I received a good response to a locator call in an area that I previously scouted so I set out a couple decoys in a breeding setup. I backed off about 30 yards south and set myself about 5 yards off the edge of a small field and went to work on the calls. I immediately got a response from the northwest. Each time I called a thunder of a gobble came right back. After going back and forth for about 15 minutes with this bird, I finally spotted him about 70 yards north west of me on the far edge of the small field and that’s where he dug in.

He hung up right there. I tried aggressive calling and passive calling and with each I got good and quick responses but the bird walked back and forth along the tree line. He definitely did not want to come out into the clearing. I thought about backing off and trying to call him in from farther away but I didn’t want to risk being spotted. I’d never seen or heard a bird go this long but after 40 minutes of us sounding off at each other I lost sight of him. He still responded to my calls but it sounded like he was moving away.

Suddenly he went quiet and after about 10 minutes he reappeared from the tree line about 40 yards closer to me. Finally he stepped out in the field and began to strut, slowly moving back and forth. He made his way about half way across the clearing, spotted my breeding decoy set up and went crazy. One loud gobble after another about 9 times and he moved toward the decoys fast. I set the call down and got ready for a shot, took a bead on him and followed him until he stopped about 15 yards west of my decoys and I put him down in his tracks.