Scenario from last year that i've still got some questions and thoughts about. It was a hunt I posted about that i did kill a public land mountain jake on so some of you may remember. I climbed a big mtn and didn't hear any roost gobbling on my way to the top lip. Got to the edge of the top that flattens out pretty good and decided to give a lively and loud flydown sequence. When i did a bird gobbled 50 yards over my left shoulder up and out on the top of the mtn flat area. I quickly got my gun in that direction and just waited. Kinda thick so i couldn't see more than 30 yards or so in that direction. After maybe a minute or less a bird starts doing what i call a nervous sounding gobbler cluck. Maybe 4 or 5 of those. Not a putt or jake cawkle but a loud course sounding cluck. I wasn't exactly sure what to do as the sound was real close but i still couldn't see any bird. From the sound of what the bird was doing i thought i needed to do something so i scratched in the leaves behind me with my wing and gave a few of the softest yelps i could make with my mouthcall to try and calm the bird. The bird stopped doing it and a few seconds later walked into view and i killed it. My question is, what exactly is that noise i heard and why do you think the bird would do it in that situation? There was another bird that flew off behind the one i killed so maybe they were communicating to each other and not necessarily with me. And i'm not certain which bird it was that was doing it, could have been the bird i didn't kill. It worked out in the end so i guess i shouldn't question what i did but what would you have done in a similar situation? I seem to end up in tight situations like this all the time while hunting big mountain turkeys.

I've heard what you are describing before... I generally call them "contact clucks" and anytime I hear them I try to answer with another reassuring cluck or clucks. Very likely the 2 birds were trying to "contact" with each other after they flew down and very likely "contact" you as well.

You obviously did the right thing by giving them some kind of call.

Many years ago I got setup on a hot gobbling bird and the moment he flew down he quit gobbling and went to just a contact cluck every couple minutes. I would answer him with a cluck and he worked his way in to about 15 yards when I finally killed him.

What Freddy said. If one knows that 2 or more birds are hanging together in a certain area and not responding to hen calls, gobbler clucks can be deadly especially in late season.

You done well in that situation and evaded being seen or heard. Congrats on the bird.


Earl

That gobbler cluck is given when he expects the hen to be right there. It means "show your self". Sounds like you read it right. It is worth it imo to keep a mouthcall in your mouth even if all you can ever do is cluck. Sometimes like this you will need to make just a sound without moving at a critical time.