Decision Time: Hurry Sundown

[Brian Lovett]

In "Decision Time," Editor Brian Lovett will share a scenario from his 20-plus years hunting turkeys. Each hinges on a critical decision. Post what choice you would have made, and then see how things actually turned out.

Hurry Sundown

My buddy was having a tough time, but I wasn't letting it spoil my Texas trip.

Sure, he'd missed a gobbler the first morning. And yes, he'd goofed up a sure thing the next day. And OK, he'd missed another bird, too. But by gosh, we were in Texas, and I was going to enjoy myself. Shot a gobbler the first morning, too, so all was right with the world.

After getting that longbeard, though, I'd felt compelled to help my friend get on the board, and that's when all the misfortune ensued. Before I knew it, the final afternoon of my hunt had arrived, and I still didn't have gobbler No. 2.

No matter. I put my buddy in a copse of live oaks near a big wheat field and then set up about 200 yards from him in another small grove of trees. One of us would likely get some action as the birds fed through the area that afternoon.

Sure enough, about an hour after we'd set up, a distant gobble let me know a bird was headed toward my friend. In fact, I watched two strutters saunter right to his setup and ... then he missed again. Shot twice more, too, scaring some other turkeys out of the field.

Figuring every turkey in the vicinity was boogered, I was left with a choice. Wait the final two hours of my hunt by the now-deserted field, or hit the road in search of a hot gobbler. Trouble was, the mesquite flats bordering the field were wide open, so any attempt at walking and calling would represent more of a cutt-and-bump hunt rather than a cutt-and-run hunt.

The sun was sinking. How did I want to remember Texas?

What would you have done? Post your decision below.

Click here for Lovett's decision.

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[TeocTom]

I think that I would do a friendly thing and take my friend to the gun range so he can figure out what is either wrong with the gun or him[;)]

In regards to waht to do about the bird, I would try to let the environment calm down and see if I could rally them in again. I may reposition my self but somewhere in the sam vacinity to see if I could pull them back in.

[nickpowell3006]

Pretty much what he just said.....

[boxcallkid]

Bummer, I hate it when other people miss! Seriously though, after his first couple of misses the both of you should have tried to diagnose the problem. This should have been done long before he returned to the hunt.
After the unfortunate event of the last afternoons hunt, how do you know he missed? You were 200 yds away, maybe he connected.
I would have to know what was going on before I got up to re-position and continue hunting. Not knowing if he was also on the move, I would get very uncomfortable moving anywhere else to hunt. First thing I'd do is go to his last known position and check to see if he was still there. If he was, I'd probobly sit down next to him and finish out the evenings hunt. Sounds like that was where all the birds wanted to be anyways, and tuff it out. Better safe than sorry!

[WillowRidgeCalls]

I'd be staying put, your buddy just did you a favor. Those birds wanted to be in that field, and will more than likely return to it with a little coaxing. Having been spooked off one side of it they will come to the other side easier.

[Gobblerman]

Generally, I like to be proactive rather than reactive, but in this case, I think I would have stayed put and hoped for either more turkeys to show up, or until I heard an approachable gobble in the distance somewhere, in which case I would head toward it and make one last ditch effort.  If neither happened, I would walk over to my buddy, sit back and enjoy that final sunset with him, ...giving reassurance, and knowing that I had a successful hunt with a good friend....who, unfortunately, was having shooting difficulties.  Hunts are not always rated based on the body count at the end of it all.
 
Jim

[TRapper]

last day of the hunt, at that stage a cutt and run or cutt and bump strategy is about as successfull as the hail mary pass at the end of the ball game, but you know what, some games have been won that way and many more turkeys are killed that way too.