RE: encounter question
Mauser,
Can you give a better description of the lay of the land?
I'm a little confused as to where you were sitting---inside the pasture fence, or outside?
Also, any idea where this bird roosts, ie. does he roost close and actually fly down into the field, or is there a fence crossing? If he flies down into the field, then a decoy would be great, especially before first light...
If he enters the field through the fence, you can hunt the crossing just like deer, and setup on that opportunity. The problem with pasture strut zones, is unless there is a disturbance---like your cows or other gobblers---the entire pasture is the strut zone, not just one area.