RIStrutStopper

What was your worst? Everybody makes mistakes in the turkey woods, thats how we learn. Typical calling too much, moving when you should have stayed still, staying still when you should have moved, I've done all of the above. I think my worst mistake was last spring though. I had a Tom roosted and as I approached the entrance to the woods I thought I knew exactly where that bird was,and I wanted to get between him and water. Many times in that same spot I have set up on the wrong side of a roosted Tom and I wanted to try and circle around him and call him from the other side. Well, I snuck into the woods, and got to where I believed I was well on the other side of that bird, then I hear some commotion just a few yards away, from above... Yup... I walked straight to the roost tree. I backed out and set-up anyway as that was the only gobbling I heard that morning. Needless to say, that bird flew down and took off never looking back. Luckily, as I circled around to the other side of the property trying to cut him off, I heard a faint gobble coming from the adjacent property and was able to seal the deal on that bad boy. What were some of your turkey hunting goof-ups?

drdi

One stands out from last season. (Ok two, the second of which was misjuding the distance and missing at a tom walking. Twice. Didn't even spook him enough to run away. Doh!)

Anyway, second morning of the season. I had been scouting hard all spring. I knew this field where the toms loved to strut along the edge of the woods and had built a homemade blind along the woods edge. I had to work that morning so I could only stay out until around 7:45am. Shooting time starts around 6am. I hadn't heard much and was doing some blind calling every 15 minutes or so. Made my last call at 7am. I always wait at least 30-45 minutes after my last call before getting up to leave. 7:45, directly behind me through the woods GOOOOOOOOOBBBBBBBBBBLE! One time only. I clucked twice and got turned around. 30 seconds later a head appears to my right. He is coming down a path that leads straight toward the field where they LOVE to strut. Since he is to my right, I am kind of in an awkward position, but I have my gun up and ready. He goes behind a tree and when he steps out he will be at 30 yards. But now I start thinking. BAD, BAD, me! Never start thinking too much. Even though my gun is up and ready, I am kind of awkward. If I just wait until he comes down the path further toward the field where they LOVE to strut, he will be at 20 yards. Ooooooooooooo that will be so much better.

The tom steps out at 30 yards, takes a look for the hen, doesn't see her and promptly turns around and leaves.

Moral of the story. Never turn down a shot when you have one.

Arrowmaster

For me hands down is trying to get too close.

TEmbry

My biggest BONEHEAD move was in AL last year. I played cat and mouse with these two gobblers traveling together for 3-4 days straight. On the last morning down there, set up in the DB on the ridge we THOUGHT they were on with bow in hand...we here a gobble and his partners response from the next ridge over...this area is steep, they might as well been a mile away, they werent coming to us....So we grab the gun and a deke, and dive off the cliff basically to the bottom, Standing nearly straight up on the careful descent, My butt was almost always touching dirt behind me..We make it to the bottom, and they are still gobbling on roost...now we hustle up trying to make it to the point of the ridge they are on..finally making it to the top, we stop for a breather. We are within 150 yards of the last heard gobble on roost now. Gametime...We listen and the first bird pops off again, 2-3 times...but the second bird was silent...I thought maybe he heard us coming up the slope and we should stick tight to see if he pitches down and heads our way thinking we were hens....but curiosity got the best of me, and we pressed closer along the ridgetop...we made it over a hump not 20 yards from where we rested, and the silent tom busted out of roost from not 30 yards past the hump, he hadnt seen us at any point, and likely thought we were a flock of hens that were sounding off down in the bottoms behind us coming his way...Had we sat down, there was no doubt in my mind that was a dead turkey. He flew down, got his friend to join him...and they were quickly at several hundred yards gobbling just to taunt us.

Moral of the story....do NOT press an already good situation..be able to read the cards on the spot and analyze when to sit, and when to move.

Mr. Longbeard

Not having enough patients to let the gobbler come those last few yards... Missed one last spring at about 45 yards

StruttinGobbler3

My first year turkey hunting I learned exactly why people say DON'T OVERCALL. I had a huge gobbler roosted one night, I watched him in a field through a spotting scope for about thirty minutes, then he went into the woods. about twenty minutes after that I slipped to the fields edge and hit an owl hooter. GOBBLE! Yep, thats him. Set up on him the next morning about 150 yards away, and let out a soft tree yelp at daybreak. GOBBLE! And here he comes, strutting in on a string. Well, I got overexcited and started laying it on thick. Yelp after yelp after yelp, with some clucks, purrs, cackles and cuts thrown in the mix. Well, it got him excited no doubt, but he hung up sixty yards away and gobbled his fool head off, refusing to come any closer. He wanted me to come to him. No matter what I tried he wouldn't move, and he finally left. No gobbler for me that morning.

Hurricanespg

Last year in the NC mountains I had a bird roosted. Got close to it in the morning, set up my decoys and sat back waiting. After 15 minutes or soI decided that my decoy needed to be straightened a little bit (because I'm a moron) so as I am straightening the decoy I hear a very loud gobble to my right. I look up and notice the daggum turkey looking right at me. Needless to say I didn't get him that day, but he was nice enough to continue gobbling as he ran over the next couple of ridges.