I heard the turkey gobbling in the distance and covered more than a half mile at a fast walk in the dark to reach him. I could see the tom in the branches of the tree from where I set up, and watched him pitch down in my direction. He went silent when he hit the ground and I watched expectantly for a few minutes until I saw him, 50 or so yards away. I could see the head, anyway, and the outstretched neck, but foliage covered the rest of the bird, and in the early morning gloom I couldn’t see enough color to tell if it was a tom or hen.

In my defense, I did not shoot the tree I mistook for a turkey this spring. As I said, I couldn’t see a beard, and it was at the very edge of range. But I was sure it was a turkey for almost a minute. I could see it crane its neck to look for me. My heart rate went up, the way it does when I see a tom. I waited for it to come closer, but it couldn’t, because the “head” was a white patch on the tree’s bark.

Having been turkey hunting for almost 30 years, it’s embarrassing to admit I was fooled by a tree, but I was. And, I’m not alone. According to “White Paper: Mistaken-for-Game Hunting Accidents – A Human Factors Review Prepared for Hunter Safety Lab” by Kyle Wilson and Karl Bridges, it’s more likely for experienced hunters to be involved in “mistaken for game” accidents* than it is for newer hunters to make the same mistake.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/the-gun-nuts/how-hunting-accidents-happen