mauser,

I strongly encourage anyone that gets to within 75 yards of the roost to call very softly. Three primary reasons...

1) This late in the season, those gobblers know exactly where the hens roost. To be that loud, and that aggressive, really threw him for a loop. In essence, he gobbled hard to let you know that he was interested...but there was no way in hell he was coming to get you...

2) He may have not seen you. However, another bird roosted near him might have, and acted in a peculiar manner. A turkey's actions are sometimes more dependent on their flock, even during the mating season...

3) He may or may not have had a harem of hens. However, by the time you finished yelping and cutting, every single hen within 1 mile knew he was a lonesome and available man. In essence, your aggressive calling actually attracted his date for him...

Next time, I suggest just using a few soft clucks and raking the leaves. To be honest, late in the season after everything greens up, I try to get close to the roost (50 yards or less) and just use clucks and leaf rakes. I've got a box of trophies to show the effectiveness


I am, however, quite jealous of your morning. I've been out once all year, drove 2.5 hrs to get there, and then didn't see or hear a bird all morning...[:-]