One day's hunt with a little caution
Well my friends the Seas were angry that morning---- sorry, thats my fishing for bluegills on a farm pond story.
After a 4hr drive I went in blind in the dark to a spot found last year and sat up against a big pine to listen. At first light a hen starts putting and purring at what turns out to be in a tree 14yds away, after about 10 minutes of this she made a classic fly across cackle and lands in a tree 40yds away.
5 other birds start clucking and putting including some gobbler clucks, all 6 fly off deeper in the swamp to the east. Sit there awhile disgusted, calling every so often. Far off to the west, as Col. Tom puts it "on the ragged edge of imagination" I get a gobble.
Head that way, he gobbled spaced out but steady, I get set up and call and get a gobble, he keeps coming slow and still gobbling. Off to the right hear a Big thump on the ground 18yds away, a squirrel starts fussing, a red tail hawk flies up from the ground and lands 20yds in a tree and starts screaming, and keeps screaming. Now the crows show up and make a fight with the hawk, this keeps up for what seems like forever. Finally all fly off and the squirrel finally shuts up.
The gobbler had also shut up, long ago. I stay shut up for about 20 minutes then cluck and get a gobble, he gobbles again and I threw a little Ray Eye on him and he gets fired up and I go silent.
Coming in he had worked his way in behind several oaks that were staggered off of each other, so when I first saw him come out on the right side of the tree he was in range but his head went right up alert. I hadn't moved, my gun was already pointed right at him only because that was where the last gobble came from and for a change he came in strait from his last gobble instead of circling after going silent. He pops back out on the left side ready to bolt but gives me enough time. I'm still not sure whats spooked him.
To cut distance to the truck I angle thru the woods to the trail, remember I left my cushion at the tree, hide the gobbler and head down the trail to the set up tree.
Here's the caution, there are fresh boot prints in my tracks that came and went that go within 30 yards of where I was setup, maybe closer, 30yds was the last track in my track that I could see. I would guess this is what spooked the bird, I was focused on the last gobble and not moving, had no clue somebody got that close to me, it was soft thin mud and grass, quiet walking.
saw nobody on the way out, no trucks by my truck. You just never know who's around.
Don't know if it was somebody inexperienced just coming to turkey sounds, somebody who just wanted to maybe sneak an opportunity or somebody being ignorant with the old "if I can't get him today nobody is"
