Im with Bill on this one----only scouting I ever do is from a distance with bionoculars.
I once had a hunting buddy that talked about a place he wanted to take me opening morn in Georgia. He said he had been "listening" to 3 longbeards hammering for almost a week prior to season. We went----stood in the edge of field/wood and waited---they hit---we moved in above them and I picked a big Loblolly pine for us both to sit on.....game started and I thought the bird was going to committ suicide in the first 15 minutes . he hung up just below us ands shut up----got ready to see his head pop up anytime....after 15 minutes of torment----I had to call---he hammered from below where he had roosted.
Hit him hard and he he comes agin...gets close --I shut up---so did he. After a while---I had to check him---he hammered again below his roost rtree aqgain. He had moved back there again.I went to pick up my calls and planned on leaving my buddy there and I was going to back up 40 to 50 yds to lay the trap !!! As I picked up my calls---I noticed all the ground had been cleaned all the way around the hudge loblolly.
I asked him where he had been listening to the bird---he said I had picked trhe same place he had sat day afetr day. My immediate next question was----have you been calling to the bird----he said yeah---"I like to hear em gobble""""'
\Nedless to say ....we got up and went to another bird-----that one had been called to from there day after day.....it was funny----after it was all over. At the time I could have placed a mossberg bowtie around his neck !!!! Opening day spent on a bird that had been called to time and time again from the same spot we were sitting
