Box Call

After scoring on a jake yesterday, I decided to give that spot a rest and I set up on an open ridge at another location. By the time the birds were probably flying down, I still hadn't heard any gobbles, so I set up a lone hen decoy and started calling to let the birds in the area know there was a lonely hen available. At about 7:15, I heard a gobble about 150 yards down over the ridge from me and slightly to my right. First I tried to fire him up and he gobbled, double gobbled, and triple gobbled back at me. Thinking he was surely going to come in, I then toned down the calling and started purring and clucking. He was still going nuts and seemed to be getting closer, probably 75 to 100 yards at this point. Since he was getting closer, I figured he knew where I was, so I stopped calling hoping he would continue to come looking for the hen. Well, he made it to about 50 yards and then hung up below some very dense brush that was between me and him. I still had not seen him because of this brush, and he didn't get any closer but kept gobbling on his own every 5 minutes or so. Then, the next time he gobbled, he sounded like he was going in the other direction. I figured I would move toward him and maybe then he would commit to come the rest of the way. Well, I made it to the edge of the thick cover, and he came back to the other edge and gobbled his head off at me to come to him. At this point I estimate we were about 30 yards apart, and I still couldn't see him. I strained my eyes to see his white head peaking through the brush, but just couldn't find him and he wasn't going to come through to me. He went silent, and the next time I heard him, he was about 100 yards down over the ridge. I went back and grabbed my things and made a big circle to cut him off at another trail I thought he was on. When I thought I was close to where he might be, I yelped and he gobbled about 100 yards below the trail I was on. I tried to close the distance and got set up about 75 yards from him. When I called again, he gobbled, but was going away from me again. I then tried to get closer and think I may have spooked him because he never answered me again! The lesson I learned is to set up in an area that makes it as easy as possible for the bird to come to you. Don't set up where thick brush is going to stop him!!

Dbl Beard

Tough lesson, but great story. Keep trying and I'm sure you'll get him.