This year I was more into chasing the spring fishing bite than turkey hunting. However, last weekend saw me setting up a blind in NE Iowa. I walked into the area I wanted to hunt the evening before and set up mu blind and put a few decoys out. I put two hen decoys to the south of my blind 12 yards out. A gobbler and hen pair of decoys were set out about the same distance but to the west of my blind. I slipped out of the field and retired to my truck topper/camper for the night.
Next morning all was dark as made my way up the hill, around the bend and into my blind. As the morning awoke I heard several gobbles. Some to the west and a few from the east of me. One in particular from the west, seemed a bit closer than all the rest but I didn't realize just how close.
As it got lighter and I could start to see details a shape in the trees out in front caught my eye. Yes, a lone turkey roosted in the finger of woods 250-300 yards west of me. That had to be the source of the closer gobble I had heard earlier. I made a few soft clucks and he responded with a weak gobble. Alright!, game on. I knew that he could see my entire decoy spread so I just shut and waited. No need to spook him off with my limited calling abilities.
Sure enough a few minutes later (seemed like much longer) he pitches down off his perch in my direction. When he does, I lose sight of him over the crest of the hilltop. I figured he might come in quick so I grab my gun and get into position to shoot. I wait, and I wait, and I wait, why is he not coming? Oh look, I can just see the top of his head. I wait some more, what the heck? That son of a gun, he is not going to come in.
I can see him strutting back and forth just over the crest of the hilltop. That son of a gun is trying to lure one of my hen decoys with OUT getting the attention of the gobbler decoy I have out there. Sure enough, he never comes in and soon loses interest.
I decide I can't let that happen again so I scurry out and quickly grab the gobbler decoy and bring it back inside the blind with me. I give it a few minutes for everything to settle down and then let out with a few calls. No response so I get a bit more aggressive with the call hoping to revive his interest if he is still in earshot.
Most of my concentration is to the west where this bird had been, but I casually look to my left and check out my other two decoys, which are only 12 yards out from my blind. Holy crap! I have a tom, in full display, right between those two decoys. Where the heck did he come from and how long has he been there?
No matter, I grab my gun,,,,,,,, BOOM,,,,,,,,,,,, and the rest is in the pictures. :>) :>)
The next morning I can only hunt with my camera. I apologize for the blurriness of the photos. I had some long blades of green grass directly in front of me which was messing with getting clear photos.
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