We are in season E of New Jersey wild turkey hunting, the last 2 weeks of the spring turkey season. I had a permit for week D, but I was not able to get out.
I went turkey hunting this morning on New Jersey public land. With shooting time around 5:17 AM, I had to be out in the woods by 4:45 AM. I set up in the woods on the edge of a freshly disked field. I heard some gobbles around 5:15, but they were on the entire opposite side of the field (at least 600 yards away). I waited for a while, but got no response to my calls. I packed up and headed toward the gobbles.
I walked around the edge of the field in order to cross without being seen. When I reached the opposite woods, I made a few calls. Gobbles answered all of my calls, but now they were coming from the other side of another field! Ugh! I set up and tried to call the birds in, but to no avail. Because of the heat and humidity, I packed up and headed for the truck around 7:00.
While walking to the truck, I saw a flock of about 10 turkeys walking from the road, across a field, toward where I was originally set up! I tried to run across the field and set up on the turkeys, but they say me. Their walks became runs, and I am sure I blew it. I set up in the woods and called for a few minutes, but I saw and heard nothing.