Ghost Recon Gobblers (advice needed)

[bowmike]

With youth hunt day coming fast I made a gutsy decision and do some 0-dark thirty ghost recon manuvers on Saturday morning. I had my heart set on setting up on the ridge top birds. Walking to a good listening position I heard some other birds gobbling in an are where l have heard them in the past. I am not 100 % sure but I feel that these were actually the ridgetops birds, but found a new area. Either way I decided to go in Seal team six style and observe what they did after fly down.

I hit the creek bottom and sat down below on the lower hill so the birds would not be able to see me. They were hammering, and I mean hammering. I took some videos on my phone and will post if they ever upload. I picked a large tree in some brush and just sat there motionless.

It sounded to me that there were 3 young birds dead in front of me about 80-90 yards, and two long beards each about 100 yards away from the younger birds. I know gobbles are deceiving but this was my analysis. They hit the ground. And a hen behind me in the creek bottom pines started to do a little talking. THe birds were hammring at every sound she made but appeard to be strutting in the clearing on the hill above, out of my sight.

I just sat there and soaked it in but the birds, ended up making a nice circle around to the creek bottom, and hit the lower section of the field that you can not see from the top. THey were hammering at the hen like crazy.

THe hen flew down and met them in the field. I waited until they worked out a in the field a little, then snuck out and made a huge dog leg out around them and back to my car.

MY question:

Would you set up in the strutting area they worked for about a half hour or so and try and cut the hen off, or would you go out to the field, where it seems like they wanted to go?

On my dog leg walk I could hear them gobbling in that field bottom, all the way until I got back to my car. So roughly an hour in that lower field area. The field is at the bottom of a large hill and is secluded.

I am torn on trying to cut the hen off, before the birds get to here, or hit the field and wait for them.

THoughts?

[Greybeard11]

In my opinion, I would always choose to be where the birds want to end up. If they are used to meeting up with the hen in the field then they will go there. It's always easier to call birds to where THEY want to go and if they don't gobble once they hit the ground you still have a good chance that they'll come to the field even if you're not sure where they are. I'd set up on the field and stay put.

[Triple Gobble]

I would go to where they want to be, but
I'm no expert, and just when you think
You might have them figured out, bam they do
Something totally different.  Good luck on whatever
You decide.

[bowmike]

10-4

Went out this morning to get an exact location on the field strutting area. Was in there well before light. It is pretty much a small field with bamboo surrounding it 360 degrees. I would say the farthest shot across the bamboo would be 30 yards, so it is a perfect range finder. There is a decent sized dead tree with a larger branch coming down that makes the perfect ground blind.

I checked it out made up my mind that is where we will be sitting, and got out of there. I sat at the top of the field and could hear the 5 toms hammering away. I left to scout some other areas.

Seems like I have done just about all of the homework I can on this one. Birds located, I know their preferred rout of travel, I know their preferred end location after fly down.

Now I just need a hen or another hunter to come in and ruin the whole show.

One issue I believe we will have is that the creek is pretty loud, so it may be a bit tough to tell for sure they are coming in, but I am going to have to stick to my gut and wait it out. I can only say for sure that 3 birds had hit the field as I saw them, and heard them. No beard ID, but that is fine with my nephew. I am not  positive that the other gobblers were out there before the noisy birds. The hen that brought them in however hung out on the roost until the gobblers got there. I can only pray that the same scenario plays out.

My thoughts are set up with the gobblers coming in from our right. He is lefty so that will work out good. I am planning on setting a hen decoy out directly in front of us in the low crouched position. I am up on the air on if I should set it facing us, or facing away. My gut is telling me face it away from us, and let the bird strut in front of the decoy. Should I put on a solo hen, or put out more than one bird?

I am really pumped for this set up and hope that all the duck...turkey are in a row, and I don't blow this one.

[Greybeard11]

Waiting for an update!!!