Parker Gun Collectors Association Forums - listening for the gobbler

well i havenot reported in lately so i willtry to catch up on the up dates of turkey hunting..all last week i chased turkeys early and late...i was hearing and seeing turkeys every day but not till fiiday did my chance arrive..the previous day i was busted by 2 big gobblers that sneaked in from behind me they never had made a sound till they spotted me some way or another..i had a gobbler coming to me in frontnearly in shooting distance when they gave the put put sound and has all you turkey hunters no you might as well go to the house cause you been busted...gobbler in front also heard them and vanished.. but friday was the day i will not forget...i got the woods about 1/2 hour before daylight.. i carried my decoys and set them up in a field were i hunt sometimes.. after daylight i heard 3 gobblers 2 of them did not gobble much but the 3rd one was very noisy he gobbled at every sound...i would have guessed the turkey was a mile away but i know for sure he was 3/4 mile away.. i started calling to him at 7.00 he must have gobbled at least a 100 times or more on his way to me..i thought twice he must have hens with him he kinda got hung up and would not come closer..but finally he began to steadly close the distance..there was fog vapors rising in the air as the sun shone on that field finall at about 250 yards i saw him making his way to the hen decoys...he sure was a sight long beard hanging down sun catching every glistening feather...he would stop and stretch that long neck looking at those hens i would cluck to him and then he would spin and drum awhile..then he would stop motionless in full strut showing those hen decoys all of his beautiful self..then he wouldmake a few more steps all the while gobbling at every cluck i made to him...finally he was almost in shooting distance.. my decoys were at 30 steps i estimated him to be at 45 steps i thought for sure he would come in a few steps closer but during his spinning around and showing off in front of the ladies he had worked hisself out to 50 steps..finally he let his wings down and said heck with you ladies ..i had made a mistake i had laid my call a box call down so the hens were not saying anything so he lost interest in them...as he started watking off sideways leaviny the ladies behind i knew that he was leaving..i estimated the range between 45 and 48 steps so i made the decision to shoot... i was shooting a 3 in lc smith double using no 4 and 5 shot...i fierd the right barrel with the 4s in it and the old gobbler went down...he flopped around some and i started toward him and all at once he jumped up and started running then got on his wings i fierd the 4s at him hit him again he flew about 150 steps and crashed into a tree line..as i stopped and reloaded i said to myself hell be right there were he crashed...when i got there i was a surprized fellow no turkey.. i hunted him for a good while but never found him... i was a very sick hunter indeed...i re thought the hunt several times even re traced the shot this morning...all said and done ive killed lots of turkeys that far but i gues it was my fault..the range turned out to be 55 steps in reality just a little to far for no 5s...i will miss this old bird he gobbled faithfully every morning for me.. a turkey hunter does not run into a gobbler like this one very often...i believe as im getting a little younger now that my judging distances his getting bad....read this story and dont make the same mistake i did...im gonna get me a range finder...looks like rough hunting weather here for the next few days and being sick for crippling that fine old bird dont make it any better.... charlie