Distance that is. Second day of the MD season for me today as i climbed onto a familiar public land ridge in the western mtns. Get about half way to my listening spot and i hear gobbles, 5:40, pitch dark overcast. Not sure where they came from i continue my climb. Then i figure out where they are and being as dark as it is off i head in that direction, down a gutter and start back up in their direction. 2 birds gobbling every 10 seconds. They're roosted on the top side edge of a mtn that drops off the other direction a good 400 yards straight down. top of the ridge has a 40 yard fairly flat ridge top. I get as close as i dare directly opposite on the otherside of the ridge facing uphill at them. When i go to set down a bird takes flight that wasn't gobbling about 50 yards to my right and flies off. I assume maybe a hen. I sit down and realize i can see one of the two birds on the roost, watching him gobble, half strut, fight the wind as he roosted in a white oak no bigger around that my wrist. Still dark and barely breaking even gray light on the ground i dare not call until i see this bird fly down. As dark as it was i figured it would be a while and tried to muster some spit so i could make a call when i needed to. Surprise surprise....the bird i couldn't see hits the ground with a thud just out of sight over the ridge top. I watch the bird i can see and a few seconds later he drops down. I quickly do a cackle with my mouthcall and they both gobble, grab my wing and flap it on the side of my tree and ground and they both gobble again. I'm still freaked out about how dark it is but i do have the gray sky as a back drop as i'm looking up the hill otherwise i'd never be able to see them. First bird appears and gives me a good opening but i want them a little closer. He walks from my left to right and goes into full strut in some small trees and i can't tell tree from fan from head, all a black mess. Then the second bird appears and gives me a wide open shot so i decide to take it. When i do the strutter flies off but i can't see the bird i shot at, run up and he is nowhere to be found. Turn to look back at where i was setting and realize i had misjudged the distance by a long shot. I thought maybe 40 but it ended up being closer to 60plus. If i had just waited i'm fairly certain they would have walked at least a little closer, who knows in that open hard woods. Just sucks to get that close to a true ridge runner and not be able to seal the deal. I found one feather so i'm fairly certain he's no worse for wear, pattern just couldn't hold up at that distance. Never in my wildest dreams did i ever think a mtn turkey would hit the ground as early as they did, with no hens around. I took the shot at 6:10 with an overcast sky. Check that out if you're in the woods in the next few days and you'll see just how dark it is.