BrianDawson

Ideas Please!!! The Merriams I'm calling don't come a-runnin'!

The scenario:

I hiked in to my set up spot on Saturday an hour an half before first light - 2 hours be for sunrise in the mountains of central Idaho (about 4400 ft.) What sounded like the Boss-of-the-Woods sounded off @ 5am at the crunching of my feet on the snow pack - he was over a 1/4 mile away! I made my way another 150 yds over the next 15 minutes, while he continued to sound off, being as quiet as I could be and then sat for about an hour. The Boss gobbled continuously.

I was about 200 yards from the roost, about 60 ft below an opensaddle I knew he had been working. There is a long open meadow up to the saddle with steep timber cover on both sides rising over 200 above the surrounding area. I would be difficult to get above him.

I did call at about 6:30 - a half hour be for sunrise (Very soft tree calls). He belowed from his limb. I stayed silent until 7 while he continued to sound off. I heard him fly down. I called softly and sparingly for the next hour always getting responce.

I then move back into the woods and called again, he responded I move further twice more, he respond both times - I thought I heard a second bird - closer to me, from the same direction, but the Boss cut the second call off immediately, gobbling excessivly.

I moved back to the set-up, and sat stone quiet while the Boss gobbled.

After 4 1/2 hours of this bird and I at a stale-mate I got impatient and decided to try to get above him. When I did - the second bird I though I heard blew up - about 60 yards out - and ran away.

I waited for anouth 1/2 hour while the Boss continued to gobble - with no movement towards or away from me. The I decided to try to get above him. I spent 30 minutes going 200' up. and ultimately bumped him away.

Aside from waiting longer - what could I have done differently?

fingerz42

Ummmm... I would say all the waiting in the world may not have helped.. It sounds like he was hung up or maybe an obstacle or he just did not feel like coming the rest of the way in.. perhaps he already had a hen with him or somehting... If I had a bird that was staying in that spot for so long and would not come closer, i would not waste all day sitting in one spot.. Although you said you tryed to get above him, I would have tried to circle on him instead.. Rather than just trying to get closer or trying to get all the way on the other side of him, do a circle on him and get off to the side..

Heres a diagram.... instead of getting on the other side, just call from the "circle position" as labelled on the diagram.. See what others think of this tactic as well...

BrianDawson

fingerz42,

Thanks for the advice - I don't look forward to the climb, but I expected this to be a viable solution. As drawn, your diagram gives the most cover, but is by far the most strenuous direction. Up 200+ ft in about 150 directional yards. Once up, I will be about 100' above the saddle - unless I continue to the north slope, which still had snow on it last Saturday, and it's steeper still.

What about trying to infuriate the Boss with a Gobbler Decoy? In 3 years we have yet to see another hunter in the area, and visability is good to see likely approaching hunters. We are 3+ miles in.

fingerz42

Yeah.. use a decoy... that could work... im not sure if getting into thick cover is the best solution.. maybe try the circle in the other direction.. If its too thick the gobblers wont want to walk through it..

BrianDawson

Thick cover is not the problem. Elevation gain is. The woods is mostly Doug fir, Larch and Ponderosa, with lots of open ares without much brush. Crossint the otherway sends me across the meadow and up. This bird has a pretty sweet spot for himself. And he can see multiple directions for his limb. Below is a simple drwing of the senario.

- <<<< - -
- - >P<<<<< - - The next point behind the bird
- - >> < - -There is a steep valley heading off WNW, just north of the saddle
- - >>>> <<< - -
- - >>>>> <<<<<<<<<<< - -
- - >>>>>> T<<<<<<<<<<<&lt ;- -4400' in the saddle where the Boss is, up to 4600+ in a hurry on both sides
- - >>>>> <<<<<<<<<<< - -
- - >>>> <<<<<<<<<< - -
- - >>>> <<<<<<<<<< - -
- - >>>>>J <<<<<<<< - - The Jake came into the meadow from behind a small point into the meadow.
- - >>>> <<<<<<<<< - - The open area is a long meadow at the bottom ovf a bowl
- - >>> <<<<<<<<< - -
- - >>>> <<<<<<<<< - -
- - >>>>> <<<<<<<<<< - -
- - >>>>X><<<<<<<& lt;<< - - I was set up on the X @ about 4340'
- - >>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<&lt ; - -

RIStrutStopper

How aggressive were you calling? Maybe shutting up and playing hard to get would be the ticket for this boy. If he was bellowing to every call you made, he might have been trying to get you to come to him. Soft clucks, silence, an occasional purr or scratching of leaves might have lured him in. I find that when I call to a bird and he gobbles after every yelp I make, they tend to hang up more.When I make random soft calls, not in response to his gobbling, or just scratch leaves, sometimes they can't stand it and start making their way closer.

BrianDawson

I did call at about 6:30 - a half hour be for sunrise (Very soft tree calls). He belowed from his limb. I stayed silent until 7 while he continued to sound off. I heard him fly down. I called softly 3x over the next hour always getting response.

At 7:45 I moved back into the woods and called facing away from the tom, he responded and I move further twice more, getting responses both times - I thought I heard a second bird - closer to me, from the same direction, but the Boss cut the second call off immediately, gobbling excessivly.

I moved back to the set-up, and sat stone quiet while the Boss gobbled.

The only "calls" I made over the next hour were the "crumpling of a olive colored, plastic grocery sack" to simulate scratcing in the turf (pine needles don't make much of a sound). I don't know if the Boss heard the "crumples" but he continued to sound off at irregular intervals. It was probably this "scratching" that brought in the silent satallite bird.

I've been learning how to gobble with a diaphram this week and plan to be back out there at 4:45 and when the Boss sounds off Ihope to p*** him off enough to entice him (or the satallite) come beat me up!

BrianDawson

It's pretty open in the woods . . . Mostley Doug Fir, Larch and Ponderosa Pine, with not much brush. Darkness will help, but how close do I dare try to get. The Boss can see way down the meadow. From my first set up, I was 175-200 yds away.

With all of his gobbling in the dark - I don't think he was going to move . . . (unless I got too close, of course!)