Here is one;
I went turkey hunting yesterday afternoon, I could hear the same gobbler I encountered on the last trip hammering on the adjacent property. I settled into my log blind and started calling. The gobbler would come down the hollow across the fence and get pretty close then go back up the hollow away from me.
I decided to wait him out until dark, calling every now and then to see if he would come in.
Abut 3:30 I heard some light "peeps" coming from my right down the ridge. At first I thought it was a hen but it didn't sound right. This turkey was up the ridge, down in the hollow in a zig-zag pattern but getting closer with every zig. I finally saw it easing up to the logging road in front of me and could tell it was a jake. I was going to shoot it as I am not trophy hunting when I have my flintlock.
The bird was about 30 yards away, I couldn't see his head and expected him to walk the logging road toward my decoy. I was hunting big, open woods. He stepped out in the road, I could have shot but he was walking and more than 30 yards away which I felt was a little far for my flinter. I let him go. He peeped his way across the road, up the ridge and out of sight. It took him about 10 minutes to finally get out of view. I couldn't lure him in that last 5 yards I needed to be sure of my shot.
Then there was big boy hammering behind me; After about two hours I heard a gobble closer, directly behind me, then another and another. He was going to my left, the fence line was 20 yards away, I had to let him come through the fence before I could have him on our land for a shot.
I hit the dirt in my log blind, gun cocked, and only my gun barrel and eyeballs peeking over the logs in the direction I knew he would appear. Silence, my legs were getting cramped, still no turkey, then.......... he gobbled, dang, right behind me. I was facing left, he looped around and came in to my right at no more than 15 yards. I swung around to my right but he caught me and hauled butt over the rise and out of my life. I never saw him because he skedaddled when I tried to turn in his direction.
He had a hen with him that scattered when he did, but she came back, I called her right up to me. She hung around for a while making some really loud "lost hen" calls, she was trying to get the gobbler to come back but he was long gone.
A fun afternoon but no cigar.
