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Rule #2 - Except if that path is also used by Cows!
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As you can see my second hunt was a memorable one. I arrived at my new location in the dark and set up my blind. I was about 150 yards from my first morning setup in Sept. As dawn approached the birds were making a racket, just like my previous hunt. I got the blind set up and began using a tip from 'Stickbow98' in Millerton NY. He suggested on the Live Turkey Conference that I try aggressive Tom yelps. I did and it worked great. Two toms gobbled and headed for the blind but they hung up at 50 yards. I couldn't get them any closer. Twenty minutes later I heard a yelp from the trees and I tried the aggressive calls again. Ten minutes later a flock of twenty came out of the woods and headed for my spread. there were 5 jakes, two mature gobblers and 13 hens.
I continued calling until a hen walked right up to the blind. I had a ten foot shot at her but passed it up for a shot at the gobbler. Interestingly the more I yelped, the more upset he got. He puffed into a full strut and began gobbling his little red head off! It was a hoot, even though I never did get a clear shot at him. The hen became wary and took the flock with her as she headed back to the woods.
By 9:30 AM nature was calling and I left the 'Hide-Out Blind' set up in the pasture and headed home. I returned at 3:00 PM to find thirty cows milling around the blind which was demolished along with my spread. What a jerk! I didn't care too much about the dekes but the blind was brand new. There was one tear in it but overall it held up quite well. A testament to quality American craftsmanship!
I did what I could to get the busted decoys back up by sitting them in bushes. This was after I ran off the cows. Nothing came in all afternoon but I did watch forty birds roost down at the corner of the Alfalfa field.
On my way out I met the farmer who had noticed the crime scene. He laughed - as only a farmer could - asking why I would put my blind in the middle of a major cow trail? I had no good answer other than total stupidity.
I did decide to paint a couple of my decoy heads red. The gobbler was looking for another Tom but all he saw was blue heads. This was a tip from Jim J on the Turkey Conference.