Conclusion: The Oak Ridge Caper

[Brian Lovett]

Conclusion: The Oak Ridge Caper

Figuring I'd already invested so much time into killing D3, I stuck with him the final morning.

I slipped into the 40 under the cover of darkness, found a setup between the ridge and a small flat where D3 had been two days earlier, and then waited an hour for the show to begin.

When D3 gobbled -- surprise! -- he was in a tree he'd never used previously. Then he flew down with hens and started strutting and drumming. He actually answered my yelps twice that morning, and I had the safety off once. However, after an hour, he and his hens had somehow skirted around my setup and wandered off to the west. I'd been whipped again.

As I walked off the property, I silently hoped D3 had spawned many offspring. That way, I could at least have a chance of killing a 2-year-old at the 40 some day.

What decision did you make? Did you make the right call?

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[Gobblerman]

Heck, Brian, I was expecting you to tell us that you used a combination of the squealing hen and the "hen-head hand puppet" trick and called that old boy right on in and had to strangle him in self-defense.  I am actually relieved to hear that you are human like the rest of us!   [:D]
 
Jim     

[Brian Lovett]

Ha! Quite human, Jim. That bird gave me fits. He was like a ghost!

[Bobbyparks]

I'm with Jim in that I figured you had pulled it off....You're the editor of T&TH so we here at the forum expect you to kill everything that you hear gobble or at least tell us you did[:)]

I guess I'll never know if my over the top slant turkey drive would have worked?? or my sit still and not call and pray that it's your lucky day tactic??

Seriously these "What would you have done?" post are fun

I've had run ins with birds similar to yours and I end up spending more time trying to kill him than I should even when I've had ground to cover that would likely have a more willing bird. It just gets to be a self challenge where you're thinking to your self "man I know I can kill him I just have to find a way." I end up taking severtal attempts to kill him or not kill him where anyone with any sense would probably go afteranother bird.

It does mean alot when you kill one like that and it's often a good mature bird.

[Cut N Run]

Having one gobbler that won't play along can be aggravating as anything. I burnt up too many days a few years ago on one that got the better of me. There were other gobblers around that I probably might have gotten a good shot at that I ignored for the sake of going after the one that got under my skin. I ended up eating one tag because he became almost unhuntable.

It can be frustrating when things don't go your way, but that much more satisfying when you are finally able to crack one of those ultra-difficult late season mature gobblers.

These scenarios are fun to think about how it could be played and interesting to see how it turned out for real. Thank you for starting this topic.

Jim

[rbewilson]

I feel you pain Brain,I stuck with my birds too,maybe next spring they will not remember me.

[Brian Lovett]

I have a feeling he'll be there next spring. And as you mentioned, he's probably a real good one. I invested way too much time with that bird, but it was a fun battle.