Interesting birth day what would you do x2

[3seasons]

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Always like trying to get me a birthday bird and I was oh so close this year. I had my 410 with me. Wouldn’t have mattered if I woulda had a 10ga. Did manage to get a buddy from Tennessee a bird in MS this morning so he told me happy birthday lol.

Got to a spot just before first light and was surprised I was alone. He only gobbled 2 times on the roost and that was me hooting.

So I slipped down to  a small dim trail that I knew of that went down a ridge close to him,  he roosted on a tree in a bottom.  I was set up  as close as I could get to him (125yds) on the roost and I just used my wing and scratched. Clucked 3 times on my pot call and 10 min later he was standing there looking for me. Never heard him pitch out. But he knew exactly where I was.  I think he got nervous when he didn’t see the hens   

I had just told myself I should just aim down the road and when he pops out happy birthday to me. But I heard a stick pop over the hill to my left and I looked over there.  When I eased my eyes back to the right he was standing there at 55yds. My gun was at 11:30 he was at 1:30. I never moved anything but my eyes but he tucked his wings and disappeared.    Even though I didnt get a shot it was a great gift just to have it all play out, win some learn from some. 


Question 1 . I’ve never been really good at getting on a bird after they bugger up like that. He wasn’t gobbling at all and just slipped in and slipped out.  How or what would you do to try to get back on that bird? Or just go find another one and come back later for this one?

Question 2. What would you do if you found this on the piece of public ground you were hunting? This was found about a mile from where I got on the bird.
Blind

Wheat and milo 

[xarcher]

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The first one is easy. You know where he sleeps and since he doesn’t gobble much chances are you will not have much competition hunting him. You also know how he comes off the roost. He just looked at the right place at the right time for his sake. Ya gotta try him a time or two more.
The second one is tougher.  First the blind. In PA we are not allowed to build one like that. It’s a safety issue. But we are allowed to use pop up blinds. Go figure. I am guessing that the blind is permitted in MS. So about the bait...  I’m not much of a tattle tale so I’d leave a note that says you reported him and hope he shows up in the dark, reads the note and doesn’t have a plan B. What’s really stupid about what he did is build a blind near the bait. It attracted someone’s interest enough to the point of finding the scratch.

[cramerhunts]

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Pretty sound advice from xarcher as I’d likely give  the same.