Saturday morning . . . I knew exactly where I wanted to set up and I parked my truck with plenty of time before daylight to get there. I swung way south of the ridge the gobbler I've been patterning roosts on. But, the absence of any kind of a trail through this nasty valley of blowdowns made the going slow and tedious . . . and LOUD!

I didn't make it to his ridge before light, so I set up high on an intersecting ridge hoping to give him a nice, clear walk to me from his bedroom.

Last season, the biggest thing I learned was that I change setups far too often; I bumped several birds and cursed myself for it. This season, I want to play it smarter (don't we all) and leave my bony butt planted in one spot longer than I want to. So, that's exactly what I did. Soft calling here and there . . . hens answering here and there . . . a gorgeous sunrise over the mountains . . . and no gobbles although I sat close to his roost tree and heard him rattle limbs loose the morning before. I started to pray, "God, just let me see one. I don't care if I get a shot. I just want to see one."

Late in the morning, having resisted the urge to move and feeling quite proud of myself, a hen back on his ridge started cutting and yelping. I cut back right in her face, very aggressively. She countered with faster cuts and I hit her again with "shut up" cuts and aggressive yelps from my Quaker Boy mout call. We basically went at it from 300 yards away from each other for a minute or two . . . crazy ruckus!!

Amid all the racket one of her nasty yelps was cut off by . . . a faint gobble. Then, I was worried that he'd get to her instead of me, so I really heated things up. Gobbleobbleobble!!!! Again and again, hammering hard! This is why we do this thing right!!?

He continued answering all the hen talk, and somewhere between trying to call smartly and avoid passing out from the rush of it all, I noticed that the hen had actually shut up and evidently bowed out of the contest leaving me all by my lonesome with a red-hot, loud-mouthed gobbler on my hands. What was I to do?

After a minute, I checked him again with cuts and yelps and he authoritatively hammered right on top of me . . . closer! He hadn't gone to the hen. He was coming to me!!

Then he began gobbling on his own . . . double, triple . . . huge barrel-chested roars that echoed through the mountains like shotgun blasts. Then I see his black body cruising through the forest with the sun glinting off him like he was made of obsidian, beard dragging the ground!! He was on a mission, moving quickly . . . stop to strut . . . no, gotta find her . . . gobble . . . cruise . . . strut . no . . . cruise . . . I watched him walk 200 yards down the valley beneath me and stop below me, planted. Solid. No more walking. Hung up like a cinder block.

I quieted the calling hoping to make him look harder. That didn't work. Gobbleobbleobble!! I figured with all the racket he was making, it might not be too much more dangerous for me to gobble at him too. So I tried that on my mouth call. He hammered on top of it angrily. Again with the same response, but no movement. I yelped and clucked like a hen and gobbled like a jake and beat a hen wing on the ground to simulate mating . . . he gobbled but never moved. Eventually he calmed down and I looked at my watch to determine my next move . . . 12:00, GAME OVER. But, what a show! What a morning!

Any advice you sage, wise turkey chasers can offer? I'm new to the game, only my second season. This is why I'm securely addicted though!!

sometimes they just love the real hens too m uch to leave the places where they always find one...sounds liek he has a favortie spot..get in his spot next time and wait for him to come over.......sounds like you did about all you could..

peacemaker... great post! Put us right there with you for sure!

It's really hard to say what you could have done different, but my guess would be the distance hurt you in this scenario. It may not have been possible to get closer, but a hung up bird at 200 yards is going to be tough. Sounds like you have done your homework and tried a variety of calls to get him in, but it wasn't to be this day. Don't worry, he will be there, and you will be in the right place... one day! Keep learning about him and applying that to your tactics.

Looking forward to that close up picture of him!

You've played the game and should consider it a victory! Now, for dessert, drag along a friend. If he gets hung up again, have the friend slowly and quietly slip away calling softly. When the ol' boy thinks his hot and bothered lady friend is leaving, he may just come a running in! I agree with the expert duo on this one too. You've done your homework on this bird. Just be where he wants to be and you'll have your cake and eat it too! Good luck!

One observation, If you could see him 200 yds away then he had a good view of your position too. Set up where he has got to get close to check you out.

Thanks so much for the advice, guys!! I have a TON to learn! And this is a fantastic place to do it. Y'all are great.

Freddy, I sure hope I can post his pic here too!!

Bird Dog, how much can you trust your camo in open woods like this? Should I try to hide in the top of a blow-down or something rather than the typical tree-base setup? What about a little ground blind, the 3 or 4 stake jobs? I used one of those in a field-edge setup last season and had a hen spot me right away from 100 yards and I know I didn't move.

Should I try to keep on using new and different calls/techniques with him? Is he going to wise up to my calling? I've heard that one call/technique will work one day and do nothing the next with the same bird.

Trust your camo - it's your movement that will screw you up. Their eyesight...well lets say I wish mine was as good. i use the natural cover - less stuff for you to lug around.
You did what anybody on this board would have done on any given day - and maybe we all woould do someting different given the situation. They're funny things - sometimes hing up like they grew roots and sometimes come running in looking for love or a fight. You just never know.
You may try two diaphram calls - keep one in your cheek and use one and then switch - give the impression of several birds. Might or might not work.
You did get the show - enjoy it - it beats the heck out of work.
BB

Great idea with the mouth calls!! As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I was doing that morning!! But, I thought I was just being wierd since I've never heard anyone else talk about doing that, so I didn't include that part!

I wonder if I should have kept up the hot & heavy calling? After all, that's what got him all worked up to begin with. But, I've always heard that it's way too easy to over-call and hang him up that way. I remembered Freddy saying that if he has a hot bird hitting on top of a call, he just stops calling and makes the gobbler look for him.

I think the real deal-killer with this encounter was my setup? I was simply in the wrong place. The next morning I could hunt, I went down to where he was and it was torn to pieces . . . obviously a very heavily used area for these birds. If I had done some scouting here before the season, I would know that . . . but hunting pressure in the "secluded" areas I DID scout forced me to find another spot.

Thanks a TON!!

To add to what bird dog said he could not see you but he knew exactly where the hen (you) was supposed to be and he could not see her either.If you can set up where when he gets where he can see where the hen is supposed to be it will be too late.If you cant do that you might try to get as close as you can and use a decoy.That sounded like a real good hunt anyway because you knew where he was now you know where he wants to be.GOOD JOB!