Well Limb, don't feel bad. My season is probably the worst.
It all started on Muddy's b-day. We were in the DB with turkeys all over and a very low battery in the video cam. We saw a ton of birds. They kept going by out of range. Finally a really good tom came a little too close. I shot and hit him a little far forward and he took off flying and was gone across the old river bed. Then about a minute later bird #2 comes by and muddy launches one at him to hit a branch and missed, guess I jinxed him too. Might have to edit that video a bit...
The next experience was close to the same area a few days later. I had a tom fly down really close and walk right by. I arrowed him perfectly broadside. He flopped his wing and ran off. I thought I will give him a little bit and go collect. A jake comes in too close to the decoy so I busted him head on and he went down within 5 yards. Slap my tag on him and go looking for the tom. Found a blood trail the last place I saw him. Followed that for about 50 yards and lost it. Never did recover my arrow or the tom which I am sure is dead. I looked for hours.
A week or two later I was in the same general area and setup near a good roosting tree. See some hens and then all of a sudden a tom is headed for me through really tall wet grass. I get ready and finally got him to stop - broadside again and I smoked one through him. He hunkers and walks off slowly. He goes on the other side of a brush pile and I don't see him again. Thought I would wait it out and go get him after a half hour or so. I wait an hour and a half due to jakes and deer. Then I get out grab my arrow and investigate. No sign anywhere. Which way did he go? Thought I heard something in a brush pile about 40 yards from where I shot him. Investigate and it wasn't a turkey. Looking the brushpile over a tom gets up out of the grass along the old river bed and flyes off. Piss there he goes.
The next encounter was a bit of a suprise. I heard a gobble off in the distance but couldn't tell where it was coming from for sure. The sound bounces off the walls of the DB an makes it hard. I unzip the roof and collapse the roof hub since I am short and stuff. I am listening and glassing waiting for the next gobble. All of a sudden I turn around and see a tom at 40 yards in a dip. He put his head down and I ducked my head. I didn't want to pop out the hub and spook him so I grabbed my bow and got ready. Think I skipped my arrow off a tree on him. Never did find it.
Then things were pretty rough for awhile. My last hunt was Tuesday morning and I had a jake fly down and feed right in. I couldn't make it out for a jake until it was at 10 yards. I grabbed my bow in a hurry and positioned for the shot. He cooperated and I smoked him hard at 10 yards. He waddled off in the very tall grass. I lost him when he hit 40 yards. I waited a bit and went out to collect. Had no idea where he went the grass was tall. I would have had to step on him to find him. Needless to say he got away too.
So to sum it up my season was filled with luck - at getting opportunities at birds. And filled with the same bad luck about recovering them. 1 for 6. That is unacceptable. My shots were good except for the first one on the tom that flew away. I don't know - I must be aiming in the wrong spot on broadside birds. I think next year I am going to use dynamite on my arrow like Beau & Luke Duke. Anybody able to hook me up? Else the Rocky (Stalone) explode on impact head will work too. That and I think I am done giving turkeys time. I will take my chances running them down. I hunt timber - no fields. Usually I can't see the turkeys very long before they are gone. Lots of cover and dips that they disappear in.
Also this season no birds responded to calls other than the dead jake. That and I think the decoy brought him in. Other than that my strategy was get close to the roosting area and get in the way of where they wanted to go - which kept changing.
I don't get overly excited to mess up on shots. I am a decent shot - have been killing deer with great luck. When it comes to turkeys I am jinxed. Don't want to resort back to the shotgun but might consider it after this year.
Deadeye done for the year and out. Wishing everbody else hunting better luck than me.
