Although it has never happened to me, I know other hunters who have heard a sickening "click" instead of Old Thunder's usual roar when the moment of truth was at hand. While you can't do much to prevent the "one in a million" dud round from winding up in your shotgun's chamber, you certainly can test-fire a few loads from any stock of ammo that is several years old, rusty, or showing other signs of age.

PEEKING
Like golfers who can't keep their heads down until their club has made solid contact with the ball, some turkey hunters habitually take a quick look-see at their bird just as they pull the trigger. This invariably moves the muzzle off target and sends your shot charge high over the bird's head.

Break this tendency at home by sitting on the floor and pointing your empty gun at a turkey target. Mentally fire and hold your focus on the target for a solid two-second interval.

Peeking tends to produce non-fatal hits, which are even worse than clean misses. There's nothing quite as frustrating or futile as chasing a chest-hit tom through a sea of berry bushes, as I was forced to do a couple of years ago.

LACK OF PRACTICE
The term "muscle memory" is a bit over-used these days, but it plays a key role in shotgunning accuracy. Aim and shoot at the range until you're hitting your target and getting a nice, dense pattern consistently, and then stop for the day. Return and do it again, until the movements and concentration necessary for success become second nature.

Failure to practice before turkey season may cause you to fumble for your safety button and struggle to find your point of aim on a real, live bird, especially if you're using a new or borrowed shotgun.

The hunter most apt to be guilty of this syndrome is the one who waits until the day before the season to purchase a new shotgun or re-stock his ammo box. Do your shopping early and allow plenty of sight-in time.

AIMED HIGH
Turkey hunters have a tendency to miss high, rather than low, for a variety of reasons. We frequently shoot downhill, we don't always plant our cheeks on our gunstocks, and (as previously noted) we just can't help ourselves from peeking over the barrel now and then.

Assuming your shotgun was throwing a nice, center-of-target pattern at the shooting range, don't focus on Old Mr. Tom's wide eyes. Instead, drop your front bead a couple of inches and put it where that bright blue neck meets feathers. At your effective shotgun range, that simple adjustment should increase the number of pellets in the brain-and-spine kill zone.

OBSTRUCTED VIEW
Did you ever shoot your rifle at a deer that was partially screened by leafy branches? If you did, you can probably recall the animal bounding off without a scratch. It doesn't take much to deflect a bullet ó let alone an expanding swarm of 4s or 6s.

Often as not, the offending vegetation is closer to you than to the turkey. When you take a seat in your hunting area, don't start calling until you've scanned your surroundings. Take another good look when a gobbler responds to your call, and try to anticipate the route he'll take if he heads your way. And then, check constantly for clear shooting lanes.

POOR POSTURE
Keep your cheek tight against your gunstock, but that's not all there is to good shooting form. If you tip your head slightly left or right, or your barrel wobbles because you don't have the fore-end braced firmly on your knee, you stand a better than average chance of missing.