gobbler answers my calls but will hang up out of range

[guesswho]

A third mistake is setting up in an area that makes it hard for a tom to approach. Creeks, fences, big ravines or thickets are a common one. Sometimes they come anyways but sometimes they don't. They sometimes will cross a 6 lane highway to get to you and other days a mud puddle will hang them up. All you can do is eliminate as much of it as possible and play it from there. Experience is the best teacher in these cases.

I once saw a field turkey hang up because of a shadow from a pine tree.   He would go to the edge of the shadow and walk back and forth gobbling, but he would not cross it.   He would walk away from it a ways and then come back and stop again.   

[Happy]

I honestly did have one hand up on a 3' wide mud puddle in a longing road. I was guiding an 8 year old and his dad was tagging along. The puddle was only about 1" deep and solid ground underneath. He would gobble and strut but wouldn't even dip his toes in. We let him wander off and scooted in to about 20 yards from the puddle. I manage to fire him back up and he didn't have a chance to hang up a second time. Little fellow flattened him with a .410. I had it on video but handed him the tape before I left.

[shaman]

1)  move towards the gobbler-- I've taken gobblers that were hung up at 300 yards by closing half the distance and setting up. I sat down and called and the gobbler came running.
2)  move away from the gobbler-- sometimes moving away makes him close the distance.
3)  If 1 and 2 are impractical,  try going quiet.  That gobbler may think you need convincing and move closer.
4)  Around my place, there are lots of gullies and dips and such. It's easy for hens and gobs to disappear from each other evn if they're on otherwise open ground 50 yards apart.   I like to call like I can't hear the gobbler.  What I mean is, he's gobbling. You're yelping or whatever-- make sure your calls are not answering his gobbles.  Make it seem like you can't hear him.

Here are some more thoughts on the idea:
Who Coined that Silly Term ' Hung up?'

[SouthernStrut]

Aight, long post, but I've got some advice and a story.  This is a good question, and a classic problem we all deal with or have dealt with before.  Every year I get one or two that hang up, like most of us do.  Over the past 5 or 10 years I've learned when I get a bird like this that gobbles for 45 minutes in the same spot, I gotta move my location somewhere.......or at least give him the sense that I've moved.  I used to move away from them but I always seemed to put myself in a bad spot to see him coming in and wished I was still in that good spot where I had cover and good line of sight.  So I learned to throw my calls or muffle them to make him think I'm leavin' his butt and playin hard to get.  A lot of people make the mistake of muffling their call but also calling softer.  Don't do this.  If you muffle the call and play softer he may not hear it at all depending on terrain, leaves, wind, etc.  I've found that when I muffle my mouth calls (hand completely over the mouth) or slates (hand completely over the bottom) but keep the exact same call and intensity I was using to fire him up, he will almost always come right on in for dinner.  Throwing your calls refers to redirecting your calls, mainly mouth calls, simply by turning your head or using your hands to throw sound other directions besides right at him.  If you're dealing with a real sharp bird you gotta remember he's likely gonna try to approach you from the side or behind.  For instance, if you are calling directly towards a bird, 90% of the time he is not going to come straight to you.  He'll skirt around and come at an angle or completely circle you, depending on how youre calling.  However, if you turn your head and call in the direction opposite of the birds location, sometimes he will come straight into your lap.  Several years ago on a youth hunt I had my wife's little cousin with me.  We watched some field birds strut and breed for an hour or so until they all eased up into the woods.  When I knew they were out of sight, we eased down the edge of the woods their way and slipped into the woodline.  We sat for a few minutes and heard a fight break out.  Some sure enough whoopin was takin place, and when it was all said and done the winner let out a spine tingling gobble, then double gobble, and all the hens cheered.........not a lie.  They were just over a hill about 70 yards from us, and we were between them and the field.  I covered my mouth and hit em with some hard hard cuts and skip notes with yelps, to which he gobbled one time.  I did it one more time and nothing......told little cuz to get ready for him to peak the hill.  About that time, that bird pitched up and lit in a water oak and was lookin for that hen he heard.  I thought for sure we were busted.....no leaves on the trees, we're in the wide smack open, I was stumped.  I'd never seen one do that and wasn't sure what to do.  After a couple minutes of the king struttin on the limb at 8:30AM, I was able to ease my hand up to redirect the calls away from us both, turn my head slightly, and give him some muffled plain yelps.  That joker pitched down into the field edge, walked a few steps, then turned right towards us and walked within 15 steps of us before he died.  Most incredible hunt I've ever been on.  Learn to throw and muffle your calling and see if it will give you a new edge this season.

[CtRider]

Great tips and story Southern!

[Damson]

I was listening to Andy Galiano's Turkey Hunting Podcast.  He said something about a mentor telling him once, always get one tree closer when you set up.  I'm going to try it this year myself and see how it works.   

[Diablero]

2. I over called him or moved straight at him and gave him the imppression the hen was coming to him and all he had to do was gobble and look purty.

This is exactly right. We have all been down this road.

By nature the hen is supposed to go to the gobbler and if you over call he will stand his ground and gobble just long enough for a hen to come to him and then he forgets all about you. Sometimes you have to play hard to get.

[Oxley777]

Good tips from Southernstrut. If you are not against using a decoy, me and my dad started using decoys about 20 years ago. We both had experienced hang ups before. We started by using 1 hen. Sometimes it worked, sometimes they still hung up. I can't remember where I saw it, maybe on Knight and Hale show, but I believe it was them that said "Use 1 jake and 1 hen". No more, no less. We both started doing that. In last 15 years, if a tom sees our setup, they come. Neither of us has had one hang up out of range since doing this. They come to the jake and want to run him off. I don't use a strutting jake, just standing. It has worked well for both of us. Good luck!

[dedwards44]

Have a buddy set up 30-50 yards behind you, with no gun, and have him call...you may find the bird in your lap next time.

[Marc]

Turkeys hang up on me, far more often than they come right on in...

A good percentage of the time, there turns out to be a hen in the picture, and there really is not much you can do about that.  Unless you can aggravate the hen into coming in with the tom in tow...

  *Very often, I have found moving parallel or slightly away from the bird while calling and then shut up for a bit works...  They often come in quietly.
  *Sometimes there is an unseen barrier that for whatever reason that bird does not want to cross...  Simply moving (usually latterly and hopefully closer)
    and start calling again can work...
  *Sometimes a gobble call, or fighting purr can work.
  *Most of the time, I do not figure out what to do, and go home scratching my head, thinking about how I will kill that bird next time.

[EZ]

This happens to me every year. I hunt public land and always seem to have the turkey hang up just out of range, ive hadthem hang up like this and answer my calls for hours and no luck, I've also gone silent after geting responses with no luck, I hunt mountains, cover alot of ground to find them, hate to leave them for another day. Any advice

My favorite hunting is big public land and covering ground. When I finally strike a bird I really slow down and take my time with setting up. I get as close as possible without bumping him or putting myself in a bad spot. IMHO, setup is everything. If you're consistently having birds hang up, maybe you should describe how you set up.
My tip:
When I get to THE spot where I am to make a stand, there's no way I have the time or cover to walk out and place decoys (if I used them). 

[eggshell]

One point to add, if you are going to go silent then I have found most people don't wait loong enough. Wait as long as you think is possible for him to lose interest and then wait that much longer. Thirty minutes of silence isn't enough I have seen it take 2 hours. I usually won't wait that long unless it's a late morning early afternoon bird and everything else is quiet. Then I have sat three hours, they don't forget you were there. Most of the time they just appear with no gobbling. If your within his strutt and breading range he'll eventually move off his spot and start looking. I have called to him one last time and then took off to find another bird and return to my spot late morning and set up and make one or two clucks and a soft yelp and then dig in for a wait. It's late day and I have nothing else active so it's a fair gamble. I have killed a few stubborn old birds this way, but most times it's a dry run. However, it fills the middle of the day and I can take a nap. It beats stumbling around and spooking birds.

[zelmo1]

All the techniques are here. I try to keep it simple. I try to beat him to his spot. If you are runnin and gunnin, I use the lost interest scenario. I let him turn around for what I believe is as far as he is coming and walk slowly away, calling away from him. Then go silent and double back a bit and wait. Scratching and soft calls , content turkey sounds. Sometimes it works, lol, others I keep working away and try back later. Changing tactics is always good on difficult birds. Keep at it brother, we all suck some days, LOL. 

[BTH]

2 really good tricks I have done is scratch in the leaves beside me with no more calling. Get you a copy of Lovett Williams CD. There is a right and wrong way to scratch) As well as gobble right after i call. If  he gobbles after this I will cut his gobble off with a gobble then go completely quiet. If a hen intercepts and is calling I will match her note for note to tick her off. Lots of times she drags the gobbler in with her.

Don't be scared to crawl and put some cover terrain or big trees between you and the gobbler. Once you feel you are close enough ...small clucks and purrs. 9/10 you get in his comfort zone he will come.

All good tactics and techniques by everyone here.

Have seen some really old birds come in gobbling then look for a few minutes. If she ain't where he thinks she should be he's out very fast with a short snood. I call these problem birds they need killing!

Have also trolled an area completely around a bird gobbling in 1 place. Sometimes doing this for an hour or 2. Then go quiet. Put all my calls away and go back to the area I started calling in and wait and listen. I E twigs breaking, songbirds fussing, spitting drumming etc. Alot of times he will let out a gobble to see where "she" is. I have seen a gobbler do this then stand completely still for 45 mins looking hard.

If he courtesy gobbles at you while going away....sit tight I mean freaking motionless for a few hours and listen for wren's and squirrels to fuss at him. Crows will sometimes stay right over a gobbler as well. He will come to you eventually. Patience and woodsmanship will kill older birds!

[yungbuck]

my first couple seasons i would call call call loving to hear that gobble but learned pretty quick if they could see me and I was calling they would hang up at 60-80 yds because they couldnt see the hen that was calling so much

here are my 3 best tactics
-patience (something missing from many folks turkey vests)
-as they get close I will use another call to sound like a jake or vary the hen sound
-if I have the cover I will walk down the ridge calling then slip back up top and not make a sound (make him think I left)