I sure am glad that I'm getting all my mistakes out of the way this season. I decided to try to go back and find that public land bird that jumped and flew away when I had given up on him and was picking up my decoys.
I've never heard him gobble off the roost, or after fly-down, so I set up near a tree I've seen evidence of previous roosting. I figured it was as good a place to start as any. I threw a simple tree-yelp and then some wing beats at anything that might be in the vicinity. Once it got well light out and I had heard or seen no sign of anything flying down in the area, I got up to start my intended plan of slowing covering the area and listening. The moment that I stood up was the moment they decided it was time to leave the trees. The trees that weren't 60 yds away from me. DOH!
Of course, later that morning, he decided to give me a quick glimpse while he was crossing a fire break. Just enough of a glimpse to let me know that he's a Mack truck and has a beard like he belongs in ZZ Top. I think I found my white whale.
