The season had been a quiet one and this bird gobbled enough to encourage hunters into his woods each morning as there was little gobbling elsewhere. Like a cat though, the bird managed to escape, using most of his 9 lives this past few weeks. The bird had heard it all from at least two excellent hunters that I know of, not to mention the countless others he evaded in the last few years. John Coit, a South Carolina Guide, had put some awesome moves on that turkey over the course of 10 days and the bird came out on top each time.

I told Ralph Snodgrass, a call maker from Pennsylvania, who had a few days to burn about John's experiences with  the bird and he gave him a try. New York's season closes at noon each day and it was near that time when the bird decided he wanted to play the game.  Ralph decided he would have to leave him for another day as the bird didn't make it to him before the noon whistle. Ralph didn't go as far as to say that the bird was going to come up that hill, but he was gobbling strong when time ran out. This bird lived on the edge of public land and had heard it all before my friends ever took a crack at him. This bird had experience with hunters and probably qualified for a PHD after these most recent experiences and this season's course on "Survival Training for Gobblers."

I stayed put until I though that any bird that was going to gobble on his own would have let one go, there were none! I went to the boat paddle and gave up some louder yelps that should have been heard to the road below about 400 yards below, but NOTHING! At that point I said out loud "That's about par for the course this year"! Feeling a little disgusted, I stood there formulating a plan. After considering the idea of packing it in, I though I might work my way down to the clearing and then over near a cabin in the woods as I had never been in that area before. Maybe the scouting would payoff next season.

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I moved down the hill a bit more until I could see the edge of the clearing, maybe 150 yards away. As I had moved some, I decided to make a few more yelps in hopes of convincing the bird that I was the real thing, but still there was no response. I put the boat paddle away after staring at it disbelief once again. How could a gobbler resist answering those awesome sounds? I pulled out my Red Scratcher and was giving it three very long, drawn out, yelps when the bird came over the top of my second yelp! He was close, maybe 75 yards. I gave immediately gave him a couple of softer calls to let him know I heard him and that I had some interest.

 At that point I had no mask or gloves on, and I was standing there with my gun over my shoulder about 10 yards from the nearest tree. This was unusual as I seldom call with out some kind of place to drop down to if I need to. At that point I sat down slowly in that spot and got covered up. I gave him another series, to make sure he didn't see me making up for my poor technique. He answered........  and I thought he might have been closer, but I was unsure. I gave him some more reassuring yelps and he answered again. I was sitting in the middle of no cover, so I was watching hard, on red alert, for any movement. The leaves were wet from an overnight showers so I was not going to be aided by leaf noise.

The longer I sat, the more I widen my searching as I thought he might try and get around me. After about twenty minutes, I wanted to know where he was, so I took a chance and gave him a few more soft yelps and purrs,. There was silence, I waited a few more minutes listening hard for anything that would give me a direction on him, but there was NOTHING! It was getting late and I was about an hour and fifteen minutes from work which began at 8:00 am. It was now 6:15 and I was a ticked that I wasn't getting a little more cooperation, but I sat for a while longer enjoying the morning air. The bird’s reputation began to work on my head and I began to think he had move off toward some other hens. I started to stand up when my wing call's handle stuck me in the back. This is a gobbler wing I carry to scratch in the leaves and make wing beats with. I pulled that bad boy out to rearrange so I decided to give it a shot.

I beat that thing on my gun a few times and then on some branches to simulate a bird flying down. At that point the bird came un-glued, he gobbled a hand full of times. Moments later he flew down from a near by tree. That buzzard had never left the roost! I couldn't see him due to the under growth, but I still had that wing in my hand. I thought I could beat it one more time without getting caught,. Even if he were on his way I would be okay if  I made it quick. He gobbled again at the wing beats at maybe 40 yards. I couldn't see him, but I was in such a place that he was going to get spotted easily if he made a move on me at this point.

After a bit more time I picked up the movement of his fan as he strutted, still close to where he had gobbled from last. As he went behind some brush I hit the wing one more time and dropped it on the ground, he gobbled again and this time I could see that he was coming in, he had folded his fan and was on a march to the gun. I pulled the trigger on him the first clear shot I had.

I am like every other turkey hunter in that I  like to hear lots of gobbling and to bag a bird now and then, but it is really not about bagging a bird, it is about the time I spend with friends, myself and nature that makes a season great. Harvesting a bird has to be secondary or we (turkey hunters)  would loose our minds and have to quit the sport!

Key Ingredients:

    1.    I got to the woods without disturbing the turkeys.
    2.    I waited until the volume of activity in the woods came up naturally.
    3.    I did not over call an area.
    4.    I was patient and made movements in away as not to disrupt the turkey woods,
    5.    I was lucky not to knock the gobbler off the roost.
    6.    I patiently gave the bird time to do what he needed to do.
    7.    I got to a spot where the bird had to come in to see the hens.
    8.    I kept calling to a minimum and used calls (scratch box) that the bird hadn't heard before.
    9.    I let the wing convince the bird that there were hens over there.
    10.  I didn’t take a risky shot that would have ended the hunt in a disaster.
    11.  I kept my head during the moment of truth and made a good shot on the bird.
    12.  I persisted in the attempt to bag a bird!