I really got my hopes up at first. Walking in right at daybreak this morning, I paused near the corner of a cow pasture to get out my owl hooter and before I could blow it one gobbled from the roost no more than 75 yards from me. I found a nice set-up tree on the other side, about a hundred yards from the location of the gobbling, with just the right amount of brush in front, then went out and set a jake decoy in a grassy strip between this field and the adjacent one. Hustling back to my tree in the pre-dawn light I tripped over a tangle of barbed wire from an old fence, and went sprawling head first. Didn't hurt anything, but broke my fall by planting my left hand, wrist, wristwatch, and coat sleeve squarely in this pile of cow manure, fresh and green from no earlier than yesterday. Fortunately I had my wet wipes and they came in handy as I slunk back to my tree.

The gobbler gobbled a few more times, as did another one roosted near him. After one of my yelps was answered I shut up and waited. The gobblers went quiet and I eased the safety off. Heard a couple more gobbles, from the ground, in the woods, getting farther away and not answering me any more.
My only subsequent interaction with turkeys came about 2 hours later, just before the rain chased me back to the truck. It was a hen in the woods across the field, answering my periodic, forlorn yelping with some angry sounding cutting. I couldn't see her, but I'm pretty sure she was standing on one foot, the other raised in my direction with just the middle toe extended to let me know I'm number one.

About the way my morning went as well

"And some days the bear eats you"

Don't despair guys. i went to a place yesterday that I knew had been hunted hard. Heard a faint gobble across the road. I have had them sail across this road before but this gobbler didn't seem that hot. Set up and called and he obligingly answered my calls. Suddenly from my left multiple birds hammered on the ground. I glanced that way to see five long beards running through the pines towards me. Holy crap snap the gun around. One rode home with me. Never too late as long as you are hunting. Good Luck tomorrow!

2GBL

Ah, love the fresh smell of success in the morning. Slunk or stunk back into your tree. Another good memory of a turkey hunt.


Earl

you could say you
had a crappy morning!

Doug

My B-I-L helped me set up some decoys in the pre dawn darkness of a cow pasture. Apparently he set the butt stock down in the same green runny stuff you fell in. Just after sun up, I called 7 gobblers into the decoys, they all floated down out of the trees, looked like it was raining gobblers. Damnest thing I ever saw. Anyway, he kills a bird, we haul him back to the cabin, and inside the cabin, the stench showed. hard to see on his camo jacket, but his right cheek was green dried up cow ****.

Charlie

What a "Crappy omen" indeed...when it rains it pours right.
Hey, better your wristwatch than your owl hooter/ crow call right?

Ah, the smell of cow manure in the morning, smells like victory. Good times.
V