Took a kid and his dad this morning, and ended up with a jake. We set up on a pasture where I usually see them fly into off the roost, but didn't even hear one gobble in the roost. We were sitting there calling occasionally listening for something to get going. Finally around 730 we hear one faintly up on the ridge. I call a few time, but he doesn't gobble. Couple minutes later he gobbles again but closer, so I keep calling but only sparingly. He is not interested in my calling but will shock gobble at crows. Finally I hit him with some cutting and two hammer together right above us. There's a god sized creek between us, but I have seen them fly over it many times so I'm not too worried, but they just wouldn't come all the way down to the creek. They move back up the ridge and go quite. After about 20 minuets I told them we should get our feet wet if we want to kill one. They were a little hesitant to go calf high, but I just said follow me! Thankfully the ridge was very strep so the little twinkle toes didn't get too cold. Once we got about 20 yards from the top they both flat out hammered our footsteps 50 yards away over the lip of the ridge! I get them seated against a couple trees, me with the boy, and softly clucked and purred and they hammer right back in our laps, but still over the lip so we couldn't see them. We sit tight, and they free gobble occasionally in the same spot for probably 10 minuets but never appear. Even had 8 deer walk in between us and them. By this time there's a third bird gobbling further down the ridge. I still think those two are there, but nothing was happening, so I told the dad to sneak up to the top and take a look. He gets up there and doesn't see anything so we come up with him. Since the third bird is still gobbling I said let's go after it...one step and I see two red and white heads! I tell them, and they stop and see them. Two long beards and two jakes make us but too late for one of the jakes!
Back in the same woods tomorrow for one of the long beards for a different kid...hopefully!
Back in the same woods tomorrow for one of the long beards for a different kid...hopefully!
