What's your "made of a fool off" moment?

[baldopepper]

For anyone who has hunted turkeys we all have an incident where we were made to look stupid!! Curious what your worst one might be.  Mine?
I was hid up well under a big pine on the edge of field that birds were using every afternoon.  Spotting a couple of birds on the opposite side of the field I lay my shotgun by my side and started watching them through my binoculars.  Suddenly out of the corner of my vison I saw movement and two toms wandered quickly from behind me out into the field not 20 feet away.  Well, there I was with my binoculars up, gun on the ground next to me and the two toms doing their typical one head down, one head watching not 20 ft. out in the field.  After a couple of minutes of hoping they'd both put their heads down at the same time, I decided my best course of action was to quickly drop the binoculars grab my gun and hope for a shot before they could disappear. Taking a deep breath, I dropped the binoculars grabbed the gun and put a handful of air up to by shoulder!!  I hadn't realized that the sling of my gun had caught on one of the dead branches on the tree and pulled right out of my hands as I lifted it up.  There I sat aiming carfully with my empty hands as the two birds quickly took off.  After I got done laughing at myself and feeling like a complete fool, I vowed to remember one of the basic rules of turkey hunting; be ready to shoot and watch where the he-- you put your gun!!!

[yelp]

Never ever happened to me!   

  But there was one time I had a bunch of birds roosted opening morning.   While i called to them some hunters drove up got out and shot at our toms that were coming in.  Two lessons learned.  First don't call birds across public highway and second make sure you are on the same side of the road as the birds. 

[JKEEN33]

I was calling a bird in my first year. Never had a bird come in and this one was responding. He was still quite a ways out so I had my shotgun resting on my knee and kind of in my armpit. I would call, he would respond and move a little closer. This went on for about 30 minutes. Call then respond. Then from less than 3 feet behind me I was blasted with a gobble from a direction I wasn't expecting. I jumped and bounced the gun off my knee. Bird took off running at what seemed to be about 65 mph.

Learned to keep my eyes open in a good area. There are usually more than one coming in and they don't all let you know they are sneaking in.

[Bigger Fish]

I haven't had the opportunity to shoot a turkey yet.  My "I'm a fool" moment came this past weekend, patterning my 12 gauge.  After shooting 2 different sized loads, I went to put in the howitzer sized 3-1/2" shell that jammed in the action.  Fortunately, I didn't try to force it, and I asked the range master to assist.  Which he did, and got the shell out with my knife.  And then calmly and politely pointed out to me that it was a 10 gauge shell.  (I had inadvertently bought a box of 10's.  Stupid small lettering...) 

Ouch.

[Wacenturion]

Never ever happened to me!   

  But there was one time I had a bunch of birds roosted opening morning.   While i called to them some hunters drove up got out and shot at our toms that were coming in.  Two lessons learned.  First don't call birds across public highway and second make sure you are on the same side of the road as the birds. 

Yelp....Why did the turkey cross the road?

Answer......He didn't....lol.

[Andrew]

My moment happened 20 minutes into last years opening day.  Had three different birds gobble at first light...moved towards the closer of the three.  Setup within 200 yards...made a few calls shut up...and a few minutes latter heard the birds flying down...let out a few purrs...a few moments more I see the entire flock running towards my buddy and me (his first time hunting).  Motion to him to get ready, the tom walks up within 10 yards and is strutting behind a tree directly in front of me, he steps out I shoot, the ground erupts behind the tom, the 6-8 hens and jakes take off in all directions, the Tom is standing there with a look on his face as if to say "WTF" was that!?  I fumble to get the pump to slide, I look at my buddy and say 'SsssssssssssssssssHOOOOOOOOOT'!  Ironically funny was the fact that he hit the bird it jumped straight up, and landed stone dead in one of those holes created by a burn...a perfect turkey burial, just add gravy! 

Later found out the rifle sights on my shotgun were loose, at 10 yards the center of my pattern was 12-16" high.  Lesson to be learned...after patterning your gun (especially with rifle sights) tighten the set screws and re-shoot to confirm.  It was not the 'perfect' hunt, but man it was damn fun! 

- Calling a henned up tom 200 yards
- Having the entire flock run up to within 10 yards
- Missing a 'can of corn'
- Seeing your friend's eyes become the size of a baseball at the approaching birds, and then seeing him jittery as all get out over his first bird

TO AWESOME!

[JKEEN33]

My moment happened 20 minutes into last years opening day.  Had three different birds gobble at first light...moved towards the closer of the three.  Setup within 200 yards...made a few calls shut up...and a few minutes latter heard the birds flying down...let out a few purrs...a few moments more I see the entire flock running towards my buddy and me (his first time hunting).  Motion to him to get ready, the tom walks up within 10 yards and is strutting behind a tree directly in front of me, he steps out I shoot, the ground erupts behind the tom, the 6-8 hens and jakes take off in all directions, the Tom is standing there with a look on his face as if to say "WTF" was that!?  I fumble to get the pump to slide, I look at my buddy and say 'SsssssssssssssssssHOOOOOOOOOT'!  Ironically funny was the fact that he hit the bird it jumped straight up, and landed stone dead in one of those holes created by a burn...a perfect turkey burial, just add gravy! 

Later found out the rifle sights on my shotgun were loose, at 10 yards the center of my pattern was 12-16" high.  Lesson to be learned...after patterning your gun (especially with rifle sights) tighten the set screws and re-shoot to confirm.  It was not the 'perfect' hunt, but man it was damn fun! 

- Calling a henned up tom 200 yards
- Having the entire flock run up to within 10 yards
- Missing a 'can of corn'
- Seeing your friend's eyes become the size of a baseball at the approaching birds, and then seeing him jittery as all get out over his first bird

TO AWESOME!

And people can't figure out why I get so excited over turkey hunting.

[turkeydancer]

My "Jake Mistake" happened when I was a true rookie. I hiked up this ridge 1 hour before daylight where I knew their where multiple gobbles the previous morning. It was ten degrees out and the wind was blowing ... brrr. The birds were gobbling all around me at first light ... at least 13 distinct gobbles, but nothing came in. I was freezing and would shake uncontrolably every time the wind would blow.  Then the sun came out, and I started warming up ... and I fell asleep.  I woke up about an hour later and was now roasting and thirsty.  I pulled off my gloves and face mask and grabbed some water from my pack.  I light a cigarette.  I noticed my mouth diaphragm had fallen down in my lap and picked it up.  I decided to try a purr and a few clucks to see if anything was close.  No immediate response so I put the call on my pack and took another puff. Then a gobble at my 8 o'clock position from at less than 10 yards.  I glanced sideways and saw a huge tom pop up on a dead fall at about 4 feet from my face and stared and gobbled at me for the next 5 minutes ... and the cigarette ash got longer and started heading south, gun in my lap, and camo on the pack.  Last time I ever called without being totally ready for the "silent" gobbler.