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Spooked turkey

You never know. I've observed them avoid areas like the plague, and seen them return and gobble again within a few hours. They are weird, finicky animals.

Read "Illumination in the Flatwoods, My Life as a Turkey" by Joe Hutto. He raised a brood of wild turkeys. He writes that he was walking them one day and they saw a rattlesnake. After that everytime they walked by that spot the snake was the turkey poults were very cautious.
 
This happened to me Wednesday. Spooked the bird at 630 am because he picked me off walking across a short Bermuda field 470 yds out. Inset up anyhow and 2 hours later he and a buddy followed 14 hens out to me at 80 yds. Around 930am they finally broke from the hens and came to about 8 steps. The toms caught me drawing my bow and in an instance 8 steps went to 25-30 yds and I missed clean left. Leam on patience
 
I busted 3 birds off the roost while climbing a steep ridge one morning in the dark. Thinking I had blown the day, I went on up to the top of the ridge which was about another 150 yards. As gobbling time approached, I heard nothing. About 45 minutes after daylight, I hear a gobble from the exact location where I had busted the birds. Of course, I called to him as did hens on each side of the lead I was overlooking. Needless to say, I didn't get that bird; however, I learned a valuable lesson. They will return if hens are in the vicinity.
 
I missed a bird once (seriously...only once :rolleyes:) that 2 days later was in the same spot where pellets whizzed over his head. I was calling from a totally different location than before and the first series of calls that bird RAN from the field. If I hadn't seen that I'd have never known what effect a recent bad event might have on a toms response. Learning moment for sure.
 
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