I was set up within 30-40 yards of a roosted bird by 4:45 this morning. He started gobbling on the limb almost immediately, unfortunately so did the hen that he has been with for almost a week now. He flew down towards her and I thought I lost him at that point. Made a couple calls and shut up for while. 30 minutes later his gobbles blow up 60 yards from me and getting closer. He came as close as about 15-20 yards, so close I could hear him drumming clear as day. I needed him to swing around a gnarly briar patch, but with his hen yelping like a mad woman in the distance he was unwilling to put in any extra work.
When he wandered back to his hen I got up and began calling as I moved away from him. I setup on the next ridge and he again started to move toward me. It seemed like anytime he started moving away too far his hen would start yelping like crazy. He got within probably 30-40 yards the second time before he went back to his trusty ol' girl. Hopefully he'll be looking for some variety in his life soon.
Warming up my working (typing) fingers with this...
Got the kids off, grabbed my stuff and went to the state land powerline area where I've been having a lot of luck. Knowing about where they have been most often crossing the powerline, I brought dekes this time, and set up in a spot where I felt birds from up hill, down hill, or behind me could see them and be drawn in. There was a perfect oak, with a white pine next to it (including a low needled limb covering my lower half) and then thick laurel up hill and on one side. GREAT cover.
I set up, and called. Nothing.
Waited about 10' and called. Heard two - far off behind me and not to far below me. Cool.
Waited about 10' and called. Nothing.
Waited about 10' and called. on the hill on the opposite side of the lines west of me I hear a gobble that's pretty close - he sounded like he was just about on the lines. Now I just needed him to get through some brush and see the dekes - my home made jake (I painted a hen decoy to turn her into a jake) and a hen on the ground. I put him right up against her so he looks like he's mounting her.
Well, I call again and he gobbles and I can hear him drum and spit, but couldnt see him... Knew he was close, and had to be able to see those dekes. Suddenly, he fast struts in, I get the bead up... He struts right over to them and jumps up and starts beating the tar out of my pseudo-jake. It was awesome at a whopping 15yds or so :). After about 20", he seems to realize that this is not the fight he was looking for, pauses, and I squeeze it off. Done!
Have to say, I LOVE early AM, sunrise, off the roost turkey hunting... but this year, with the mid morning jobbies... That whole sleep in and enjoy a nice morning in the woods strategy... It's pretty dang good :)
I hunted yesterday and had a first happen to me. The tom was with a few hens on the other side of the field, uninterested in me. After about 45 mins or so I hear some rustling coming through the woods about 40 yards to my right. Black bear pops out, stares at the decoys for a few seconds, then take off right back where he came from. Pretty cool! Not sure if he was coming into the calls or what his deal was but I definitely wasn't expecting that.
That's cool about the bear encounter too Moons. I was just watching Black Bear attack videos on YouTube the other night haha. Glad you came away unscathed.
Moons, that's a cool encounter with the bruin!
