Opening day of spring season today in NC. I have been practicing my shooting and tuning up the bow in anticipation. This is only my second season hunting them, and I had pretty good success last year. Turkeys here just march up into my yard on the regular, and sure enough, I had a big puffed-up tom with his two hens less than 20-yards away. I thought that I had him dead-to-rights in the vitals, so I let him turn my way, and I loosed an arrow right through him. He tumbled down the hill and took off into the woods. I tracked his blood trail through the woods, down a ravine, into a creek, up the other side, and into a neighbors yard before I gave up. This was about 260 yards in a straight line from where I shot him, so he probably traveled closer to 280 or 300 before I lost it. The blood was bright red, and some of it had some goo like lung in it, but mostly it was just little drops here and there. I feel pretty terrible because I lost a big tom I've been watching, and I do my best to be an ethical hunter and not cause unnecessary suffering to any animal, hunted or otherwise. I'm starting to think maybe if he made it that far without weaving or crashing he might be a tough sonofabitch and survive to fight another day? Do I have any reason not to feel like an utter schmuck?
No offense this is just a real thing with me..... You should only feel like a schmuck if you tracked blood to the neighbours yard and stopped because you didn't want to ask permission to stay on the blood trail. You went that far but stop at the neighbours yard? If you tracked until you couldn't find blood ,well ****e happens I've been there. To stop because of a property line not cool, I 've knocked on doors or called people I know hate me to get permission to track. I've had people that know I hate them call me for permission and it was given.
Thanks for the reply. I definitely knocked on the door and had an educational conversation with my unknown neighbor about how yes, it is legal to hunt turkeys, and no, my arrow doesn't have a tracker in it but I'm following a blood trail. I spent an hour on my hands and knees making about 30 feet of progress on her lawn, but lost the trail and daylight. Pretty clear the turkey was heading off at a good clip straight to another patch of woods and back to his home base.
Well then I'd personally say that's success. Here's my life view For every bad experience one can find a good thing hiding. You lost the turkey but met the neighbour, gave them a better understanding of your hunt. Showed them a dedication to recovery. You did your best and in the end that Turkey was not wasted because something in nature was fed one way or the other.
Quick bump on my own post: Ten days later I was gobbled at by a tom who happened to be limping badly on his right side. I was able to get a nice close, clean shot through the chest that laid him down for good 30 yards away. I am 95% sure it was the tom I wounded previously, probably nicking him on that side. I am beyond relieved to have finished the job quickly and neatly.
Man, I feel your pain. I've lost a few turkeys over the years. They can be really hard to kill, as they're super tough and their kill zone is really small. Some things that have helped me do better in recent years are: 1. Use a really big broadhead. The bigger the better. 2. Know exactly where you want to hit--on a side shot, front shot, and back shot. (Not saying you don't know that) 3. If they run off, wait for them to die just like I would a deer. I had that happen the other day. The bird hobbled off and I waited. It sat down & died. I've pursued them too quickly in the past and bumped them and had them take off, never to be found.
