Strut:

Consider this:

Years ago I would spend a lot of time doing all that stuff you mentioned and enjoyed it. However, I have found that I can be much more productive, save a lot of time, and not give away my presents to the birds by going to high open areas and listening at daylight and just before dark. This can be done preseason. At these quite times of the day gobblers can be heard at very long distances.

They often call at fly up and fly down time from their roosting areas and these are the most vocal gobblers...the ones easiest to get set up while they are in the roost.

I have about ten of these prime locations to listen from.

This year I went to two of them one morning and heard 7 gobblers from the first location and 9 from the second location. This works best in mountain and hilly country. The higher the better with long ridges and valleys and before the leaves are on.

I can pinpoint the location of the gobbling and sometimes glass the gobbler. I no longer go into the woods until opening day and I know just where to go...