3RD GOBBLER IN THE BAG, BUT...

[J. A. EARLY]

THE BAG HAD A HOLE IN IT.
It is easy to write about a successful hunt. It is hard to admit you screwed up but that is what I did. Had two birds, and saved the last for a Parker 10 Lifter. Had gobblers fired up at daylight, two of them. Double and triple gobbling. Could not be better. Coaxed them down the hill straight to me and knew I had the final bird.

Now when you think you know what you are doing and get a big head, that is when you screw up. Brain quit. Had the bird at thirty yards and he was five steps from being in the field and seeing my decoy and moving in closer. But I had a good shot at thirty or less at his head. You’ll notice the sound of the shell. Rolled him over, loaded 2s in the left barrel and he went under some mountain laurel. Instead of shooting him in it, I stood there and he walked away. Looked for hours but no luck. Went back this morning, having put the Lifter away and only one bird gobbling. Called him in and with game-ears in, one cannot tell direction. Held the gun up ready to shoot and he walked right through an opening thirty yards away I was not looking in, and after he was 75 yards away he gobbled goodbye.

Season could have had a good ending, but… I gave him a headache I am sure and now he is probably buzzard meat. The Lifter, having rolled two birds in two years, is now named Roll-Over and has been retired from turkey hunting.

THIS VIDEO IS RATED G FOR GENERAL AUDIENCES. ALL OF THE PROFANITY AT THE END HAS BEEN DELETED. Lots of gobbling if you like to hear it at the start but you know where you'll find the disappointing results, near the end.

https://youtu.be/0HocQsDXjPA

[charlie cleveland]

the gobbling was fantastic i do love the sound of those triple gobbles...you sure had them fired up...i too have had the bighead...and like you my turkey went down but got on his wings and flew away...j . j. you have had some good luck and bad luck but what away to end the season ...your filming is getting good i may try the camera thing some day...i go for a week of hunting this coming week the ticks and ski=eeters are really bad the last week....charlie

[J. A. EARLY]

Thanks Charlie, but I still have three weeks left to get the third bird. Took out a different gun for the a.m. Can only hunt an hour. Got a Mercury Magnum (Spanish) 32" 10 gauge with 3.5 inch chambers. It has nice wood and a beavertail forearm. Never killed a turkey with it and it weighs a ton and is hard to hold up. Barrels look like iron pipes. But with 2 1/4 ounces of 6s and 4s, my range should be way out there!

I think I did not kill the turkey because I had a blooper. One of Sherman Bell's formulas, but never shot them in the cool weather. There was little kick. Turkey probably thought he was hit by a handful of acorns. But he ran under the mountain laurel and I thought I had him and he was dead. Sure wish I had put the 2s in his butt.

Wish I had one of the cameras that could zoom in. Birds look like they are in the next county.

[charlie cleveland]

j. a. that mercury magnum will kill a turkey at 65 yards every shot....and beyound...my dad had a coupla of those guns over the years they are heavy but heh that turkey wont run away...my dads gun kicked like a mule and when i did not wear gloves that trigger guard would cut my finger ....i seen one of these old mercury 10s on gunbroker last night they showed the ends of the barrels and goodness how thick they were..i heard of people making 8 ga s out of them...glad you got 3 more weeks i ve only got 1 week left starting monday..i m gona get me a big sack of groceries and wasp spray and skeeter dope and i m gona hunt hard...keep us posted on the big ten and its hunt...charlie