Spring gobbler season is almost over in New York and Pennsylvania, and many hunters still haven't punched a tag. I'm one of them. I've heard turkeys gobble a sum total of only three times this year, but I did have one good chance. The problem was he came in behind me, and didn't stay long. The hen in the photo came in 10 minutes after he left. If her timing had been better, he likely would have joined her in the field I was watching.
Or, if I had set up the way I did two days earlier, he would have walked right into my lap. Instead, I decided to have a better view of the field. But there was another mistake I made. After he left I heard him gobbling. He was ready to come to a hen and I should have pursued him, but I didn't. I got conservative.
I have no magic end-of-season strategy, but if you're wondering what you should be thinking as you head out for the last day or two, read "The Curtain Hasn’t Fallen" in the May 25 issue of the Jamestown Gazette. Someone will get a gobbler on the last day, but it won't be you or me if we're not out there when the curtain falls.
To read other blog posts from MISSION: HUNTER, CLICK HERE to go to www.EverydayHunter.com.