So this is my first post. I have been reading and enjoying the website for about 2 years now, I just never signed up. But I had to become a member so I could tell you guys about my relaxing time in the turkey woods.
To start off I have been working out of town for a few months. So when I come home I have a to do list about a mile long and have not went hunting like I would like to. So my wife says "hey why don't you just let me do all the yard work and you go hunting all weekend." I say nah, I have so much to do here. "No, no, I insist,! It can all wait, plus you need to relax. And you enjoy turkey hunting so much, and I bought you that "Uncle Tom" outfit and you have not even wore it!" Bless her heart, what my wife was referring to was the "Ol' Tom" shirt and pants she got me for our anniversary. After all, how can you argue with that? So she talked me into it.
My first morning led me to an area of planted pines probably ten years old or so. At day break I hear a few gobbles. But one was a low thunderous gobble, maybe 10 or 12 times from the roost. I say to myself, yep that's my bird there.
I move to an area I think is good for set up. Soon he is on the ground and I hear some hens and he is talking back to them. So I just stay quiet, I have not made a sound. It sounds like they are going to run me over, well they turn and start heading to my left still some 75 or 100 yards away. So I start calling to the boss hen. Mocking her every sound (or best I can). Well she gets fired up and comes at a run to me just cutting and yelping, gobbler in tow. I am thinking yep I'm gonna be to the waffle house by 7:30 enjoying some good old scattered, smothered, covered, chunked with the local farmers and other hunters. Well I guess she must have putted around looking for this mysterious hen moving in on her territory for about 5 minutes or so and I see the big boy about 75 yards down the row for just about 2 seconds before he moves across into the next row out of sight. The hen moves on but he does not follow her he just disappeared. I heard him later a good ways away (I think it was him) So I move toward him trying to cut him off and end up scaring off the harem of ladies he has with him and they fly everywhere . Rats, there is always tomorrow.
Next day pretty much the same thing. I move to him and set up and he gobbles at my calls but never comes in. Then he just goes silent. As I am leaving around lunch walking out, there he is, dusting himself in the road! He flies up and into the pines. I study the area and decide to come back after lunch and wait him out. Definitely a strutting area because of all the tracks and wing drag marks. But after 5 hours he pulls a no show.
Next morning, back to the strutting zone. No breakfast today, its after ten. Just about to get up and I hear him gobble down in a hollow about 50 yards from me. Oh he is mine now! Few soft purrs and some clucks and he double gobbles. . . I still don't see him but he is close. Looks like it's gonna have to be a quarter cheese plate instead of breakfast at the waffle house. Then my cell phone goes off, I forgot to put it on vibrate! Of course I have to try to silence it in my pocket, so I am beating my leg and hit the talk button. The ringing stopped but now I hear my wife through my side pants pocket saying, "hello?. . .Can you hear me?. . Hellllllooooo?" I feel around till I hit the off button but it is too late, all I can hear is alarm putting. I call the wife back and she says "did you get any yet?" I am like, No, but almost. "see, aren't you glad I made you go hunting so you could relax?" . . .if she only knew, if she only knew!
