Another Strange Call Technique

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I was hunting around a large planted corn field in north eastern NE. A couple of birds had gobbled down the hill from the field as we had walked in. They were close and the leaves were just budding. No way to get to them so I set up where I expected them to enter the field after fly down. I was under a small bush like tree right at the edge of the planted field but 10 yds from the fence/tree border. The gobbling had stopped and I had already spotted 3 hens on the ground on the other side of the field. Then I saw 2 red heads pop up in range but all I could see was head. We had seen a gaggle of jakes in that field the evening before so I wanted to see beards before taking a shot. I waited but instead of them coming out, they disappeared. They were lined up so I could have killed both of them with one shot so I was hoping it was not a decision I would later regret.

They did not keep me in suspense long as they strolled into the field about 100 yds from me, I could clearly see that they were both jakes. They strolled off toward the hens I had seen earlier then another group of 3 jakes and a couple more hens came out on the other side of me. They eventually all got together but not a shooter in the bunch. I watched them feed around for a good while, hoping a long beard would show up to join them but no such luck.

Then I hear a gobbler fire up near the north end of the field. I know I have a chance to seriously close the distance on him but I am pinned down by the jakes and hens. I do not want to blow them all out of the field raising a ruckus that would spook every turkey in the area. No way I can get to the tree line without being spotted by the flock which is about 75 yds away. What to do, what to do?

There is a dead stick about the size of my thumb in easy reach. There are dead limbs on the tree I am sitting under. I decide to try to run the birds off by rattling the limbs so I can move without them seeing my profile crawling or walking. So I pick up the dead stick and thrash it around in the dead limbs in the tree. I ease my head around slowly expecting to see the hens and jakes beating feet away from me.

Did I ever get a surprise! They were running but not away. They were heading directly toward me, the whole bunch of them. At about 10 yds, the commenced to to putting and rubber necking, apparently trying to find what made that gosh awful racket. This continued for a good 5 minutes while the other bird I wanted to go after continued to gobble. They finally started moving back out in the field and by this time I decide I was getting to the fence line one way or the other. I crawled and they watched me from 40 yds away. They never did spook and run.

These birds are 10 yds max from me. I took off one glove, got my phone out and moved enough to get several shots.
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After all of that, I still did not get on the gobbler.
 

snakeskinner

Twelve Pointer
Last fall my son threw a black, long sleeve, Under Armour shirt out of his treestand. He said he balled it up and when he threw it, it sailed open and fluttered down. An unseen gobbler in an overgrown field came running up. Always made me wonder if you could take the black side of one of those goose flags and lure them in.
 

oldest school

Old Mossy Horns
Last fall my son threw a black, long sleeve, Under Armour shirt out of his treestand. He said he balled it up and when he threw it, it sailed open and fluttered down. An unseen gobbler in an overgrown field came running up. Always made me wonder if you could take the black side of one of those goose flags and lure them in.

gives me the idea for a "flag fan" wave a big flag with a turkey fan pattern. might even put a big ole white headed gobbler on the other side.

they are really too dumb to hunt. i think fish may be smarter.
 
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