I know exactly what you mean. Last year I messed with one particular bird from the second week of the season till the end. First time I called him in I had him strutting at 15 yds. and when I decided to end it I pulled the trigger and nothing happened. Bolt wasn't all the way forward on my gun. I just watched him walk away. Over the next few weeks I had him real close but he'd hang up just out of range. One morning I had him coming in, I was set up in a patch of mixed hardwoods and cedars. I saw him coming from about 50 yards out. The path he was on was going to bring him through a small opening at about 20 yds. I hadn't moved a muscle and was already down on my gun with it trained on that hole. He came on up like he was suppose to, and right before he clear the last tree into the opening he stopped behind it. I heard a putt and before I knew what happened he took off running back where he came from , then caught flight and was gone. To this day I have no clue what happened. I still had one tag left and caught back up with him on the next to the last day of the season about a hundred yards from the last time I saw him. I heard him and closed the distance to the edge of a tree line and got set up. A few soft yelps and clucks and he fired back a little closer. There was a opening on a little rise about 75 yds. from me. That's as far as he got and just strutted. This went on for about 45 minutes. During this time I made very few calls, and each time I did he would break strut and crane his head in my direction but not budge. Then came another gobble from out to his right and 3 jakes came into view and were headed my way at a pretty good pace. He couldn't take that, and here he came about 40 yards behind them. The 3 jakes came right up to me searched around for a second, then went into the tree line behind me. Then here he came. He got behind a a little patch of brush and I figured he come out to my left where the others had and follow them up behind me, he didn't. He stepped out to the right of the brush pile in front of me. He looked around for a second then turned away from me. When he did I got the gun on him. About that time a bug caught his attention and he jogged a few feet after it then proceeded to peck around. He was less than 20 yds. from me and I had the safety off and the bead on his wattles. For some reason I clicked the safety back on and never pulled the trigger! I just watched him ease off. I had never done anything like that before, but it just felt right. I guess I figured he had beat me all season and made it to the end. The older I've got I've learned it's not all about the kill. I could have killed him that day, but actually got satisfaction out of letting him live and just enjoying the moment. Now I'm making plans to go after him again, lol.
