How bad can opening weekend of spring turkey season get?

[Ridge Runner]

@Ridge Runner
Sounds like If'n you didn't have bad luck you wouldn't have any luck. I shall read on to find out what the he'll is wrong shooter or shotgun. The mind boggles.
Bob

Yep....and the spring turkey season never got any better. Did get a groundhog as a consolation animal.

7 days and a wakeup till deer, turkey, and bear archery seasons open. Maybe I can drop my first turkey with a bow this fall.

I may go out one or two days next week to look for a bear area, as bear doesn't open up in my area until October.

 

[Randy F]

Yep....and the spring turkey season never got any better. Did get a groundhog as a consolation animal.

7 days and a wakeup till deer, turkey, and bear archery seasons open. Maybe I can drop my first turkey with a bow this fall.

I may go out one or two days next week to look for a bear area, as bear doesn't open up in my area until October.

Good luck! I hope you clean up!

 

[Ridge Runner]

Good luck! I hope you clean up!

The plan may be good. Just hope the animals are in a cooperating mood for the plan to be properly executed.

 

[Ridge Runner]

@Ridge Runner
Great Story! I like to go back and check out stories I hadn't seen yet. That's a great read. I was right there by you. It's cool that you reported one that wasn't so successful. And with a great sense of humor. That's refreshing...and every bit as good (and as relatable to any hunter) as a successful one.
Thanks for that!
It's exactly what keeps me going farther back in the archives. You can't buy this stuff from any magazine rack.

Every hunter that has been to the woods has humorous or maybe not so humorous hunting fails. However, they seldom tell those stories because they don't want to appear to be stupid or admit an animal totally out smarted them the whole season.

Most hunters prefer to tell of their successes, which are, or can be, good stories, but if we as hunters were successful 100% of the time; what enjoyment would we find in hunting?

IMO only, The animals we classify as "game", "wild game", are nothing more than an opponent. Where success is decided in the woods or water when it comes to winning and losing. And as a hunter, winning doesn't always mean, or end, with the killing of the animal. Sometimes it is about just scaring the crap out of an animal, watching their actions, when they think they are a safe distance away from what (who) just caused their heart to skip a few beats. Or I just remain totally motionless until they pass by me, then either whisper or yell out "BANG".... "Your dead"....Aaahhh, Alas, the Kodak video moments only saved in the imagery of my mind and non transferable to a computer file for posterity for others to enjoy.

 

[Randy F]

Every hunter that has been to the woods has humorous or maybe not so humorous hunting fails. However, they seldom tell those stories because they don't want to appear to be stupid or admit an animal totally out smarted them the whole season.

Most hunters prefer to tell of their successes, which are, or can be, good stories, but if we as hunters were successful 100% of the time; what enjoyment would we find in hunting?

IMO only, The animals we classify as "game", "wild game", are nothing more than an opponent. Where success is decided in the woods or water when it comes to winning and losing. And as a hunter, winning doesn't always mean, or end, with the killing of the animal. Sometimes it is about just scaring the crap out of an animal, watching their actions, when they think they are a safe distance away from what (who) just caused their heart to skip a few beats. Or I just remain totally motionless until they pass by me, then either whisper or yell out "BANG".... "Your dead"....Aaahhh, Alas, the Kodak video moments only saved in the imagery of my mind and non transferable to a computer file for posterity for others to enjoy.

I could not agree more. I would be a little disappointed if I wasn’t defeated. The challenge wouldn’t be there, so neither would the fun. For some reason every time I’m beaten, which happens more often than I should admit, I find it amusing. It’s always humorous to me as a “superior being” carrying a weapon, dressed in camo, research and scouting completed, to be outwitted by a naked furry critter going about his day. What is not funny about that? When I lose I deserve to. And I’ll tell it like it is.
Thanks again for the story.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Every hunter that has been to the woods has humorous or maybe not so humorous hunting fails. However, they seldom tell those stories because they don't want to appear to be stupid or admit an animal totally out smarted them the whole season.

Most hunters prefer to tell of their successes, which are, or can be, good stories, but if we as hunters were successful 100% of the time; what enjoyment would we find in hunting?

IMO only, The animals we classify as "game", "wild game", are nothing more than an opponent. Where success is decided in the woods or water when it comes to winning and losing. And as a hunter, winning doesn't always mean, or end, with the killing of the animal. Sometimes it is about just scaring the crap out of an animal, watching their actions, when they think they are a safe distance away from what (who) just caused their heart to skip a few beats. Or I just remain totally motionless until they pass by me, then either whisper or yell out "BANG".... "Your dead"....Aaahhh, Alas, the Kodak video moments only saved in the imagery of my mind and non transferable to a computer file for posterity for others to enjoy.

@Ridge Runner
Well said . I've been out started quite a few times by so called dumb animals..
Bob

 

[TNDave]

They call me boomskieter!

So here it was, muzzleloader season and I was hunting meat for the freezer. It was a beautiful cold crisp morning on the Cumberland Plateau and I had settled in to my stand. Along about 8:00 AM a big doe walks in and stops broadside at about 20 yards. Heart racing and hands shaking I let off the safety, got her in sights and boom! When the smoke cleared I saw her about 40 yards away looking at me and I thought WTH! I watched her as she ambled off out of site and I thought there is no way I missed her. As I sat looking down from the stand in the line of fire I saw this:

About 20 feet in front of me was the tree branch that I had shot. I just knew I heard that doe laughing as she went over the ridge.

Pride hurt I reloaded and and waited. It wasn’t 30 minutes later I heard something, I eased off the safety and watched and waited and within a few minutes here comes another doe, bigger than the first. I got her in my sights and boom!

Again as the smoke cleared I just knew I hadmeat for the freezer. I waited about 20 minutes and climbed down and walked over to where she had been “shot”. To my surprise there was no blood, no hair nothing. I started trying to find a track and tracked for close to a half a mile and never found any sign of a down deer. I started tracking back to my stand to see what I could find. As I got back to where I had shot, I did a mental look to the stand to where I was. To my surprise I saw this:

You see the sabot was lying right next to this:

If you look closely you can see the sapling shot almost in two. Again WTH!!

At this point I called up my partner and told him of my saga and asked his advice. Through his laughter he finally got out “you may as well go back to camp, you done shot up the woods for the day!!”

With that I packed out and went back to camp and still get a good laugh every time I think of this.

BTW boomskieter is Afrikaans for tree shooter!!

I hope y’all enjoy!
Not really sure why my pics always come out sideways ‍

 

[Ridge Runner]

They call me boomskieter!

So here it was, muzzleloader season and I was hunting meat for the freezer. It was a beautiful cold crisp morning on the Cumberland Plateau and I had settled in to my stand. Along about 8:00 AM a big doe walks in and stops broadside at about 20 yards. Heart racing and hands shaking I let off the safety, got her in sights and boom! When the smoke cleared I saw her about 40 yards away looking at me and I thought WTH! I watched her as she ambled off out of site and I thought there is no way I missed her. As I sat looking down from the stand in the line of fire I saw this:

View attachment 368369
About 20 feet in front of me was the tree branch that I had shot. I just knew I heard that doe laughing as she went over the ridge.

Pride hurt I reloaded and and waited. It wasn’t 30 minutes later I heard something, I eased off the safety and watched and waited and within a few minutes here comes another doe, bigger than the first. I got her in my sights and boom!

Again as the smoke cleared I just knew I hadmeat for the freezer. I waited about 20 minutes and climbed down and walked over to where she had been “shot”. To my surprise there was no blood, no hair nothing. I started trying to find a track and tracked for close to a half a mile and never found any sign of a down deer. I started tracking back to my stand to see what I could find. As I got back to where I had shot, I did a mental look to the stand to where I was. To my surprise I saw this:
View attachment 368373
You see the sabot was lying right next to this:
View attachment 368372
If you look closely you can see the sapling shot almost in two. Again WTH!!

At this point I called up my partner and told him of my saga and asked his advice. Through his laughter he finally got out “you may as well go back to camp, you done shot up the woods for the day!!”

With that I packed out and went back to camp and still get a good laugh every time I think of this.

BTW boomskieter is Afrikaans for tree shooter!!

I hope y’all enjoy!
Not really sure why my pics always come out sideways ‍♂

I for one; Dont you just hate it when them saplings, (or trees), just jump out and in the way of a perfect shot on an animal.

Been there with: archery, muzzle loading, and gun, only the deer were all good size bucks.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I for one; Dont you just hate it when them saplings, (or trees), just jump out and in the way of a perfect shot on an animal.

Been there with: archery, muzzle loading, and gun, only the deer were all good size bucks.

@Ridge Runner
How bout 2 hunters standing side by side. Line up on 2 beautiful fallow does. Count 3, boom both does look at 2 hunters , 2 hunters scratch heads.
Both hunter shot unseen deadfall.
Bob.

 

[Ridge Runner]

@Ridge Runner
How bout 2 hunters standing side by side. Line up on 2 beautiful fallow does. Count 3, boom both does look at 2 hunters , 2 hunters scratch heads.
Both hunter shot unseen deadfall.
Bob.