Gobbler Hunting

[ozark]

Are turkeys small game? Whatever, turkey hunting can be a very rewarding, exciting memorable hunt. I have to call them to me because I can't chase them as many do. But this is not a handicap to enjoyment. I have learned to be patient and call and wait and watch. I have learned that sometime during the day the toms will leave the hens and start walking. Sometimes they are walking and talking. When you get one to answer you call the real fun begins. The toms has an ego and expects hens to come to him. He thinks all he has to do is answer and they will come if they have the itch he is after. Well, I don't go to him. I just pester him with calls. Sometimes I have a half dozen calls and try to mimic a whole flock. It may take an hour or more but eventually most will come in.
Seeing them out of range strutting and doing their best to expose their beauty to any interested hen is a sight to watch. And you wonder if they will hang up out there or eventually come in. Often they circle your position looking for the source of the call. It is good to have a hen decoy or two for him to see. Now is the time to use that range finder to get the range to several trees that he might pass by. It is wait and question if you are going to get a shot or not. Sometimes you don't, but often if you don't get busted by his amazing eyesight he will become your bird. I like to deer hunt, but a good successful Gobbler hunt is several rungs higher on the ladder of enjoyment. I use a 20 Ga. with No. 4 shot and a Undertaker choke. It puts them down hard out to 40 yards. It has a scope so I can put the pattern on the head and neck. Our flock has been pretty thin lately. I just hope that we have a huntable number this spring.

[lunchbox]

I dont turkey hunt but I did buy a call at the local bow shop to see how hard it was to bet them to come to you. The first and only day I went out with 4 people 2 four wheelers and my call. None of us wore camo. just plain jeans and shirts.
the first spot we were at we sat on the wheelers and i called and heard a few toms. We were talking and joking around this whole time. and within 10 min we had 2 struting in front of us at 20 yds and didnt pay attn to us at all till one of us got up and moved. Then they ran.
The second spot was about 300yds from the first wheelers were left in the field and we walked into the woods to look at some deer trails. I started messin with the call and let another person that had never used a call in her life use it and she called in another 2 toms within 10 yds of us. My phone rang when they were looking at us and I answered it and they just walked off like nothing was wrong.
Now Im not bragging but everyone says turkey hunting is hard and rewarding. So far Im not to sure how hard and rewarding it would be to be able to go out set up and shoot one in 20 min of being there and then go home. Maybe it was just beginers luck but I have not gone out since. lol

[ozark]

Things like that does happen but if you go after gobblers you will find it a different situation most of the time. Your experience is like the fishermen who walks to the river bank with his friends and visits while fishing. Then two trophy bucks wanders by within a few yards paying little attention. Then again, you may have been near a place where people had tame turkeys roaming about. LOL

[chuck41]

Opening day today. I was a deer camp and three of the guys were turkey hunting. One managed to call a gobbler to under 50 yds, and when it spooked he tried a shot, but the "turkey trot" didn't even break step. He was in full cameo with a face mask as well and got busted. I wish I had eyesight like that.

Domestic turkeys are among the dumbest creatures ever. I can't believe how much smarter the wild gobblers are.

[ozark]

Two hens entered our food plot and did the calling for us. They wandered around feeding for over an hour before these two silent toms creeped out into the opening. They were not strutting and soon was ready for the cleaning process. Sometimes it happens one way and again another. But never believe that their vision is weak or that their first reaction is to flee as fast as they can into cover or fly. Both had ten inch beards and one inch spurs. One weighed 21 1/2 lbs and the other 18 1/2 lbs. Probably two year old birds. My friend shot first and anchored his bird. The other bird ran and began to flog the dying bird and lost his life.

[northny]

I was mid 40's before I started turkey hunting, but I certainly put the excitement of turkey hunting up there with bow hunting and gun hunting deer (which I dearly love).

The turkey around my hunting grounds are really wild, and will disappear faster than deer if they know you are around. Full camo needed , and headnets for mosquito's and black flies. Camo duct tape pants to boots and sleeves to gloves when black flies are bad.

We have great turkey habitat in our area, and a lot of birds, which makes things harder. If you don't have a tom working the first half hour of light, they are off with real birds and you are out of luck until mid to late morning.

I have probably killed more birds late morning than at first light. The last two birds I killed, I did not even go out until 9:30 or 10am, but called in toms after the real hens sneak off to their nests and left the toms alone mid morning. I am also in the habit if I don't get a tom by 8am, to take a nap in the woods until about 10, then get back to calling.

But although turkey have great eyesight and wariness, I do think deer are smarter. From my observations, deer instantly know a turkey decoy is fake, and skedaddle. Turkey don't.

I have also called in a group of toms, and killed one. THen when the others all took off at the shot, my buddy yelped them right back to us, and he took another one as they came back at a run. I can only shoot one bird per day, but for fun I always try to call any other birds back after I shoot, and I probably say about a third of the time it works with hens and young gobblers (up to 3 inch beards)

Sometimes we call them into the fields, but I found the big toms want to stay in the trees, and I have had more success on long beards going into the woods and "pulling them out by the tail feathers". I learned this from a friend (now deceased), who was a champion caller, and would come if from AK to hunt with us. I think I learned more from him the first few days we hunted together than from all the tapes and videos.

[161]

I'm not a good turkey hunter only shot 4. Today I had one answer me from about 300 yards away. And he walked to within 100 an hung up. He'd answer me every time I called and now and then I'd see him strutting around. This went on for an hour. My butt started hurting and it appeared that he was not going to get any closer. So I thought I would try to gobble at him.

That was it, the next time he answered me he was two hills away. What happened? Did he have some hens with him and didn't want to share? If nothing else I learned not to do that again. Any ideas.
Thanks
161

[killahog]

161 I have used the gobble call with limited sauces. If I have a bird hung up I will cackle and cut and then gobble by mouth while moving away and then Tone down the volume and call looking away. Sometimes the Tom will Shut up and come very fast. This is where the terrain must be on your side I often turn around and move very quickly toward Him for 50 yards or so and catch him coming in. This is much easier with 2 people. I have also had the same thing Happened to me that happened to you they turn and leave the area, you just have to make sure the bird you hear leaving is the bird you were working. There is alot of times when a Bird will shut up just because he is on the move. I think they just get focused on what your saying and want to listen. Just like when 2 people a (males)are talking one speaks and one listens.

[161]

killahog
Thanks for the advise. I have to admit I don't even know what a cackle an cut sound like. But I'll figure it out. I shot a Jake first season. I 'll try it again during 4th season.
Thanks
161

[ozark]

It is difficult for a turkey hunter to make calls worse than the real turkey makes. I once gave a friend a few pointers on calling and told him of a likely place to find turkeys to work. I made a large circle without luck and ended up where I had suggested he hunt. Sure enough, I heard the worst imitation of a turkey I had ever heard. I decided to go to him and offer some more advice. I got near and guess what? It was two old hen turkeys out in the edge of a field yelping at each other. They wouldn't hang around for me to explain to them the sounds they should use.

[artjr338wm]

Lunchbox although I do not doubt what you say as the truth, I have been turkey hunting for over 23yrs now, 18 successfully, and personaly never witnessed a wild turkey who would tolerate seeing a human for even a second. Those birds you described are those truely rare 'acception to the rules" turkeys. But the turkeys i hunt do get hunted quite hard,

I have once turkey season was over exparramented just to see how much movement turkeys might put up with. Im talking moving a cammod out hand or leg 1x, once seated, or the flashing of a small mirror, or the tapping of metal on metal. With out exception they all departed like a raped ape.

Now what a turkey will tolorate in compleat darkness is a compleately different storry, especially during the first few days of first season. I have gotten away with noise and movement in the darkness on the morning of opening day of first season, I am 100% certain no turkey will tolorate lator on as the sesons progress and the human pressure increases. This movement and sound i speek of I made while around roosted Toms/hens I did not know were there untill first light and I spotted them as they flew down off the roost.