If they made a New H&R/NEF Muzzleloading Turkey Thumper, I would have one, but they don't so I use a White Muzzleloading 12ga.
Here is my story:
My hunt started this morning, woke up not feeling to good so I spent some time with the kids before school. Around 9 A.M. I started feeling better and decided to go out around 10 A.M., figured the hens might be off laying an egg and I could entice ol' Tommy to come in.
Roosted a Jake and 9 hens last night, but he was not what I wanted so decided to hunt another area. I have a little 20 acre parcel that is all wooded except for about 1/2 acre in the back. I drove around the sections that I hunt to see if anything was out in the open that I could get the drop on, nothing. Went back to the main farm and just listened for awhile, nothing. Figured I'd head over to the 20 and set up and call.
I arrived at the 20 about 11 A.M. and proceeded back to set up, working on in at a snails pace. I got set up at about 11:30 A.M. and started to call on a diaphram call. About 3 minutes after I finished calling, I heard a faint gobble about 3/8 ths of a mile away. I started cutting back at him, but he didn't seem to want to crank up just yet. I decided to try a little push button call to see if he might like that better. I waited for a gobble, nothing. I then grabbed my triple glass and gave him a few soft and sweet calls, he answered with a double gobble. I then started to call softly on the diaphram, gobble gobble. Now, I could feel his temperature risin'. At this point I had him on a string, so I naturally shut up.
About 3 or 4 minutes later I hear him gobble at 100 yards coming through the woods. I stayed silent, a minute later I hear him at about 75 yards, still cant see him on the other side of a slight ridge. I set up this way so that I could shoot when he crested the top. 1/2 minute later he is so close I can hear his footsteps in the leaves, so I stretch up a little, there he is and a nice beard too. He was going from my left to my right, so I decided to shift a bit to be ready, gobble gobble. He was now at forty yards and within range of the White Thunder Muzzleloading 12 ga. loaded with 1-7/8oz Magnum #5's sitting in a BP Turkey Ranger shotcup atop 90 grains FFG 777, all topped off with two of my homemade styrofoam overshot wads. I slowly slipped the safety off and got ready, when he cleared the trees I was going to take him.
He stopped behind the trees for what seemed like eternity, gobble gobble. Slowly he stepped out from behind the trees, but the terrain dropped off some and I could see the top half of him clearly in my scope through the lilly's. I eased up a bit to get a better view, BOOM! The White smoke bellowed out my barrel and blocked my view.
I was not prepared for what I seen next, my turkey was up and off the ground flying toward the direction he came. He landed and took off on a dead run as I watched him run out of sight. What went wrong, I thought to myself? I can't believe I just missed that turkey. At this point I am kicking myself in the butt, totally dumbfounded. I know I had it right on him. I decided to reload, just in case a dumb bird might come wandering in. I start looking over the path to the bird and I see that I mowed down a bunch of lilly's on the way to the bird. My scope is mounted up high on the gun, so the path of the barrel is a couple inches lower. I went over and started investigating and there was also a hidden log and a stump in the lilly's. Yep, you guessed it, the lions share of my shot hit both of those. I go look where the turkey was standing, NOTHING!
I go back and get my gear, give him a half hour, then head down to where he landed and started running. I just had to check, because the top of my shot pattern should have hit him, BLOOD! I must have hit his jugular because I have tracked lung shot deer before that didn't leave this much blood. Now I know I have to find him, he is wounded. I don't care if I have to look all day! I took up the blood trail and it was pretty easy to follow. After about 75 yards I am starting to wonder, he crossed a small drainage and skirted a flooded spot. Now doubt is starting to set in, how far can a turkey go that is hit in the jugular? I only have about 50 yards to the end of my property, and I will have to find him soon or he will be off the property and gone forever. The owner of the next property is not around to call for permission to retrieve him. Fingers crossed, 25 yards later, there he is on his back. WOO HOO!
Just a little piece of advise, even if you think you missed, check it out good. My bird did not appear to be hurt in the least, but I'll bet he didn't live more than 15 seconds and he covered about 200 yards total.
23 lbs, 10 inch beard and 1 inch spurs.
