I wanted to get this great forums take on "Moving in" on a gobbling Turkey that just won't come. I by no means want this thread to be controversial, I realize that everyone has differing hunting styles they employ. I myself have "changed position" on gobbling beards throughout my career. I always ponder what crawl, move, slither might cross the line of "stalking" a wild Turkey, which is not permitted in most states I believe. Most of the older 3 year or more Tom's in my hunting areas are call shy, very reluctant to come to calling on most days. With this said, changing calling positions on one of these guys is required if you want a chance on a reluctant bird. You watch a lot of video hunts, a lot of Tom's are taken when they "Pop their head up" from a ditch, crevasse etc. Guns pointed, noise, movement, this situation could get hairy in some cases. Being an ex Hunter-Ed teacher for 15+ years, I have "Know your target and beyond" imprinted in my brain, I always make sure it's safe when I click off the safety and pull the trigger. What's your thoughts on this, have you ever been in a "bad" situation moving on a Turkey? Love to hear your thoughts.....be safe, be well
I will preface my answer by saying hunter numbers are extremely low in my area, so running into another hunter isn't in the front of my mind while making a move on a bird. We always practice safe gun handling and identifying target and beyond it. But knowing I'm likely the only one making a play on a bird eases decision to make a play on a bird. I've crawled on a few and been successful that way, but that is absolutely last resort if I can't make a different move. I usually like to make some big circles and get behind a bird if he's hung up. Our woods are thick here so usually that is a viable option without being detected. I think most of the birds I've killed have required at least one move, a few a couple moves. It's a wonderful game of chess, especially when the gobbler is playing checkers.
Quote from: GuideGun on March 12, 2023, 08:52:06 AM
I will preface my answer by saying hunter numbers are extremely low in my area, so running into another hunter isn't in the front of my mind while making a move on a bird. We always practice safe gun handling and identifying target and beyond it. But knowing I'm likely the only one making a play on a bird eases decision to make a play on a bird. I've crawled on a few and been successful that way, but that is absolutely last resort if I can't make a different move. I usually like to make some big circles and get behind a bird if he's hung up. Our woods are thick here so usually that is a viable option without being detected. I think most of the birds I've killed have required at least one move, a few a couple moves. It's a wonderful game of chess, especially when the gobbler is playing checkers.
Yes, 100%. I too hunt mostly properties that have little hunter pressure, thus I feel the same when I move on a gobbler....thankfully, most of my chess games are with turkeys, not other hunters.......thanks for your thoughts....
If you want to be regularly successful where i hunt/hunted many times you gotta move. One hairy situation comes to mind immediately when i was younger. My dad called in 2 gobblers and shot one of them when i was at school. The next day i went after the other one and as you can imagine he wouldnt come to a call. He would respond, but wouldnt budge. I put down the turkey calls and broke out the crow call to keep tabs on him. He was lazily moving on a ridge north to south. Knowing the terrain, i made a huge circle getting in front of his path. Al the while keeping tabs with the crow call. I sat down on a big tree and waited 20 minutes until he came walking in alone. After I shot the gobbler, a pair of tresspassers popped up behind me. They were hearing all the gobbles from across their property line and thought they could score on him. They were crawling in behind me. Was a really potentially dangerous situation. I always try to sit at a big tree, bigger than my body after that. Sometimes you cant obviously. Stalking in can be dangerous. But i think rifles for turkeys is even more dangerous. Had a really close call with that as well.
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Quote from: Teamblue on March 12, 2023, 09:31:37 AM
If you want to be regularly successful where i hunt/hunted many times you gotta move. One hairy situation comes to mind immediately when i was younger. My dad called in 2 gobblers and shot one of them when i was at school. The next day i went after the other one and as you can imagine he wouldnt come to a call. He would respond, but wouldnt budge. I put down the turkey calls and broke out the crow call to keep tabs on him. He was lazily moving on a ridge north to south. Knowing the terrain, i made a huge circle getting in front of his path. Al the while keeping tabs with the crow call. I sat down on a big tree and waited 20 minutes until he came walking in alone. After I shot the gobbler, a pair of tresspassers popped up behind me. They were hearing all the gobbles from across their property line and thought they could score on him. They were crawling in behind me. Was a really potentially dangerous situation. I always try to sit at a big tree, bigger than my body after that. Sometimes you cant obviously. Stalking in can be dangerous. But i think rifles for turkeys is even more dangerous. Had a really close call with that as well.
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Wow, I'm glad that didn't get worse. Amen, glad your safe, thanks for sharing....
I've killed quite a few because I made a move. I'm not going to rehese every hunt but knowing that time to move is just as important as knowing when to sit still. Patience kills more turkeys than all else. Experience has taught me that every once in a while it takes action.
Quote from: Gooserbat on March 12, 2023, 09:53:32 AM
I've killed quite a few because I made a move. I'm not going to rehese every hunt but knowing that time to move is just as important as knowing when to sit still. Patience kills more turkeys than all else. Experience has taught me that every once in a while it takes action.
Amen Sam, it is hard to move on any Tom, extremely hard. Knowing when and how is the key....thx for sharing..
Well since we both live in NJ the stalking on a Turkey is a no no, but in other states not so much. I have more of a problem with inexperienced turkey hunters staking me and walking in or past my location when running a call. Many years ago I had a hunter sneak in behind me shotgun pointed at me when I jumped up he pulled up and said I'm sorry. That should never happen turkey hunting, as far as moving on a Turkey that deserves careful understanding of the woods your hunting private or public.
Quote from: GuideGun on March 12, 2023, 08:52:06 AM
I will preface my answer by saying hunter numbers are extremely low in my area, so running into another hunter isn't in the front of my mind while making a move on a bird. We always practice safe gun handling and identifying target and beyond it. But knowing I'm likely the only one making a play on a bird eases decision to make a play on a bird. I've crawled on a few and been successful that way, but that is absolutely last resort if I can't make a different move. I think most of the birds I've killed have required at least one move, a few a couple moves.
This is a pretty good synopsis of my situation and how I feel about it. I would add that, wherever I am hunting, I am always on the alert for any evidence that someone else might be in the area. That includes evaluating any noises I hear, including evaluating any turkey calling I might hear as to its authenticity, or any unusual/unidentified movement around me.
Quite honestly, it is hard for me to fathom how anybody gets shot in a true "mistaken for game" hunting accident. Yes, I know it happens on rare occasions,...but I just can't understand how it happens. Personally, I think the chances of it happening are akin to the "being struck by lightning" possibilities.
Nevertheless, each of us should evaluate the situations and conditions which we find ourselves in at any given time,...and make good choices as to what we do in each. ...Don't stand under the tallest tree in a thunderstorm!...
Quote from: GobbleNut on March 12, 2023, 10:15:42 AM
Quote from: GuideGun on March 12, 2023, 08:52:06 AM
I will preface my answer by saying hunter numbers are extremely low in my area, so running into another hunter isn't in the front of my mind while making a move on a bird. We always practice safe gun handling and identifying target and beyond it. But knowing I'm likely the only one making a play on a bird eases decision to make a play on a bird. I've crawled on a few and been successful that way, but that is absolutely last resort if I can't make a different move. I think most of the birds I've killed have required at least one move, a few a couple moves.
This is a pretty good synopsis of my situation and how I feel about it. I would add that, wherever I am hunting, I am always on the alert for any evidence that someone else might be in the area. That includes evaluating any noises I hear, including evaluating any turkey calling I might hear as to its authenticity, or any unusual/unidentified movement around me.
Quite honestly, it is hard for me to fathom how anybody gets shot in a true "mistaken for game" hunting accident. Yes, I know it happens on rare occasions,...but I just can't understand how it happens. Personally, I think the chances of it happening are akin to the "being struck by lightning" possibilities.
Nevertheless, each of us should evaluate the situations and conditions which we find ourselves in at any given time,...and make good choices as to what we do in each. ...Don't stand under the tallest tree in a thunderstorm!...
Quote from: Ol timer on March 12, 2023, 10:07:26 AM
Well since we both live in NJ the stalking on a Turkey is a no no, but in other states not so much. I have more of a problem with inexperienced turkey hunters staking me and walking in or past my location when running a call. Many years ago I had a hunter sneak in behind me shotgun pointed at me when I jumped up he pulled up and said I'm sorry. That should never happen turkey hunting, as far as moving on a Turkey that deserves careful understanding of the woods your hunting private or public.
Amen my friends. Hopefully we all never get caught in a bad, unsafe situation. Yes, most Turkey hunts require moves/re-sets. That's what makes it fun.. All we can do is be safe, good luck this spring....
Back in my early years, i made some moves on turkeys. But i can't really say one tactic was better than just sitting and having patience. Sometimes in the moving tactic i would either bump deer or the turkey and he would go silent because of my trying to move on him and partly not knowing all the terrain. Back in those days we didn't have all of these map options. Again i always try to watch my setup and my surroundings in hopes that nothing will happen to myself or someone else. My objective is hunting gobblers and not people. People do have to realize and think , not everyone hearing is as good as it's needs to be and i'm sure this could also play a bad part for some in making a bad judgment or mistake in thinking he's hunting a real gobbler and in turn is hunting YOU. So i agree to make sure of your target and practice safety at all times. As I've gotten older the crawling, creeping, moving is not so important, i just like to bring him into my bubble and if successful i will carry him out over my shoulder. If i'm not successful, i will get to hunt HIM another day. PLAYING THE GAME IS WHAT I ENJOY THE MOST WITH GOBBLERS... NO i'm not DEER HUNTING , that season has already closed and it's SPRING turkey season. Hunting the way you want and can still hunt is my suggestion.
For me personally, killing a turkey that I called up is where it's at. No blinds, no decoys, no fanning. One of the states I hunt allows the use of rifles. I don't like it and find it a huge safety issue as well. That being said, I move. it's a cat and mouse game to me. If I wanted to sit on my rear end for hours at a time, I would just deer hunt. For me, it is a game of calling and positioning. I ain't gonna "crawl" up and shoot him as that isn't my idea of fair play at this stage of my hunting career. I will, however, try different angles and approaches and try to find what mental game i need to deploy and what setup i need to kill him. I have covered 100 yards in an hour, and I have covered that same distance in less than a minute. All depends on how I read and play the situation. I remember a turkey I killed early on in my journey to where I am today. I had a gobbler coming from a good distance out. A hen intercepted him and ruined that. Something snapped in me that day, and it's the only time I got mad at a turkey. I spent the next 4 hours on my stomach in a field that had 6" grass. I managed to use rolls in the field, small shrubs, and anything else I could find to my advantage. I watched him strut, breed, and collect more hens until he finally gave me an opening, and I was able to move within 25 yards of him and kill him. Now I won't kill one like that anymore. It isn't my game, and I ain't judging anyone but myself. I am only gonna kill them by capitalizing on them reacting to something I am doing. However, that turkey is one I am never going to forget. I worked darned hard for him, and he definitely checked the box of pure woodsmanship being his undoing.
Reposition when required.
In my younger days I would keep tabs on the local birds each morning and evening for a month before the season, bare woods. I would hunt with the camcorder and try to call every Tom in the area into range often several times in the same morning. Repositioning was vital and was required often.
Since I started making my own calls the need to reposition has been less. Or I'm getting old.
All very solid replies, thanks so much for sharing, love the various view points here.....
Quote from: Happy on March 12, 2023, 11:48:56 AM
For me personally, killing a turkey that I called up is where it's at. No blinds, no decoys, no fanning. One of the states I hunt allows the use of rifles. I don't like it and find it a huge safety issue as well. That being said, I move. it's a cat and mouse game to me. If I wanted to sit on my rear end for hours at a time, I would just deer hunt. For me, it is a game of calling and positioning. I ain't gonna "crawl" up and shoot him as that isn't my idea of fair play at this stage of my hunting career. I will, however, try different angles and approaches and try to find what mental game i need to deploy and what setup i need to kill him. I have covered 100 yards in an hour, and I have covered that same distance in less than a minute. All depends on how I read and play the situation. I remember a turkey I killed early on in my journey to where I am today. I had a gobbler coming from a good distance out. A hen intercepted him and ruined that. Something snapped in me that day, and it's the only time I got mad at a turkey. I spent the next 4 hours on my stomach in a field that had 6" grass. I managed to use rolls in the field, small shrubs, and anything else I could find to my advantage. I watched him strut, breed, and collect more hens until he finally gave me an opening, and I was able to move within 25 yards of him and kill him. Now I won't kill one like that anymore. It isn't my game, and I ain't judging anyone but myself. I am only gonna kill them by capitalizing on them reacting to something I am doing. However, that turkey is one I am never going to forget. I worked darned hard for him, and he definitely checked the box of pure woodsmanship being his undoing.
Quote from: Happy on March 12, 2023, 11:48:56 AM
For me personally, killing a turkey that I called up is where it's at. No blinds, no decoys, no fanning. One of the states I hunt allows the use of rifles. I don't like it and find it a huge safety issue as well. That being said, I move. it's a cat and mouse game to me. If I wanted to sit on my rear end for hours at a time, I would just deer hunt. For me, it is a game of calling and positioning. I ain't gonna "crawl" up and shoot him as that isn't my idea of fair play at this stage of my hunting career. I will, however, try different angles and approaches and try to find what mental game i need to deploy and what setup i need to kill him. I have covered 100 yards in an hour, and I have covered that same distance in less than a minute. All depends on how I read and play the situation. I remember a turkey I killed early on in my journey to where I am today. I had a gobbler coming from a good distance out. A hen intercepted him and ruined that. Something snapped in me that day, and it's the only time I got mad at a turkey. I spent the next 4 hours on my stomach in a field that had 6" grass. I managed to use rolls in the field, small shrubs, and anything else I could find to my advantage. I watched him strut, breed, and collect more hens until he finally gave me an opening, and I was able to move within 25 yards of him and kill him. Now I won't kill one like that anymore. It isn't my game, and I ain't judging anyone but myself. I am only gonna kill them by capitalizing on them reacting to something I am doing. However, that turkey is one I am never going to forget. I worked darned hard for him, and he definitely checked the box of pure woodsmanship being his undoing.
Quote from: Greg Massey on March 12, 2023, 11:05:39 AM
Back in my early years, i made some moves on turkeys. But i can't really say one tactic was better than just sitting and having patience. Sometimes in the moving tactic i would either bump deer or the turkey and he would go silent because of my trying to move on him and partly not knowing all the terrain. Back in those days we didn't have all of these map options. Again i always try to watch my setup and my surroundings in hopes that nothing will happen to myself or someone else. My objective is hunting gobblers and not people. People do have to realize and think , not everyone hearing is as good as it's needs to be and i'm sure this could also play a bad part for some in making a bad judgment or mistake in thinking he's hunting a real gobbler and in turn is hunting YOU. So i agree to make sure of your target and practice safety at all times. As I've gotten older the crawling, creeping, moving is not so important, i just like to bring him into my bubble and if successful i will carry him out over my shoulder. If i'm not successful, i will get to hunt HIM another day. PLAYING THE GAME IS WHAT I ENJOY THE MOST WITH GOBBLERS... NO i'm not DEER HUNTING , that season has already closed and it's SPRING turkey season. Hunting the way you want and can still hunt is my suggestion.
Great stories, thx
I have rarely crawled on a turkey to shoot him, however I regularly crawl to get close to birds to call from a different more advantageous position, I tend to walk more than crawl in a hunched over position to stay out of sight.
No idea how many birds I killed over the years after a small adjustment while working a bird, surely have messed up plenty as well, just got to go with your gut!
Quote from: Dtrkyman on March 12, 2023, 01:56:18 PM
I have rarely crawled on a turkey to shoot him, however I regularly crawl to get close to birds to call from a different more advantageous position, I tend to walk more than crawl in a hunched over position to stay out of sight.
No idea how many birds I killed over the years after a small adjustment while working a bird, surely have messed up plenty as well, just got to go with your gut!
Amen my friend..
It goes without saying but for me calling a bird into my setup is the goal. Since that rarely ever happens I often end up repositioning on birds to either get in their "bubble" or to get ahead of where they're going/are willing to go to, terrain/foliage dependent.
It feels almost more rewarding when you trick a bird using woodsmanship and calling. Never been one to crawl on birds just to get in gun range but to each their own. If moving doesn't work they live to be hunted another day.
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Good thoughts there
Earlier in my career I looked like a whack-o-mole. I'd move on one in a second, and was very successful in doing so. Now that I'm older that technique is a little further down the plan list. It used to be a steady plan B, now I'll stick with plan A a little longer. I'll still Bobcat one, just not as often. When I resort to Bobcat'n one usually dies.
Watch Matt Dale's very recent Video-- Stop Believing This.
This is how,I hunt on Public. Meaning-- You Have To Move. That Video is an A+ Been hunting that way since 1990.
Great replies
I'll still crawl to get into a better calling position but won't crawl to take a shot. Early season especially with no cover from leaves to hide my movements. Been hunting public all my life. I prefer the final approach to be made by him. If I were to try and Pearl Harbor one, my focus would be on the bird and getting close, not sure how much of my surroundings I'd be aware of and might sneak myself into trouble.
I'll move around and maneuver on birds ..
My preferred method is I walk extremely..and I mean extremely slow like 10 minutes to go just 50 yards , avoiding openings but standing upright ...move a couple of hundred yards ...wait 10-20 minutes .. Soft cluckin..then turn up the calling ...then drift on out of there , and try it again ..if your well camoed ..and move very ..very slowly never moving your head and scanning constantly .. the key is to move Slow...slower than the speed of a feeding hen
I never move at a regular walking pace , that's too fast unless I'm going somewhere far
Open fields in Florida can vary ...they can be like a golf course open and impossible, or palmettos and arduous with snakes
It's gonna depend..if I thing there is people around, I don't even bother ...
My entire hunting style is altering my set up. I want to portray a hen, that is perfectly content without him if he doesn't come, and I'm just walking through this area throwing nasty promises to him if he comes. I don't use a decoy and I hunt woods. I'll call from my original position, move up or back 20 or 30 yards after several minutes and run my calls, then I'll go silent and go left or right 20 or 30 yards and do it again. I'm playing on his curiosity and it works for me.
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For me a lot depends on the bird and the terrain I am in. If I roasted a bird the night before I'll get there real early trying not to call attention to myself and allow the woods to settle down.
I guess the best way to describe it is the way I taught my son at an early age. I asked him these questions.
When you come home late at night and walk in the house in the dark can you navigate around without bumping into anything? His replay was, " Sure pretty much so dad."
You also know or feel if something is out of place or not quite right as well don't you? His response was, "Sure, you get a feeling something isn't right or out of place."
Well son what I'm getting at is you are entering that deer or that turkeys home. They know when something isn't quite right or out of place and they are on alert much like you would be. So try to blend in and don't call attention to yourself in any way possible, use the terrain to your advantage.
We all seen it, a turkey will cover a 100 or 200 yards in a matter of a minute or less and we seen them take 20 or 30 minutes to cover 10 yards.
So much like Shannon if I decide to move I am very methodical in my approach always scanning, moving slowly and trying not to call attention to myself. I may call softly every so often to let the bird know I am on the move and maybe get his attention and get him to think I might be leaving.
If the situation arises and I need to move to circle a bird I will cover some distance at a faster pace.
I used to be able to slither up to one like a sneaky bobcat ,, now it's more like a 3 legged sloth !
Quote from: Old Gobbler on March 12, 2023, 10:48:55 PM
I'll move around and maneuver on birds ..
My preferred method is I walk extremely..and I mean extremely slow like 10 minutes to go just 50 yards , avoiding openings but standing upright ...move a couple of hundred yards ...wait 10-20 minutes .. Soft cluckin..then turn up the calling ...then drift on out of there , and try it again ..if your well camoed ..and move very ..very slowly never moving your head and scanning constantly .. the key is to move Slow...slower than the speed of a feeding hen
I never move at a regular walking pace , that's too fast unless I'm going somewhere far
Open fields in Florida can vary ...they can be like a golf course open and impossible, or palmettos and arduous with snakes
It's gonna depend..if I thing there is people around, I don't even bother ...
I think I would walk upright in the Florida terrain. Loaded with some unfriendly critters that would make crawling less attractive. Kudos to those who do it, I guess when you grow up there, it's nothing......
You should never limit yourself to one style of hunting. I don't have a problem moving on a bird (public land could get iffy) if I feel it is warranted. In some ways, I feel like it takes a little more skill to move on a bird and beat all his senses. Lay of the land is huge when I move. I always like to come up from below them, ditches, swells, rain helps a lot. For some reason, I guess it feels like I worked a little harder and beat him on his terms, in every aspect. His best against my best. Compared to sitting motionless against a tree or in a blind just using my calling skills, which I also do. Either way can work. The great thing is, you learn something different each time out you can use for the next hunt.
I don't try to sneak up.I always call them in.Simetimes I move,if the terrain allows it.Moving can get you busted. As for other hunters,I have run into a few.I try to avoid them. Getting good at calling,wearing good camo,getting in in the dark, being silent, all help.