anyone ever try throwing rocks or some other trick to get rid of hens coming in to steal your tom?
had a bird come in hot from way off. it crossed a big steep valley and a road to come up onto the ridge i was on. unfortunately he wouldn't leave the knob he came up on and i waited too long to make a move, forgetting that breeding appears to just be getting underway around here. had i moved right away i would've beat the real hens coming in
so he gobbles back and forth walking the knob, which is part open mature oak and part buckthorn surrounded natural prairie field. after listening to him get within about 150 yards for 40 minutes i make a move and get onto the next knob and he suddenly gobbles at 80 and is closing in. perfect scenario, until i hear a hen to my right. how i didn't spook her making my move, i don't know. when they want a tom, maybe they don't care. she came to within 10 yards and as i'm getting her all worked up i can see the tom strutting. he's at about 40 but it's way to thick of brush to shoot. she eventually goes to him and draws him off after a few minutes.
as they leave another hen shows up to my left and comes within 5 yards. i'm trying to piss her off and i get her to cackle. at this point i start gobbling trying to get the tom to come back. no luck
if there was a way to initially spook off the first hen without spooking the tom i would have done it. i feel like if i spooked her so much she flew off that the tom would know.
any strategies to get a hen to move away without alerting the tom to the danger he's in?
