Irony on Turkey Day

[Fishback]

Last year was my first year hunting. I started out with archery and decided to get my gun cert. this year. I went out quite a bit last year and didn't see a thing the whole year. A combination of lack of experience and bad luck I presume.

I started an ongoing tradition for myself last year....Hunting on Thanksgiving morning. Last year it was with my bow. Well, now that this year I'm allowed to hunt with a gun, I thought I'd give that a go.

I made my way out into the woods around 6:15am yesterday. It was pretty warm and there was a bit of snow left over so it was quite foggy. I make it into the hunting grounds and the hunt begins. I hiked up into the woods a couple miles seeing fresh moose and dear tracks everywhere! After a couple hours of nothing, I decided to turn back to start preparing for the day's festivities. I get all the way back to my truck and notice that there is a flock of 12 turkeys about 80 yards from my truck. I sat there and watched them peck for a half an hour.

Since I started hunting, I've wanted to bag a turkey soooooo bad. I've wanted to shoot a turkey more than any other game animal out there. I don't know why. I just want a turkey.

I go out on Thanksgiving Day with my SHOTGUN and see a flock of turkey's that I could practically run over with my truck.  I had a quiver full of practice arrows. I had 3 Gobbler Getter broadheads in my center console. I had one of the easiest shots ever but...... NO BOW!!!!

I could hear those damned birds laughing at me as I drove away.

Thanksgiving Irony.

[C.C.]

Welcome to the world of hunting. Trust me, the more you go the more stories like that you'll have
    Jim

[Riverat]

[duck doctor]

Fishback,

I feel your pain brotha!  I shot my first turkey in the spring of 99 when I was senior in HS.  The bird weighed 22.5 pounds.  Since then I have killed over 20 birds or so while hunting in two different states. Well that was until the spring of 05 when I had the easiest hunt of my life.  I was working on Lake Ontario as a mate on a charter boat.  We got off the water early one may morning.  I bought my turkey tags at 10:43am. I drove like a mutha to get to where my dad had been hunting that morning to see him pull out of the road and not see me.  I looked down the field he had been hunting all morning and saw a turkey in it!  Well, I can tell you that I did not flag my father down!  I parked my car at 11:28am and loaded the gun.  I looked out into the field and the bird was gone.  I ran down the edge of the field and made 1 yelp. The bird gobbled. I looked at my watch to see what time it was (because you can only hunt until noon) and I noticed I had left my watch in my jeep!  So nervous about time and having a bird gobbling in front of me was pretty exciting!  The bird popped his head out into the field at 40 yards and I flopped him.  I knew that I had plenty of legal time because this all happened so fast! I ran over to the bird, grabbed him, and then ran like hell back to the jeep.  When I saw what time it was, I almost did #2 in my pants!  The time was 11:36!  8 minutes and the hunt was over! 

Since I shot that stupid bird, I have gone turkeyless since.  I have been trying to do some camera work and it just makes things more difficult!

Don't feel bad about seeing turkeys without a bow.  This past Sat morning, I identified a buck as my father....Long story 

When it is time for you to take a turkey, you will!  That is why it is called hunting and not shooting or killing!