Saturday started my season with a public land permit in Delaware- since where I hunt is literally on my way to work, I've spent the last three weeks scouting before and after work- well sort of. I was doing low impact scouting by just listening and watching the fields. I found a bunch of birds!! Friday evening after work I watched a longbeard go in the woods- but couldn't get close due to the open woods and zero foliage. Slipped in early and misjudged where he was- nothing gobbled on the
Limb and he got out into the huge private field- fortunately the woods surrounding it are public. After messing with him for a bit, and waiting for him to get over a small rise I got up and made my way around into a nasty thicket. Got to a spot where I felt I could call him out of the field and onto public and threw some gobbler and hake yelps at him. Got a response but the sob had gone back across the field! So I just decide to wait it out- and here he comes running across the field, and getting into a fight. So I deployed the tail fan, along with
My jake and cranked it up with some cutting, excited yelping and gobbler yelping. About ten minutes goes by and here he comes, running down the edge. Keep in mind he has to step out of the field into this little opening. I had about 17 yards to work with. He steps up to the fan, flogs it and I laid the hammer down!! Nice 3 plus year old bird!
