Missed shot question

[maplegrovefisherman]

Question is will the same spot be good tomorrow morning. Saw many gobblers, but they ran after I shot.

[paceman]

I'l bet they will be pretty nervous for a bit. Try another spot nearby....They get pretty smart pretty quick.......

[DonBo]

If you didn't chase after them so they didn't see you I would go back. If they saw you? Maybe try somewhere else.

[Leaddog]

Hard to say...turkeys do what turkeys do. I've had birds gobble at the sound of the shot. Seen birds jump on a shot tom. Those will be back. Then again, had birds gobbling from all directions Monday morning (SD)and after I shot (the bird flew to about 30 yards of me from the roost) the rest all shut up.

Try to roost them tonight if you can, despite what the Pros say, don't get too close. Just listen or use a locator call. You only want to confirm they're there without spooking them.

OR, setup where they travel.

If you used a decoy then maybe go without, if you didn't then try one or two.

And USE DIFFERENT CALLS than you did this morning

Good Luck

[Borch]

I've called birds back in 10 minutes after a shot. Today it took a bit longer but you get the idea. Turkey's aren't rocket scientists. All they know is that there was a loud noise there. They get over it pretty quick. If it's a good spot it'll be good tomorrow.

[rbs]

Couple years ago hunting with my dad I shot a big tom and left by 7:30am. Went back the next morning and my dad got his and we were done by 7. Turkeys all around us and gobbling like crazy. He shot a jake. Never know what can happen. Last year there was a group hunting the same land that we were going to and they limited out (3) in the first 2 days. We came in and the birds would not come to anything that we had to offer. They didn't like calls, decoys or anything in the open fields. I had my chances but had to be in the ravines to see them. Didn't work out for me but thats hunting! Good Luck!

[Leaddog]

Soooo? What happened? Did you hunt the same place, see anything?

[NWBuck]

Several years back I was hunting with a friend and shot a nice tom right off of the roost using a muzzleloader shotgun. We high fived, took a couple of pictures, and then laid him up next to a tree and walked down the hill less than a hundred yards to set up again. Within 30 minutes I called in a group of 3 jakes and he took one at close range.

Moral of the story...if it's a place where turkeys want to be, one gunshot won't run them off.

[NoodleSalad]

Looooook for that missed shot bird or it's coyote food!

[rbs]

I agree...You can hunt there all day long and not be worried. A couple years ago my son took his first Jake and we went out and high fived picked up the bird and went and sat back down in the blind. 5 mins later 5 jakes come out into the field and ran all the way across the field into out decoys and grandpa and I doubled up on Jakes. all within a 15 min window or so. That was shotgun as well. Even if I miss if it is a good spot I will stick it out and keep hunting them all day and so on. New birds moving thru all the time! Good Luck!

[maplegrovefisherman]

Well the next morning Saturday and Sunday the turkeys were in the same woods. I was on the edge over looking a field. They would not go near the field I was in that I had taken the shot. Instead they went towards another field on the opposite end of the woods both mornings. Yesterday morning I ended up seeing them in the other field and anticipated there route set up and shot a jake.

[Leaddog]

Well there you go, your scouting and observations from the first couple days paid off. Good job! If you're the guy that stopped by Sunday to ask how to clean it, you didn't tell me then about the miss. Woodsmanship will always out hunt calling, best though if you're good at both. Congrats!