Close...TOO close

[goingoldskool]

I had a buddy calling for me this morning in the turkey woods...  we set up with a strutting jake and hen decoy in an 'island' of trees in the middle of last years bean field.  The toms started gobbling around 0630.  We had 2 of them hollering from about 150 yards on the roost.  

30 minutes later, they flew down and started coming to our island.  I was set up facing south-southeast with the whole island between them and us.  My buddy whispered that they were coming in from behind me and coming from my left flank... just like they were supposed to!  As I looked over my left shoulder, I could see that there was a nice tom and a jake racing to work over the decoys.      

Just as the tom cleared the brush to my left, I started my draw sequence.  I figured that the decoys had his whole attention, BUT being only 5 yards away, he picked up my movement and the game was over!  He took his little buddy with him the way they came, not to be seen again...  

As a professional armchair quarterback, I reckon that I should have let him close in on the decoy a bit more AND that maybe having a blind would have paid off as well!

It was quite the experience and I will cherish it for a loonnnggg time!

Good luck, shoot straight and God Bless

Rodd

[kevsuperg]

Thanks for sharing. Awesome experiences like that are a big part of why we hunt.
Live and learn .

[YosemiteSam]

If you have to learn something new, that's definitely the best way -- experience.

[Keith Zimmerman]

Why do you need a blind?  Sounds like another minute and they would have been all over the decoys.  Next time....

[mangonboat]

Coming in from your flank is tricky because their eyes are on the sides of their heads and if they pass you close by, they might notice something amiss even if you're dead still. Once they get past you, though, I don't think I've ever seen a bird look back over his shoulder. It sounds like you had a good set up. Keep at it!

[hitman]

They have eyes on the back of their heads too, and sometimes I think on their rear end.

[Bill from NJ]

GOS,

Thanks for posting.

I try to learn from other folks experiences when ever I can.

Makes me concentrate on my own patience, and body movements.