Another day another Turkey!

Started the morning at 3:45 AM, MUST BE OUTTA MY MIND. Set Mark G up at the North Hardwood roost site and started calling at 5:00 A.M. Two gobblers sounded off close and I just cut and purred for about 15 minutes. I did not hear them fly down but they gobbled when they hit the ground and went silent. i heard the hens clucking and purring as they worked through the bush towards us… and I motioned for Mark to watch behind us in the cover. Then I heard a big gobbler sound off to the west and it sounded like he was moving out to the clearing so I let go with a series of yelps and then switched up to a contentment call. I turned Mark back to toward the field expecting the Tom to work the edge towards us.
Suddenly I heard a put put put behind me and I motioned for Mark to look over his shoulder at what I thought was a hen… I told him not to shoot. Then miraculously the hen sprouted a tiny little beard and a red head! It was head up doing the warning put and ready to go so I whispered urgently to Mark to shoot, shoot, SHOOOOT! But Mark did not have a clear shot even though the Jake was within 25 yards. So we listened as he putted his way back into the forest and out of our hearing. Bummer.
I guess that is why we call it hunting, not shooting.
Any way the day is young and I have some birds marked for the afternoon and tomorrow morning.
Good luck to us and to Mark getting his first Turkey.