First time back out in a week. Walked my trail to the back of my property to where I have a good listening spot from where I could go in a couple directions from easily. Heard the first bird sound off across the holler, then another right across the creek maybe 150 yards away. Maybe 30 seconds later two gobble above my head! It was still pretty dark, and a lot of understory right there, so I snuck about 50 yards away and sat down. He commenced to gobbling very regularly, and then gobbling a lot, along with all the other birds in the neighborhood. Crazy crazy roost gobbling. I had 7 birds within striking distance in different directions gobbling their fool heads off. I heard a few birds fly down, but the one by me stayed in the roost gobbling. And stayed, and stayed, and stayed…it was almost 7 before he finally flew down, and not too surprisingly it wasn't right in front of me on the trail.
He continued to gobble on the ground, slowly working away from me, but he gobbled at all my calling. He never got more than 150 yards away and pretty much stayed put. I decided to try and make a move on him since I had a 9 o'clock appointment I couldn't miss. There was a creek right behind me 10 yards away, so I dipped down in it and moved 100 yards down it in the direction he had been moving, getting ahead of him and and back on the trail I have. He is still in the same place and I knew I had him where I wanted him.
Started calling and he is still hammering at every call and every scratching I do. Still won't finish. He gets maybe within 75 yards but no closer. I look at my phone and it reads 826. I give him everything I got with mouth call and slate at the same time trying to force him to commit, but all I get is more double and triple gobbles. At 835 I throw in the towel and sneak out. Not sure if it's the same bird I was on last Monday, but he sure acted like it. His name is El Diablo.
He continued to gobble on the ground, slowly working away from me, but he gobbled at all my calling. He never got more than 150 yards away and pretty much stayed put. I decided to try and make a move on him since I had a 9 o'clock appointment I couldn't miss. There was a creek right behind me 10 yards away, so I dipped down in it and moved 100 yards down it in the direction he had been moving, getting ahead of him and and back on the trail I have. He is still in the same place and I knew I had him where I wanted him.
Started calling and he is still hammering at every call and every scratching I do. Still won't finish. He gets maybe within 75 yards but no closer. I look at my phone and it reads 826. I give him everything I got with mouth call and slate at the same time trying to force him to commit, but all I get is more double and triple gobbles. At 835 I throw in the towel and sneak out. Not sure if it's the same bird I was on last Monday, but he sure acted like it. His name is El Diablo.