun in the case. Lessons learned. Argh!

So you aren't alone in this camp, though I wish you were. LOL.
V

If you haven't missed a turkey then you haven't shot at enough of em.. shake it off and go fill that last tag..

No shame in missing.
We all have missed at one time or another and if someone says they have never missed then he hasn't shot at many birds.
Look at it this way, you had all the excitement and rush of a great hunt but just couldn't seal the last part of the deal.
I like to call it ''catch and release''
Like a longtime turkey hunter told me ''His spurs will be a little longer next year''