some of you been following my frustration and helping me with my setup and tactics.......last saturday i made a dumb move and got busted before i even started hunting.....today finally got to go back.....set up to the left in an old orchard an hour before dark....practiaclly belly crawling in...first setup i was too close to the field...thought i went farther then i did....and was in a bad position....so as day was breaking i snuck deeper into the old orchard...found a nice open lane...CRAWLED the decoy out to it...crawled back..set up...birds started going nuts all around me...CLOSE...one was at the end of the lane the decoy was on! settled in......let out a flydown and beat my hat...he went NUTS.....i know he looked and seen te decoy...i was in brush and big trees all around me but the decoy was 5yds away on the lane...he kept going nuts....i had sticks under me so i moved them and made it sound like a hen scratching....hes going bonkers...he hits the ground...still going nuts..double and triple gobbling...i hit the slate one more time pretty excitedly to seal the deal..he was COMING and coming fast....the whole time theres birds ALL around going off....but this one was on his way...then all the sudden to my left a hen lets out.....only 30yds away or so...i was like crap....but knew he was coming and seen the decoy..so i figured with any luck except bad luck he would came in view of my gun sooner or later....then i hear brush busting...slowly look over.....a hunter!!!!!!!!!! atleast 1...maybe 2...when i seen them that time i thought i seen 2...could be the new contacts lol...then i seen the hunter walk back and forth through a clearing...i was scared...the decoy is between him and me...i didnt wanna move to pull out the orange in fear of him seeing that and shooting the decoy at that time....at that point the turkeys didnt matter my life did....they finally settled in and were STUMPED as to why ALL the birds shut up....sitting there trying every type of call they could think of...they were behind a BIG bunch of bushes at that time so i grabbed the orange.....grabbed my decoy and got out of there....i dont know who they are or where they came from...i was jacked....i wake up an hour early and thats what i get....no doubt in my mind if they werent there id be telling a diffrent story and posting pics.....that bird was running my direction.....all that happend in the matter of about 2 minutes....i hope they didnt get any shooting at my birds.....and hope they seen me leave and left too instead of spooking them all day......i still got lots of time.....but thats the second time in a week that i know the birds got spooked...so i dont know how the rest of the season will pan out....thats about the only spot i got here at home to hunt thats producing....im about sick of PA......3 more years....hunting AND fishing here is about a joke...i love turkey hunting more then anything....but im about to hang up the 870 till im out of the state....thats the second time in a week something like that happend...tuesday i had someone shoot a bird off of me i think at a spot up at college..he shot and was CLOSE..less then 100yds away...i heard the action of his gun work..went over to see him and the bird...and appologize if i was calling to HIS bird....but i never seen him...heard him..nothing.....i think he knows he shot my bird and was hiding...he was probably walking when he seen my bird coming to me...thats why he took 2 shots...i understand sometimes sitting you can and will still miss.....but it was quick shootin...and he was nowhwere to be found...

Mauser!

TerryM and I had a very similar situation today as well,you have to realize that it's the weekend and lot's of guy's are going to be out ,the best hunting I find is that of the mid week when you'll most likely find yourself actually alone in the wood's .
We started out at about 5:00am and were set to go for 5:30 ,the bird's were gobbling like crazy in all direction's ,so it appeared we were about to have a great morning .All of a sudden the bird's went pretty quiet ,except for 1 particular bird ,finally about 2 hour's later he appear's in the field behind us ,heading directly in our direction ,so it looked like a slam dunk until a deer came from the far side of the field and chased the turkey back into the wood's ,after a few minute's the deer had pegged us and left immediately into the bush ,the bird returned a few minute's later ,but this time he went the other direction,he was a dandy mature Tom and I fully expected for TerryM to finish the job . We were setup at the edge of a field and this was the first time my 9 yr old son Jared had ever wanted to go turkey hunting ,so this was important for me to show him what turkey hunting was all about . After the bird disappeared across the other side of the field 2 hunter's appeared from the opposite direction ,looking our way at our decoy ,since we were setup in a ground blind ,I was afraid that these guy's were about to shoot our decoy ,so I yelled at them to let them know we were there .But the hunt was over ,we knew that we weren't going to see any more bird's now .
We spoke with the hunter's whoDID have permission to hunt this property as well as we did, and they informed us that they had seen 2 other hunter's walking through the bush as well as ourselve's ,so I guess this kind of explain's why all the bird's we had heard earlier ,had disappeared .
This is the only property that I hunt that I've ever ran into any other's hunting ,soI guess I'm pretty fortunate that way .But I know how it can ruin one's hunt .
Keep trying ,but I'd maybe give it more consideration to try to hunt during the middle of the week ,I'm sure good thing's will happen for you REAL SOON.
You alway's have to think about safety while hunting bush's that other's hunt as well ,so no matter if there's a bird there or not ,you need to let the other hunter's know your there, your safety is more important than a turkey's ,the turkey may be gone ,but there's alway's another day to hunt .



nubo

Very aggraviting. I know how ya feel...

still fuming after a long nap.......nubo....i DO hunt during the week....just was at college all week since last saturday....hunted the 2days up tehre that i could....and came home last night and hunted this morning....ill be home for good this week.....im going to hunt at school a while i think...i can leave monday after my finals if i wanted.....but why not stay up there closer to the BIG woods....i might see other people but most times i dont if i walk far enough back...these birds from today havent seen the end of me.......when everything goes right they are good birds to hunt.....2yrs ago i had them going nuts on the roost...tree called...scratched in the leaves...flew down and carried one to the truck.....this is the first time ive seen ANYONE back there ever turkey hunting......i hope they didnt ruin the flock....they are very vocale birds.....

PS.....i dont mean to sound like i didnt put on my orange hat when i seen them because i didnt want the turkey to see....at that point the birds shut down and i was scared for my LIFE.....i didnt wanna move to pull out the orange hat and have them see the movement..then notice my decoy and shoot it real quick....so i figured id sit as still as i could.....if i seen a gun moving my way i was ready to yell....we will see what happens next time i get out there....3weeks left......

Good luck to you mauser06