This am I went to a grouse hunting area where I have also seen turkeys. It is a public lands place and gets a lot of pressure sometimes, but I thought this particular spot might be okay during the week. Right before daylight I watched the full moon sink in the west and was standing on an old roadbed when I heard a four wheeler coming u p the grade below me. When the other hunter saw me he turned around and left, and that was a break. Long story, told short,in 30 minutes I had a bird gobbling hard , but he was 6-800 feet straight up the mountain from me...but he was answering every call. Thunder started and the bird gobbled his brains out at that too...decided I better really get agressive on the calling as it was going to pour rain and I could not stay through the whole am. In a few minutes of intensive jubilee-type calling he as still in the same spot. I made a special call I use sometimes( in desperation) and , guess what, another bird answered to my left and on my level. Now the game was really on, as the bird above me started coming downhill and gobblin every step and the bird on my left was also coming fast...but as it turned out there were three birds o n the left and all came in at full strut to the little hen I had stuck in the road. I picked out the biggest and down he went at 20 yds. The rain came in sheets in another two minutes. I love those free gobbling mountain birds.

Nice job GN. Hoping for the same game my self on Saturday.
Tim

Tom's just can't resist that hen you take to the woods with you GN! I think I may be needing to borrow her for a few weeks if you don't mind.

Another great hunt... Awesome! Congratulations!

GN, guess you didn't leave that horseshoe in VA afterall. You da man!

Ya just gotta love it!. CONGRADSS GN!

Congrats GN.. you are having one heck of a spring as usual.. I love those Public Land Birds they hold a special memory for each one..

Congrats on your success!

Congrats yet again GN!

You killed it where? Mountains of Tenn.? Gnaw! You sure that wasn't someones barnyard gobbler?
Congrats. GN... happy to hear you're haveing a great season.
GS...

Now that sounds like a fun hunt! Way to go!

So, what's this special 'desperation' call . . .

GN: Great job! Public land hunting has been hot down my way too. Opening weekend yielded a 19 lb bird for my 13-year old. Since then 3 public land longbeards have met the TP's #4's. Man this year is awesome. I can go anywhere and hear birds this year...unbelievable...they're everywhere and gobbling hard too. Lots still henned up. Can hardly wait till next week. Saturdays on public land are still not fun. Went out this AM and had 2 hunters walk in between my location and a gobbling bird. They started calling and the bird started answering them. They called him up and missed. My season has been so good I almost didn't even care. I only have 2 tags left and season is young. Season is 15 days old here and I have only not been on gobbling birds one day. And this year the birds are in the woods still eating acorns instead of being bunched in green fields. I love it when it's like this. GN, is it this good in mtns of TN?

Thanks to all for the congrats..we finally got he picture up...TP, so far I woud say the East tn season has generally been as good as I have seen in many years here...give me your theory on this, do you think the low hatch this year has resulted in few young hens i n the woods, and older hens are bred, and a bunch of older toms and 2 yr olds are left without a class of young breeding hens and it is getting ready to be over and thus they are gobbling more etc???you have to have thoeries..

Way to go GN!!! I think you're going to need a final post after the seasons end with a brief recap of all your hunts this year... simply awesome!

only 1 tag left now. GN, Good mast year here no doubt. I think we have several year classes of gobblers out there too, and they are gobbling. Only one of the 7 kills I've been involved with was a 2-year old. Won't last forever. I haven't talked with anyone who's even seen a jake. I think hens were in better condition due to mast, plus we had an early spring and they are setting earlier. I dunno all the combination, but I do know it has been sweet. Good to hear you've seen similar results.

only 1 tag left now. GN, Good mast year here no doubt. I think we have several year classes of gobblers out there too, and they are gobbling. Only one of the 7 kills I've been involved with was a 2-year old. Won't last forever. I haven't talked with anyone who's even seen a jake. I think hens were in better condition due to mast, plus we had an early spring and they are setting earlier. I dunno all the combination, but I do know it has been sweet. Good to hear you've seen similar results.