This is the closest I've ever had one let me be to her and her not spook. I couldn't have been more than ten feet to her, I walked right up to her and never saw her till I was this close. She just turned her head up looking at me. I said "oh I'm sorry ol girl, I'll let you be." And I snapped a pic and walked off. She just put her head back down.

It's amazing how well they blend in

That's pretty cool.

Cool pic,buddy just text me a little while ago and said he almost stepped on one in some cutover today

That's cool!

Wow. Do you think they are sometimes so committed to the nest that they let predators get this close? If so, it's a wonder any of them survive.

I just about stepped one yesterday morning early, scarred the crap out of me when she jumped up at me feet. In the early light it looked like about 10-12 eggs in the nest. Makes me want to post guard for yotes and coons.

Yes they are, we don't bushhog this time of year because they will let you chop them up. They are in it for the long haul.

That's bizarre. I've never gotten close enough to see one actually sitting a nest. I've busted plenty of them off of a nest.

An article years ago in T&TH magazine, I believe it was by Lovett Williams, said they learned something interesting from radio telemetry marked nets. They discovered that when the researcher was looking at his telemetry equipment and not focusing on where he was going, he could get much closer to the nest before the hen flushed. Conversely, if the researcher knew he was getting close to the nest and began to scan the surrounding area looking for a nest, the hen would bust much sooner. He theorized (makes perfect sense) that the hen has learned to read the body language of predators. If a predator comes trotting by, she'll sit tight. If a predator approaches with a scanning behavior that suggests they know a nest is nearby, she'll leave much sooner.

That's a good mama.

Awesome

Wow