Stupid or just a good daddy

[DUCKAHOLIC]

Thursday I roosted a loud mouth .....he sat in a tree and gobbled over 200 times from 6-8pm.

Friday Buck and I slip in on him and we were close....he started gobbling at 530am......when it was good and light I let him know I was there and he went crazy. The bird leaves the tree and flys into another tree....well I figure out why, a coyote had come under him, I told buck to watch that it was going to attack the decoy.....and he did. I did not shoot cause the bird was still hammering away....as luck would have it when he finally flew down he glided across a slew and never said another word.

Saturday Got back on him at daylight hammering away....flew down and walked right to the middle of a pine thicket and stayed all day.

Sunday roosted on the edge of a food plot...got set up...hes hammering as usual...hen flys into plot, walks to him he flys down,and they both fly back up closer to us and he sits there for two hours looking at the decoys strutting on the limb and gobbling....hen flys back down and he looks to fall out of the darn tree and goes off with her, to the pine thicket....we had church so we could not play wit him anymore.

Monday roosted on the far side of the property in some wide open hardwoods, but allows Buck and i to walk through his favorite pine thicket to get to him....i know we were in the right place cause when he came down he was commin to the pines. He gobbled his brains out as usual. I yelped at him one time. I didnt hear him fly down but could tell he had...he was commin.

This is where the stupid or the good daddy part comes in. The bird turned and when he stepped into view he was directly behind Buck, but I was beaded down on him....with Buck tellin me to shoot. I could not do it, and he turned and walked off to be hunted another day.

I have hunted with many a man and shot my share of birds and never felt wrong about any kill, i have never looked down the barrel at a bird and not sent lead his way. I could not shoot that bird with my boy sitting with me who had been chasing him with me for four days. At the truck Buck asked why I did not shoot, I told him there was some brush and I did not feel good about the shot. There was no brush......but i also told him that I love to see the smile on his face when he pulls the trigger, the tingle that it sends through my body that most of the times brings me to the verge of tears..............yeah that feeling is way better........I will go with good daddy.

Be wary ol bird, we will be back

[greenheadgrimreaper]

Awesome. I'd agree with you.

[3seasons]

Real cool story!! Not stupid at all. It will be even better when you can post the pic of your boy with that bird.
Good luck with him sounds like yall have him figured out.

[eSJay]

Johnny - sorry, but the only stupid thing I see in this post is you questioning whether your instinct was stupid.

[LawDawg]

You're stupid...but a good dad.

My comment has nothing to do with the post. Just a general observation.

[Deadeye]

Good stuff... been there, done that. I did it on the second weekend of this season but this time I was by myself. My daughter wants to go bad and I told her I'd take her. I carried a kid and his dad on opening weekend and he killed a stud. There was another gobbler with him that we could have easily killed, let him walk off. TOld her that she could have that bird and we'd kill him.... when it was time to head to the farm, she tells me she can't go but for me not to kill her turkey. You would know that I had him in range for 5 minutes acting a fool and I couldn't shoot him.... Just smiled at him as he strutted back to the woodline......

I don't regret it at all.

[SWAG]

Similar experience 2 years ago. My son and I had been on a bird for a week. Was a lot of fun because it was as much a learning session as it was hunting. Several of these mornings were just quick hunts before school. This particular morning he had to go on to school and I just eased in the woods to listen before starting soybean planting. Well the gobbler was obviously on fire this morning. I did take the gun with me as I eased down the edge of the slough opposite ridge from the slough he was roosted on. Sat down about 90 yds from him and soft called 3 little yelps. Gobbler lit on the ridge in front of me about 35 yds away. He strutted and gobbled for almost an hour within 20-40 yds. Just had no real desire to pull the trigger without my son there.

[Ster]

I would have done the exact same thing. Remember this, the joy you experience when seeing your son achieve a goal is far greater than any bird, deer etc... you have ever killed yourself.

[WilM88]

"You dun right by your son".... you'll get him.. one thing is certain about turkey hunting, patience PAYS dividends. I've been chasing the same couple bird for the past 3 days at our place. Roost in different areas and follow hens. Had em gobbling their brains out this morning, got within 80 yards of em and set up- deer run through acting spooked and make the turkeys pitch down quick, they hit the ground and shock gobble like crazy then they don't say a word for 25min.. Then I hit the locate call and they are 200 yards north of me. It was hard to leave them knowing that this time of the year and the blue bird warm day... they would probably gobble all morning and separate and I could make one slip up... Oh well.. Like you said... be weary old birds, i'll be back.

[ALfwlmth]

Had to read that story twice. Good stuff! Got one on my place my 7yr old and I let walk from 10 yards last year (house 300 yards behind him). We call him "Limpy" for his whiskey stagger he can't seem to shake. He'll die of old age before I shoot him after he watched him walk off last year from that close and only said, "Wow, that dude was close when he flew down!" We saw him last Tuesday evening sneaking back onto our property. Tic toc.

Hope Buck smoke's him soon!!

[dukbum]

good job!

[duckter]

Great story and one I will share with my son.

[Johnny Hall]

Well not exactly the same story but real similar and close enuff for me and my son last week.

IF you are stupid you are not alone, I am right there with you,
I would prefer to think you are being a good daddy

[Double R 2]

I'll go with stupid. Not because of the story, the turkey or hunting with Pey, but just because. HA. Good story.