Educated Tom or Bad Setup?

[kingofspringmi]

Howdy y'all,

Last season I had an encounter with a bird that bothers me every time I think about it. . . which is just about every day lol.

I was sitting on a top of a decent sized saddle and had never had any encounters with a bird in that spot. I was lucky and managed to get a bird going. He was responding to everything I threw at him and he was slowly making his way to me. I decided to shut up for twenty minutes and waited to see what happened. He gobbled a couple of times after I cut off my calling, each one being closer than the last, and then he too went quiet. After twenty minutes went by I gave out a soft yelp and he responded with arguably one of the best gobbles I've ever heard in my life. He was in the low point of the saddle and I thought it was only a matter of minutes before I'd see him make his way onto the top of the saddle with me. I didn't respond to his gobble and I could begin to hear him walking. Instead of coming up to look for the hen (me) he continued walking down the middle of the low point and away from my set up (I was facing perpendicular of the saddle bottom) where I would never hear from him again.

So my question is. . . Why didn't he attempt to look for me? I had no decoys out that could've deterred him and he wouldn't have been able to see me at all unless he was on the same side as me. He wouldn't have been able to circle around me on my right as it was too thick. I hadn't hunted the spot much before my encounter. Was something wrong with my setup, or did I just lose a battle to an old bird?

Regardless, it's encounters like that, that keep me motivated!

[Marc]

*Maybe there was a hen in the picture you did not see
*Maybe he saw or heard something he did not like
*Maybe there was an obstruction he did not want to cross, such as a gully, fence, shadow, etc....
*Maybe the sun was not lined up with the moon correctly

I have had more birds coming in that didn't that I have come in all the way on a string...  I have had birds hang up on two fence posts (with no fencing) as if there was an imaginary barrier there; pretty sure I had one hang up on the shadow of a tree...  Then again, I have had birds cross major roads and fly across gullies to come in...

If turkey behavior always made sense, they would be a lot easier to hunt....

[Paulmyr]

 What you describe is how a Gobbler is supposed to act. That's what makes turkey hunting so great. He gave you his location and was waiting for you to show up.  Sounds like he closed the distance some and gobbled some more. When you didn't show he lost interest and faded away. Gobbling a couple times just to make sure you were not coming.

Tom's gobble and display to attract hens to them. It's how thier mating ritual is structured. If he was supposed to go the the hens,  the hens would be the ones displaying and gobbling. That's why calling up wise old gobblers is generally so difficult. Your trying to make him do something that's not natural to him.

Chances are he's played the game before. If you go silent he and does decide to check you out you need to let him come. The silent treatment is working don't change a thing. If he goes silent you need to fight the urge to call and check up on him. Once you call to him he knows your still there and resorts back the his heredity. He "hangs up" and waits for you. The only time I will break the silence is if he keeps gobbling in the same spot and won't move over an extended period. At this point a shift to a new setup maybe an option. If he goes silent my guns is at the ready.

His silent treatment was most likely for stealth. As I said earlier ,good chance he's played the game before and realizes not everything in the woods that makes hen turkey sounds isn't always a turkey,

There also a chance he gobbled up hen while he was waiting on you and she led him away. Hens are jealous that way especially if she's next in line according to the pecking order. She may not be receptive at the time but dang it she is next and she ain't letting no intruding floozy have ago at her man.


Back to hang ups. It's not hard to understand why a Tom hangs up on fences that aren't there or water puddles in the the trail, or because a cloud went In front of the sun. He's not supposed to be doing what he's by coming to you. These goofy things that cause hang ups are just triggering his instincts. Instincts that tell him to stay put and wait for you.

At least that's what I get from the situation you described.

[kingofspringmi]

Great points thanks guys.

He never really got hung up during the hunt. He didn't sit at that bottom for an extended period of time but instead just kept on chugging along. It was all open woods and the only thing between us was a little elevation. After the hunt I just told myself he already knew where he was going.

I just wanted some opinions from others and that's what I got, so thanks again. Looking forward to going back after him this season.

[EZ]

What you describe is how a Gobbler is supposed to act.

Yep, just turkeys being turkeys. Turkey had the advantage in the open woods. Try setting up (if possible) so the bird has to look for you.

[GobbleNut]

Anybody that has hunted spring gobblers for any amount of time has had similar instances where a gobbler that we thought was on a suicide mission suddenly decided to do something that saved him.  Yes, it is frustrating when it happens, and we all beat ourselves up over it second guessing ourselves as to what we did wrong or could have done differently to change the outcome. 

The fact is, none of us are turkeys, and no matter how much experience we have at this, we will never be able to bridge that gap completely.  We play the best hand we think we have based on the circumstances at the time.  When all is said and done, it is the individual turkey we are playing with that ultimately will decide the outcome.  They are finicky critters and can change their minds about what they want to do in a heartbeat. 

That is the game we play with them every single time.  The uncertainty of it is one of the things that makes it so appealing,...and also the thing that makes it all so rewarding when it all comes together the way we envision it to happen. 

[Marc]

The thing that makes it all so rewarding when it all comes together the way we envision it to happen.

I am not sure that has ever happened to me???  If I expect them to come in from below me, they are suddenly above me...  A bird coming in fast from my hard right, ends up on my left...  Birds coming right in don't, and birds that don't seem interested, startle me, when they sneak in and suddenly gobble right beside me...

At this point in my turkey hunting career, I would be less surprised about a turkey riding in on a Pegasus, than one that flies off the roost and comes in, just like I expect him to...

[Uncle Tom]

kingofspring, hope you get another chance at him. Have been hunting these ole ridge runners a long time and have had this happen 3 times, and I won 2 of them. Last one was just few years ago and here is how it went down. Was chasing this bird since early morning...up and down hills and my last set up was just over the top of the ridge....he would gobble and would not pop his head over that ridge...gobble and I shift barrel to right....gobble and shift to left. Well, after a while he would go down hill gobbling wanting me to follow. Here is how I killed him. Got up and starting walking away and kicking leaves as I walk....stop and give out few soft yelps....walk little further....few soft yelps. He gobbling and closing the distance. Got to a creek bottom and up the other side I went...find a tree to flop down against and he closing fast on my side of the creek. I was in a bad spot could only see like 10 yards out front of me because of thick brush. He just on other side of this brush and I see a wing hanging down....purr real soft and he sticks his head out to take a look....almost took his noggin off and he flops down into the creek....22 lb bird and little after 1:00. The other time this happened was probably 15 years ago and very similar situation. Only time it did not work out was a hen picked him up. Give it a try you have nothing to lose if it getting late in the day. Some you will win and some you lose.

[mspaci]

If he is resonding & coming I usually  keep keep at him, & him coming with a few calls. I usually only go silent if he is hung up. I mean just enough to keep him moving. Mike

[Zobo]

All these comments are so right on the mark. Each reason given is as likely as any other. It could be as simple as the bird saw you, remember if at any point you can see him, he can potentially see you, only much, much better. Or as Goblenut and EZ so perfectly put it, it could just be the nature of a fickle bird. Don't beat yourself up, it won't be the last time this happens to you... these are the things we spend our hunting lives trying to figure out. Believe it or not, it's what makes it fun.

[Uncle Tom]

And let's not forget, they can hear you thinking, and see you change your mind.

[Gooserbat]

*Maybe the sun was not lined up with the moon correctly

This...as with most things, if you do it long enough you cease to understand it, and that in itself becomes the wonder of it.

[TRG3]

While it doesn't always work, a gobbler that only comes so far and then expects the hen to move toward him, can be convinced to come on in if he thinks another tom has moved in on "his" hen. One of my favorite tactics is to give some hen yelps in response to a gobbler. In a few minutes, I'll respond to the real gobbler with my Primos gobble tube, giving the impression that a strange tom has moved in on the hen to which he was responding. This kicks in the pecking order dominance factor that both the toms and hens have in their daily life. It worked for me this morning when a long beard came into my aluminum pot call followed by my gobble tube. This is my go-to method of turkey hunting, often accounting for filling my three Illinois spring permits.

[silvestris]

And let's not forget, they can hear you thinking, and see you change your mind.

That is why I think of baseball when one is within 100 yards.

[Greg Massey]

He didn't see what he wanted to see... more than likely he was a mature bird with little more experience and more cautious to his surroundings.