It's day two of the season here in Ga. If y'all read my post yesterday, somebody blew it for me. Well, I've been hunting all my life and I blew it today, I did the dumest thing I have ever done while hunting.
I was determined to try the two birds I got messed up on yesterday. Got to my land at 5:00 a.m., got my equipment together, loaded my gun, and took off. Got to the same area as yesterday, just a little further in from where I set up yesterday. At 6:10 the two started gobbling, one fairly close, close enough I heard him fly down at about 6:30, don't know where the furtherest one went. Did a few soft calls and shut up, he gobbled one more time. About 10 minutes later I saw him crossing from in front of me to my right, about 40 yards out. I soft called and he never even looked in my direction, just like he was on a mission, I called again, he still wouldn't stop or even look at me. Because of palmettos and trees I picked an opening and decided to take him when he got there. This I felt was my only shot and he wasn't stoping.
Folks I'm telling you, this was a good bird. I already had my gun up, tried one more call, nothing, he's still going somewhere. He gets' to the opening, I pull the trigger, nothing, again, nothing and I new I had put one in the barrel at the truck. I pushed the forearm forward (a pump) and it locked. Don't matter he's to for now and it's to thick. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dummy. I couldn't believe I hadn't pushed the forearm to lock up the action, dumb, dumb, dumb.
Now I'm not a violate person, or one that hurts himself for pleasure or self inflicted whatever they call it. I seriously thought I needed to punish myself, even thought about smashing my little toe, don't use it for much anyway, and it would make me remember why it's called a pump gun.
That thought didn't last long, because he went out about 300 yds and went to gobbling continuously, had to be his strut zone. I parralled him and tried everything, couldn't close the deal, I'd move, he would move. At 12 noon I was give out and just plain gave up, will try him again tomorrow. I had a thermos of coffee at the truck and when I got to it I believe if it had been a quart of liquor I would have just sat there drank myself into a stupor to forget.
What can I say, I'll post again tomorrow, cause I'm going after him again.
dog1, THE BIG DUMMY!
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It ain't the killing, it's the going and doing.
Oh man. I've forgotten to load my gun before and heard the "click" myself with a nice bird in range before. It sucks. Good luck tomarrow and hope to hear you get him.
I too have heard that terrible click and no boom. It happened to me last spring. Perfect setup, nice tom, close range, and one bad shell. That bird took off like a rocket at the click. My hunting partner thought I didn't chamber one until I showed him the dented primer. Oh well it gave me another day in the field.
2nd day DUMMY!
Look on the bright side you can hunt already
