Just for fun, and a great way to learn...Ill set up a hypothetical situation and you guys give your take on it and how you would play it. Ill see what all you guys say and see how it compares to how I would play it. No wrong answers, this never happened, just hypothetical situations.

1. You snuck in one morning to a bird you had roosted about 150 yards into the woods from a 30 acre pasture hilltop. You try to get within 150 yards or so, and setup. It is cracking daylight when you finally get situated. You call after a 10 minute wait, and he fires off at you from just where you expected. You call sparingly a few more times over the next 15 minutes with soft tree yelps, purrs, and light sounds..he fires off each time. You throw him a fly down cackle while beating your hat on your leg, and he fires off and you hear him pitch out. At this point, everything goes wrong. A hen that remained silent the entire morning, pitches out from roost not 20 yards away from you, obviously watching your every move. She heads straight for the gobbler. You hear him fire off once more after 10 minutes, from right where he pitched out. 15 minutes go by and not a peep, no matter what you throw out there. You have access and permission to try and move on this bird no matter which direction he heads, WHAT DO YOU DO?

2. You have the picture perfect setup..bird hot off the limb, gobbles to anything and everything, coming in hot. He gets to about 60-80 yards, locks up, and struts back and forth. You are about 10 yards into the woods from the field edge he is in. You have no dekes out, so you just sound like a hen in the woods. No matter what, all he will do is gobble at you and continue his pacing back and forth strutting..not closing the distance 1 inch. It is time to make things happen as 25-30 minutes has passed. You havent been silent, but havent overcalled yet either. What calling technique do you throw at him or how would you switch it up to try and get him within range. For these purposes, he is through too much brush to see you, you can barely see him through the briar thicket at the field edge given the angle he is at. Do you try getting up and moving farther into the woods enticing him to follow, do you hang tight and not do anything, change up calling. WHAT DO YOU DO?


Just for fun and hopefully to help me learn how to switch it up in two fairly common scenarios I have encountered over the past few years. If anyone has another to add, please go ahead and I'll give it my best shot.