My turkey season ended today

[coyote101]

Today was opening day for the fall turkey firearms season. I wanted to try for one with my Encore .410 handgun, so you know where I was an hour before sunrise.  Yep, in my blind with the decoys out.

Usually, if the turkeys show they will come right up to the decoys. When hunting with a shotgun or crossbow I set the decoys at twenty yards, but twenty yards is about as far as I would be comfortable shooting at a turkey with the handgun, so this morning, hoping for a closer shot, I put them at ten yards. 

My friend Kenny was with me, and when the turkeys started waking up and calling to each other we both started calling back. The calling went on for quite a while, but the turkeys were not close and didn't seem to be getting any closer. Often, when they first fly down they will come straight into the field. That wasn't happening today.    So, we just kept calling, hoping some of them would eventually show. And after another thirty minutes or so, some of them did.

Eight or ten of them came out of the wood line about forty yards to our right. I got the pistol up and waited, and they kept coming right up to the decoys. They were close together as they came in and when I thought I had a clear shot I fired. A HIT!

Unfortunately, a multiple hit and two birds went down. I misjudged the distance between them, and the second bird raised its head about the time I fired.  One pellet hit the second bird high in the head and another in the neck, and that was enough to put it down. 

During our fall season we are allowed to take a total of four turkeys, but no more than one a day. So, not only had I shot two turkeys in one day, but I also had now killed five total for the season.  It was unintentional and I would rather kill them both than have one run off wounded, but it was my fault and shouldn't have happened.  (I reported the violations to the game warden)

In any event, it was a successful morning, the handgun performed well and I've had a great fall season. Now I have to wait several long months till the spring season.

If you would like to see the events unfold, here is a short video:


The GoPro makes it look like a long shot, but it was only about eleven yards.

Pat

[nastygunz]

Awesome! What size shot and length shell? Hevishot .410,

https://www.hevishot.com/catalog/classic-doubles/

[coyote101]

Awesome! What size shot and length shell? Hevishot .410,

https://www.hevishot.com/catalog/classic-doubles/

Remington 3-inch 7 1/2 shot. Smaller than I use in my shotgun, but the shots are very close and it gives me a lot of pellets on a thin skinned target.

Those 7 1/2's are not very effective on squirrels high in the trees. 

Pat

[Dave]

Wow that was great!
Looked like there was plenty of room between the first and second bird - especially at 11 yards.

[nastygunz]

I use 7 1/2 most of the time.  Sometimes it is really tough to get a shot at one bird when they're usually are clustered around each other so close.

[riverboss]

Pat you are the man!!!
Congratulations on some fine Ky turkeys.

Sent from my Tank Xtreme 5.0 using Tapatalk

[Okanagan]

Great video.  Interesting to see a surviving turkey go over and check out the dead one. 

To the extent that your are comfortable relating, how do they handle a self reported game violation in your area?  It is Russian roulette here.  In some areas here the wardens are so harsh with self reported errors that it strongly discourages forthrightness.  In other places, such as with a friend who shot a huge old 3x3 mule deer in a 4 point or better season, the warden was very decent.   He said that the buck was exactly the age of animal the regulations intended to target, and it was a believable mistake at 30 yards in brushy timber.  The hunter watched the buck for two or three minutes and thought he had seen 4 tines on one side. The warden had my friend deliver the meat to an older widow who lived nearby and gave him the minimum fine with no confiscation of gear.   

[coyote101]

Great video.  Interesting to see a surviving turkey go over and check out the dead one. 

To the extent that your are comfortable relating, how do they handle a self reported game violation in your area?  It is Russian roulette here.  In some areas here the wardens are so harsh with self reported errors that it strongly discourages forthrightness.  In other places, such as with a friend who shot a huge old 3x3 mule deer in a 4 point or better season, the warden was very decent.   He said that the buck was exactly the age of animal the regulations intended to target, and it was a believable mistake at 30 yards in brushy timber.  The hunter watched the buck for two or three minutes and thought he had seen 4 tines on one side. The warden had my friend deliver the meat to an older widow who lived nearby and gave him the minimum fine with no confiscation of gear.

Clyde,

They tend to be pretty lenient if you self report. His exact response was, "Things happen."  Turkeys tend to travel in flocks and shooting multiples is a fairly common occurrence, especially during the fall season. I've talked to this warden about this before. He said that he knows it happens a lot and doesn't worry too much about it, especially if it is reported. But he also knows that it is easy to do intentionally and if he thinks that is the case he will take enforcement action.

My old buddy in Alaska accidently shot what they call a "sub-legal" moose several years ago. He immediately dressed and processed it, loaded it on his atv, made a tough four hour ride to where his truck was, loaded it on his truck and then drove many miles to the nearest game wardens' office to report. The warden took the moose, antlers and all, called some local people on a list to take the meat, and issued him a citation to appear in court. When he went to court he was fined several hundred dollars. He was happy with the outcome. He said there were others in court who had not self reported and the judge was brutal. Fines of thousands of dollars, forfeiture of firearms and vehicles and loss of hunting privileges for several years. They take game law violations very seriously in Alaska.

Honestly, the wardens are very understaffed around here and I could likely fill the bed of my truck with poached turkeys every day and never get caught. But I made the mistake and have to be willing to deal with the consequences.

Pat

[Dave]

I use 7 1/2 most of the time.  Sometimes it is really tough to get a shot at one bird when they're usually are clustered around each other so close.

I would think 5's or 6's would be better suited?  However, at that range and shooting at the thin skinned head, . . . makes sense

[Okanagan]

Pat,

Good on you for reporting.  Glad that the warden is reasonable.

[Hawks Feather]

Did the DNR keep the second bird?  I had asked about what would happen if I downed two birds rather than just one and our game warden said that it would be given to our 'feed the hungry' program.

Jerry

[coyote101]

Did the DNR keep the second bird?  I had asked about what would happen if I downed two birds rather than just one and our game warden said that it would be given to our 'feed the hungry' program.

Jerry

Jerry,

He did not keep the second bird, I took it home. In fact, we did not meet face to face but corresponded by phone. He may well have been in another county when we talked. I believe if he thought is was an intentional violation he would have insisted on meeting and confiscated both birds. I don't know what would have become of them after that but I think he would try to give them to someone rather than have them go to waste.

Pat 

[Hawks Feather]

Thanks Pat.

Jerry

[FinsnFur]

Oh my gad. First the cross bow.
Then a bird every time ya go out.
Then turkey hunt guiding.
And now two at a time??
Whats next? 

[HaMeR]

 


Video sales Jim!! V I D E O S!!

Then the Pro Staff hats!! 

Good for you Pat!!