Got up this morning and decided to hunt close to home on N.F. land, that gets lots of pressure. This place is somewhere that I have never hunted, because there is usally a vehicle or two there every morning. I go in and walk to end of trail and cut up over ridge, when I got close to the top a crow flew over and a bird gobbled what seemed to be about 200 yards away. I walk a nother 50 yards and he gobbled and it seemed to be about 100 yards on top of ridge. Not knowing the land I decide to stay put. I get set up, the woods was thick with few openings. I give some yelps on my glass Blodgett and bird gobbled kind of delayed response. Thinking the bird had allready had some pressure I decided to call very little, I would wait till he gobbled and then answer with yelps and clucks. This went on for about 45 minutes, He only gobbled about 7 times in this 45 min. Not getting any closer but moveing back in forth on ridge in front of me, judging by the sounds of his gobbles. Then 20 minutes went by with no gobbles at all, I am thinking it is just to thick and he is not interested. I decide to cut to see if he would gobble, so I could see if he was still in the area, and he hammered back, to my right no more than 50 yards. I get ready and there he was in full strut head as white as a snow ball. My body was twisted to the right and leg was getting cramped bad. This bird stayed in full strut for 15 minutes takeing only a few steps, Finally he hit a open area about 40 yards out, with leg cramping I could not wait any longer. I fired shot and bird flopped and then got up and ran, fell and flopped again, then ran again, out of sight. Could not get another shot due to the thick stuff. I hate wounding a bird, and not finding him. I feel he was hit hard enough to die, I searched the hillside, and no bird. I will say that this bird was the toughest one I have ever called in. I will never forget this hunt, allthough I didn't bring him home, I learned alot.

The bird sounded lik it put on a great show for you. They are one tough bird. I called one in for a Uncle of mine in NY a few years back, He gobbled a ton until he got within 100 yds of us. We were in the wood so we really could not see him that well. Did not hear anything for about an hour so we decided to move. The bird was right next to us about 10 yards and never heard him. My uncle shoots twice and rolls him and he got up and ran away and never found him. They are a tough animal. Your track record shows that you know what you are doing....

Tough Luck Todd. It can happen to anybody and when it does it really sticks with you. Shake it off and go get another one!

Doug

Shake it off and go back after him. Stay in the game and don't let this get in your head.

Very rare is the turkey hunter that hasn't lost a bird.
Keep after'um.
GS...

this morning i wounded my first bird, im sick to death, not sure how bad he is hit, pray he is ok and i can hunt him again very soon. i think i said on here earlier in the year that i was lucky to never wound a bird, guess i jinxed myself. i was hunting a farm near where i grew up. pulled in and rolled down my window figuring i had about 20 minutes till i hear a gobble. one sounds off at 535. i grab my stuff and start across the field. as im walking i can see him in the tree with my binocs. i walked to about 200 yards from the bird and hoped he didnt see me but i had to get to a rockbreak to setup, i put out a decoy and wait for light. the bird gobbles again, but not the bird i was thinking that i could see. as it starts getting light i can see with my binocs, 7 birds and the gobbler was about 50 yards behind, out of view.


the birds started rocking like they was gonna fly down and i figured they were headed to the gobbler, away from me, so i started to cut hoping to tick off the boss hen. the gobbler sounded off several times and i saw him sail from his tree. i was hunting on the md/pa line at this pint the birds were roosted in pa and i was in md, they needed to come about 100 yards to be in md. then a second bird which turnrd out to be a jake sailed over the fence an landed with the longbeard. i couldnt see them at this point, but figured my hnt was over as soon as the hens flew down with them, but i kept cutting and then a hen sailed out the tree, followed by the other 5, 1 of them partly white, at 150 yards in front of me, almost immediatly the londbear and jake apeared on top the hill and folles the hens into the field in front of me. there was 6 hens 1 jake and the longbeard in full strut in tow. i kept calling and they slowly worked there way towards me. the jake broke off and came to about 40 yards of my setup staring at my decoy.

finally i figured the longbeard was close enough about 40 or so and i clucked to bring him out of his strut. he wouldnt come out and was facing me so i put it on his head and pulled the trigger, he did a back flip landed on his feet and flew off. to about 200 yards, i went and looked all over but no sign. there vere a few of the lower tail feathers where he was standing, so im not sure what the heck happen, looking back i guess i should have never shot while he was strutting. i have killed birds in strut before, but i guess i blew it, im not sure how i missed. i just hope he aint laying somewhere, ill find out in a few days, ill head back and hope he is there gobbling.