Photo by Ron Sinfelt

The gobbler was hung up, plain and simple.

It had been about an hour since my buddy and I had set up at the base of a huge oak tree to call to a bird we'd heard gobbling across the high-mountain bench in front of us shortly after daylight. We never saw the gobbler, but we could tell by his yodeling that he'd approached to within about 50 yards of us and decided to strut right there. He would come no closer.

Sixty minutes later, my buddy and I knew we had to try something different because this gobbler would surely leave soon if his imagined "date" didn't saunter over to him. So, as quietly as he could, my buddy crawled on his hands and knees behind me, away from the gobbler.

I knew the drill. When my buddy got about 40 yards away, he started calling again. I stuffed my calls into my vest and propped my shotgun on my knee in the shooting position.

The gobbler answered every hen yelp and purr my buddy made. At first, the gobbler just strutted in place like he'd been doing. But obviously concerned about his would-be girlfriend's retreat, he apparently decided he'd better give chase. That brought him right in front of my gun barrel. At 20 yards, I closed the deal.

We'd all like nothing better than to walk into the spring turkey woods at sunrise, sit under a tree and have a big longbeard come running straight to our calls. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way. In fact, spend enough time chasing spring gobblers and you'll find that scenario is the exception rather than the rule.

What can a hunter do when the turkeys don't follow the script?

Maybe it's time to get radical.

So-called "textbook hunts," where the animal behaves exactly as advertised, are rare for any game animal, but especially when you're talking about spring gobblers. These birds have a sixth sense that's geared toward avoiding trouble.

The setting could be perfect. Your calling could be perfect. Your decoy could look perfect. But still, a gobbling bird will avoid your trap and stay out of gun range. It's an annoying habit for sure!

Some hunters believe gobblers act this way because they've been conditioned by hunters. If they survive one or two encounters with hunters, they become wise to the ways of the hunters.

I don't know about any of that. But I do know that thinking outside the box -- doing things that aren't considered the norm -- will often put a bird in the bag when traditional tactics don't seem to be working.

LET'S GIVE 'EM SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
If I had a dollar for every time I encountered the following situation, I'd be a billionaire. I walk into the spring turkey woods before daylight and wait for the gobblers to begin sounding off from the roost. When I hear one close by, I'll maneuver as close as I think I can without the bird spotting me, plant a decoy between me and the gobbler and sit down under a big tree.