My youngest sons first turkey hunt

[fishocean]

My youngest son and I went out Friday evening to locate a bird that we had heard earlier in the week. (Located in the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania.) We Arrived where we had heard him before and gave a call ,sure enough he gobbled. Putting him to bed we left and arrived the next morning and set up our decoys and sat down 30 minutes before daylight. Gave a lite call about 15 minutes before light. The Tom responded immediatly about a hundred yards behind us. Everything was going as planned.( The Textbook Turkey hunt unfolding.) All of a sudden a guy is walking passed us and turns to come in 10 yards above us,I whistle but can't get this guy to stop,so I say hey BUDDY. He throws his hands up in the air and walks back the way he came. To my surprise the Tom is still gobbling and there is another one gobbling a little further up the hill. It is getting light now, I start calling and they respond, now this other guy is calling from below us . The birds fly down and away from us. I think well I guess the gig is up, so I start calling more aggressively and they start comming back our way. After about ten minutes they are in front of my son. There is a gobbler and three hens. My son cant get a clean shot at the gobbler because the hens are all around him( He made the right choice by not shooting didn't need 4 birds laying there!). The birds move off until we can't shoot anymore and I can't get them to come back in,but when I looked behind us this other gobbler is out ther about 60 yards pacing back and forth ,but I can't get him to come in.Next thing I know We here BOOM, the other guy shoots! He had gone around us and some how got a shot at the Tom with three hens. I don't know why this guy would put him or us in this position for a TURKEY!

[reelaxin]

Game Lands?

Some of me earliest memories of hunting involve being shot at in deer season on public game lands in Pennsylvania.

People are crazy everywhere - I pretty much stick to private land down here in NC for that reason. If I do go on game lands it is straight to the top of a tree and don't come down till after dark.

Keep after them and stay safe - you will get your boy on one soon enough.

[fishocean]

I tried to explain to him if he should come upon somebody else hunting he should leave the area completely! No bird is worth an accident! It is private land next to State Game lands.