Turkey stops responding

[howl]

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The usual reason for that is its henned up. The other one is people shoot at them too far so they stay out of range. The trick to killing them is to sit in the correct spot.

[Dr Juice]

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Partner up and have the caller planted a significant distance behind the shooter. This tactic has worked for me several times. 


aka Dr Juice, Guns N Hoses

[Dtrkyman]

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Reminds me of a public ground bird I killed years ago, would hammer just above me on private and would not commit to my hillside on the public, three mornings in a row even called in his yappy hen one morning and he still held his ground, fourth morning exact situation and I decided to gobble at him, he nearly ran me over coming over the hill, caught me on my off shoulder and busted me moving but he decided to leave straight down an old logging road and got mowed down on his way out!

[Marc]

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I always enjoy these threads, as they remind me, that I am not the only one.

Last season, I had the unfortunate opportunity to watch such situations unfold...  A tom fires off to my calling, and all the sudden is going the opposite direction.  Generally in the rolling oaks of CA, I cannot see what is going on, but twice last season (in totally different locations), I witnessed hens come out of the wood-work as soon as a tom responded to my call...  The hen would head off the tom, and immediately stroll of in the opposite direction.  Getting around them was not an option (due to property lines or terrain).

Honestly, outside of trying to gobble at them (which has not worked yet for me, although I have had some strong responses), I have no idea what to do either.  I tried gobbling, I tried fighting purrs, I tried shutting up, and I tried more aggressive calling, and once a hen has them going in the opposite direction, I feel like I either need to move on to a different bird, or wait for the hen to leave him again...  I hate waiting.

[yella yelper]

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I like to turn my head around the back side of the tree I'm on and soft yelp like I'm walking away. It has worked for me a few times when it seemed all failed

[RebelW]

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Scout some more and figure out where the hens are going

[surehuntsalot]

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more than likely henned up, go back in the area later in the morning and try it again

[MK M GOBL]

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Might need to hunt him at a different time of day or time of season... Here's a bit of a story on a bird like that, Killed him during my Fourth year of hunting him.

I have had some history with this “bad” bird and have been hunting him for the past 3 years, he was the kind of bird who would always answer but never come in, seems he always had hens with him and 5 or 6 of them at a time. Well here we are in year #4 and have seen him out strutting with his harem of hens and have set-up on him a number of times this year already, actually killed a couple of satellite birds in his area during our first couple of seasons. So we are now into our 4th season and after a tough few days and a unsuccessful morning hunting with a buddy I was headed back to the house to mow my lawn that seriously needs it. My buddy says you can always mow lawn in 2 weeks when turkey season is over... Took his advice and went out to the blind, got the DSD's my Cody and BIG PUFFY out. Once I sat down this guy gobbles once at my hen talk and then shuts up, I gave him a few more calls and no response… Next thing I see is a head pop up in the field and disappear, the a fan appears and he is strutting in and doing the fast walk. Eleven minutes into it and he's down at 15 yards! This is the one I was after and he was lonely today. This is a bird that I knew all too well and finally taking this longbeard “Hook” was worth the wait! He weighed in at 23lbs 7oz, a 10 ½” beard and spurs were at 1 7/16”

MK M GOBL

[TRG3]

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MK M GOBL...Nice story and one that I've experienced only I used a Primos gobble tube. a Funky Chicken decoy, and hen yelps to bring him in, imitating an intruder tom that challenged his status in the peck order. It took until the end of the Illinois spring season before he gave in and came to challenge the intruder before a load of #5 dropped him. I remember that hunt more than others where the tom came in directly after fly down.

[rockymtngobblers]

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As soon as you know he's  not coming  in and hear him a bit further off move up at least 25 ft. and call aggressive.