March 31, 2017

What Happens Once the Hunter Makes the Shot and the Turkey’s Flopping

with Bob Walker

BWalker_day5

I’ll tell my hunter before we leave the lodge to go hunting that day that if we see a turkey, and he shoots him, I’ll jump up quickly, grab the hunter’s gun, start running toward the tom and get my foot on the tom’s head to make sure he can’t run off. I don’t think that I’m in a safe position when I have my back to a hunter, he has a shell in the chamber, and the safety’s off his shotgun. If that turkey jumps up before I can get to him, the hunter’s natural instinct will be to shoot the gobbler. If I’m running to the turkey, the hunter may not be able to shoot because I’m in the way, or he may forget about me being in the line of fire. However, if I’ve got the hunter’s gun, we don’t run the risk of me getting shot. If the turkey does start to get up, I’ll be closer to the gobbler than the hunter and will be able to put the turkey down.

When you hunt by yourself, you miss all the excitement that you have when a buddy shares the hunt with you. Too, you can share with each other what you’ve learned. You may see something that your hunter hasn’t seen, and he may see something you haven’t seen that causes the turkey to do what he has. Sharing those aspects of the hunt really means a lot to me and has made me turkey hunt better. I’ve been fortunate enough to hunt with many great people and share those hunts with new people every year. That’s why I like to guide and take people to the turkeys.

Day 4: How the Hunter Prepares to Shoot When the Turkey’s Closing Ground

How the Hunter Prepares to Shoot When the Turkey’s Closing Ground

I don’t want my hunter to have to hold his gun for a very long time, and I don’t want him to get fidgety. So, I make sure he’s in a good shooting position with his butt flat on the ground, his back supported by a tree trunk, his knees pulled up, and the gun resting on his knees, with his cheek against the stock and scanning and searching for the turkey.

Big Game, Turkey, Mossy Oak, Firearm

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