A Season to Remember I had just got back from a turkey hunting trip in the U.S. that had me taking 5 birds in 6 days of hunting in 3 states, to say that it was a successful season so far would be an understatement of epic proportions as I exceeded any goals that I had set for myself, now I was back home in Ontario and only time would tell if my luck would hold out. I started the season here in Ontario by taking out a few new comers to turkey hunting as I enjoy getting someone started in what I believe to be the best challenge there is, it's only equal I am told is elk hunting but since I have not had the good fortune to try that yet I can only go by what I've heard. Opening day found me under a tree at the edge of a field having set the other two hunters on both sides of me at the field edge I felt good about our chances, approximately 10 minuets after first light the first gobble of the day came ringing from the trees, my two companions both looked at me in unison and grinned from ear to ear but being new to the sport they had never heard the old turkey hunters saying "roosted don't mean roasted!" but they would both find out before the end of the day's hunt, but that is another story unto itself and to make a long story short these guys are now hooked even though they went home that day empty handed. I had to go into work that evening so I was unable to do any roosting and left it up to a hunting partner to come up with tomorrows game plan, when I got back from work and sat down he told me what he had seen that evening from this information we hatched out our plans I would be going after a single Tom that they had seen going to roost in the bush just off a farm field. This had me so exited I found time standing still as I now could not wait till morning. With the buzz of the alarm clock jolting me out of my bed I was more than ready to give ol' Tom a run for his money. When I stepped out of the truck I took special care to ensure I did not travel to close to the last known location of the gobbler, I set up approximately 100 yards away from the bird and started to ready the area for the upcoming hunt, cutting off small limbs, positioning decoys etc and with the belief that the bird was far enough away I was not ?well lets say as quite as a church mouse! That is not to say I was extremely noisy but did not take any special steps to be stealth like. As time went by and the sky started to get the familiar spring colors that makes getting up at otherwise such a ridiculously early time bearable, I heard the first gobble of the day from my lonely Tom things just don't get much better than that! I let him gobble on his own a dozen times or so before I gave a few soft yelps on a slate call and man did he hammer back but no sign of him as of yet, I was just getting worked up when the unmistakable sound of a bird leaving the roost came from right behind me? my first thought BUSTED! I did not dare move just then I heard a gobble from the bird that just flew down; he was now just 15 yards from me heading towards my decoys! When I got in position to look it was a nice looking' Jake going to check out my love sick hen every time he would gobble my Tom still on the roost would answer back so I thought as long as I can keep the Jake interested in the decoy he will continue to gobble and in turn my Tom would sound off, this show went on for about ½ hour with the Jake struttin' 5 yards from the "hen" and maybe 20 yards from my location he gobbled I yelped on a diaphragm and my Tom who was still approximately 100 yards away would gobble back?then it ended as fast as I began, the Jake folded his fan tucked his wings in and began to walk in the direction of the larger bird ..The game was over for today OR at least that is what I thought! I did not move from my position as I re-lived the mornings events in my head and trying to come up with a reason why everything happened the way it did and etch it in my memory for future reference, when off in the distance I spied two small black objects coming into view?TURKEYS! There in front of me out 85 yards or so was the Jake with the Tom in tow just behind him I started to yelp excitedly at the birds as there pace quickened running and gobbling at the same time what a show! With about 45 yards left to go before the pair reached my decoy the Tom passed the Jake on the inside with a move that any nascar driver would have been proud to see, ol' Tom came strutin' and gobblin' to his "prize" I yelped once more and since my gun was already in position I Dropped him as soon as he came out of strut. What happened next I had never before personally seen, only in a video, the Jake came over to the fallen Tom and started to "dance" on him for about 30 seconds or so then calmly hopped off and started to walk out of the field gobbling, chest stuck out in victory. My luck had held out one more time I did go out and try to harvest my second Ontario bird but for the rest of the season the same old ending "close but no cigar" you know that's alright I learned a few new things in those hunts and hey, I had already had A SEASON TO REMEMBER.