New deekes, and bringing the compound for tag #2 if opportunity presents itself.
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New deekes, and bringing the compound for tag #2 if opportunity presents itself.
I'm going back to basics. Last year was my rookie year where i had great success with locating and calling in toms. Opening day i hesitated and missed a golden opportunity. Closing day i took a very careful 12 yrd shot and missed.
This year i plan on leaving the extended choke tube and 3" shells at home. Going with an old full choke single shot and 2 3/4 #5.
I fell into the marketing of 50 yrd shots etc. And found i have no trouble getting em in less than 25 yrds.
I patterned my load after missing last year at the 12 yrd mark and had a pattern no bigger than 4-5 " .
And of course lots of work at the range to come. :)
Just purchased some new land we are planning to build on. Saw a lot of turkeys and deer on the land when we checked it out for purchase. Deal closes next week and can't wait to get out and scout it in depth! Also had a new hunter with me last year, who was successful, which has led to the opportunity for a new hunter to come out again this year with me. Very much looking forward to hopefully putting him on his first bird.
You can have your opinion. A 4" pattern is only 2" on each side of center and need only be off a degree from center to be a miss. With my setup i have only single bead which allows for even more guessing. Ill be putting on a better sight system this year. And yes lots of range time as already said. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Gern1980
Grumpy my goodness!
^i think this year, i'm not going to talk any failure on this board so i don't get attacked! yeesh.
What does this and your other replies have to do with the title of this thread? Just sharing your profound wisdom?Quote:
Originally Posted by Gern1980
Sorry, this off track to the OP.
Wouldn't this board classify as learning online?
Anyway, water under the bridge.
I am first Gen. Don't have family or friends into the sport. I have done a lot of leg work getting in.
The one thing i wont change up this season is the leg work. Payed off big last year with scouting and patterning the birds behavior. I believe that's why i had good luck in getting em close. I didnt rely on the just them just being present on the property and calling. I got to where they liked to be already, before they did and just called to encourage sparingly.
I do appreciate the fact that people will blurt out anything that's on their mind on here, cuz in person they just scoff behind your back. At least hearing it is helpful. whether i listen or not is another story :)
Sometimes things don't go as planned and none of us would learn anything if we didn't make mistakes along the way. It's easier to miss at 12 yards than it is at 25 with a shotgun. As a newer hunter and learning it on your own, you should consider last year a success for just having had a couple of close calls and opportunities. There is no shortage of success stories on here but the more humble and honest ones like yours are fewer and farther between and usually make for the best reading.Quote:
Originally Posted by pmannat
Try out your old single shot and see how it hits compared to your other gun. Take the one that ends up patterning the best.
Pretty good outlook. Never let the negs get you down. If anyone ever claims they're without fault or mistakes when hunting... they've never made it off their front porch.Quote:
Originally Posted by pmannat
The hi-viz and double bead shotgun sights were born specifically because misses at closer ranges were "a thing". I don't think most people bother to pattern their shotgun at less than 20 yards... until they miss that bird at 10 yards. lol