I gave in and bought a turkie tag for the first time in 10 years and off I went this morning.
Back when I used to hunt birds we took several off the place. Not having any idea what they patterned like I got up this morning and drove in the driveway at promptly 9 am. While I was gathering up my uniform there were 2 toms and about 6 hen's down the timber line from the house. Crept down to close the distance a bit and they did answer but with the hens had no interest in anything I had to offer.
So after about 40 minutes I went exploring got over to the other pasture and I found the Holy Grail.
At the end of the field I had close to 60 birds of mixed choices feeding. I was able to get a shade closer and they also wanted nothing I had. They wandered over into the neighbors and then a while later wandered back. I watched the entire flock mill around all afternoon. The hens never left the tom's to nest. They spent most of the day either feeding in the field or sitting under the big cedar tree at the end of the field. Having hunted this before I know there is no way to put a sneak on the tree and they had no interest in me.
Around 2:30 a pair of coyotes showed up between the birds and Myself. Turkies never even acknowledge the yotes. They started mousing and the birds just sat in the shade and watched. After a bit the yotes got closer to the birds but they just sort of walked off from the yotes no alarm or nothing. One of the yotes chose to think about some turkie dinner and went in a chase. Birds just flew over and or around him most never left the field.
Some flew into the trees on the edge but the resr sort of followed the yote around. Yote got discouraged and then went and laid down in the field just watching the birds. Pretty soon he went back to mousing and working his way across the pasture. I had tried to lip squeak them when first in the field but too far away. Kept watching the yote and he started to get a bit closer. I had left my predator calls in the truck. I had a brain tornado Googled mice squeak and found a couple of youtube. First one was a guy talking about how to use the call and very little sounds. Eureka the next one works. So I started to play it now and then.
The yote made it way across the pasture but wasn't in any hurry at all.
When it got to about 25 yards and turned broadside it looked. I think he was thinking this is going to hurt.
He got a old school Remington Duplex 4x6.
From what I could tell the birds have not started to nest in the area.