ive had a jake brush my pant leg...no BS. anyone that knows me knows i been tellin that story since it happened great hunt.

he circled a longbeard i had strutting and gobbling at 40yds in an open patch between the woods. i was enjoyin the day watchin the show waitin on the shot...no sense in killing him before the show was over...i see a bird RUNNING up and around that big bird and down through the brush. i was confused lol. here he comes RUNNING at me. stops directly infront of me at 1-2yds. staring in my eyes no joke. he knew EXZACTLY where that hen call came from. i already had the big bird in gun range..i kept calling to keep the show exciting..that jake walked around back and forth looking dead in my eyes and brushed my leg. he was there a good 2 minutes. i knew i couldnt blink. tears rolled down my face...i couldnt hold it i HAD to blink. PUTT PUTT PUTT he walked about 2yds away. the big bird vanished like he was a dream...actually came into about 20 when he seen that jake...but i couldnt move...they then went to the next field and ate breakfast together [&:]guess the longbeard didnt wanna kick his butt after the jake saved his life.......i could honestly grabbed him with my hand..we was mere inches from my 21 inch barrel...

Closest 6-8 yards. My cousin sat back and called across a field and I belly cralled along the field edge. The bird headed my way and was right out in front of me. That was my first bird. I was covered in mud but I didn't give a damn.

Tom

Anyone who read the other thread read my little close range mishaps story.

As far as how close to one I have been....I had a hen two springs ago walk between my father and I, who were seated about 8 feet apart. I don't think I have ever been so nervous in my life. I thought for sure the bird was going to hear us breathing, or see me shaking. All that excitement from an ugly ol' hen! She never spooked either...just kept on looking for what had made that noise about 15 minutes prior.

maybe i just wait too long before i shoot, lol.....i have had several hens within 3-4 feet, no blind, just a few branches and what not....but i have also had a few of my gobblers come in that close....my first one ever was 3 feet from me, i was dying....then i missed a jake that was about 6-7 yds. from me, then i shot his buddy, big ol gobbler, lol......then i had some more jakes come in within 3-4 yds of me, missed the one, shot his buddy.....i make sure the missesare a good clean miss before i shoot again...i've learned anything under 10-12 yds. is going to be tough for me , seeing i shake like a freak, so i have elarned not to take that close of shot, the odds are i'll miss or worse wound one....i had last years swamp bird come 2-3 feet from me,just a single palm frond between us,he saw me shaking and took off, got him the next day...i have always felt blessed, but after reading the close encounters y'all have had, i really feel blessed. i thought it happened all of the time......

Yesterday my brother had a hen at 5 feet. He was walking down a logging road behind our pond and it busted out right next to the trail. I also had a hen bust out from next to a logging road once 3 years ago. A couple years ago i snuck out of my house in the middle of the night and was driving around with my buddies. My mom called my phone so i got out of the car to answer it. As i stepped out of the car into the ditch i stepped right on a hen. She flew out from under my foot and i fell over. I assume she was on her nest but she was like 5 feet from th road? Another time i was about 12 and i got my first turkey call, decoys and blind. It was a little HS Strut box call and a set of the love-traingle decoys by feather flex. The blind was one of those stake blinds with the fabric in between them. I was out in the woods around 4-5 o' clock and these 4 jakes came walking by about 10 feet away. I was shaking like mad. They never made any turkeys sounds, and they sounded like deer walking through the woods.