Is there such a thing as turkey shy hunters? Some claim that their are call shy birds that are afraid of calls. Do you think there are some hunters who are afraid of turkeys? What I mean is do you think there are some hunters who are so afraid of getting busted by a turkey that they are afraid to really try and kill one? Afraid to call, go to the bird, get within 80 yards, ect....
Ill do whatever it takes to kill him.Ive spooked them before and im sure ill do it again.Always learning from my mistakes.Im not scared. :lol:
:popcorn:
;D I think you are bored. I get busted just about every year, but not Turkey shy. Ticked off more than anything. Stinken silent birds.
Quote from: Jay on February 28, 2011, 07:25:07 PM
;D I think you are bored. I get busted just about every year, but not Turkey shy. Ticked off more than anything. Stinken silent birds.
All you can do after that Jay is pick yourself up, change your depends, and climb right back in that hoverround! :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:
Quote from: Jay on February 28, 2011, 07:25:07 PM
;D I think you are bored.
;D Was it that obvious?
I've hunted with some folks that were ok until they heard one gobble, then they just fell apart and was afraid to do anything. I was standing there one morning with a guy I hadn't hunted with before and we were on his property. He talked a good game leading up to the hunt. Even while we were standing there listening for that first gobble I was thinking cuz seems like he knows whats going on. Then a bird gobbled, the guy bent over, half spread his arms out with his gun in one hand and started going in circles looking for a place to sit down. He looked like a crashing airplane going down. I asked him if he was going to be alright. He said a bird gobbled
right there! I said yeah, right there about four hundred yards. He was afraid to go to the bird. I finally told him to fall in behind me or sit there and I'd go kill the turkey.
I only go into shock when the sucker gobbles from the tree I'm sitting under ;D
Quote from: chatterbox on February 28, 2011, 07:34:37 PM
Quote from: Jay on February 28, 2011, 07:25:07 PM
;D I think you are bored. I get busted just about every year, but not Turkey shy. Ticked off more than anything. Stinken silent birds.
All you can do after that Jay is pick yourself up, change your depends, and climb right back in that hoverround! :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:
:TooFunny: :TooFunny:
Thats me Guesswho.. I dont dare advance on a gobbler in fear of bumping him either know the risk is greater than the reward.. And lord knows, I am conservative on calling in fear I may mess a not up and he hear it.. Heck after them types of instances I write them gobblers off until a different year.. They have been educated 8)
if one gobbles at me im running for that flat edge of the earth :turkey2: :TooFunny: :TooFunny: :TooFunny:
Educated birds are a myth.
I have seen birds run from seeing two hunters and killed it within an hour.
We follow the bird for about 150 yards, set up and called him back to be killed.
I have bumped birds off the roost, come back the next morning and called them off that roost to kill them.
I have had birds come in to a box call,see me, leave and come in to the same call on the same day.
I have seen a gobbler come to the sound of nails being pulled from a tin roof and walk into a deer camp.
As far as being "turkey shy" ..there have been a time or two when due to the lay of the land I had know idea how to get to a bird without spooking him.
Quote from: paladin on March 01, 2011, 08:42:47 AM
As far as being "turkey shy" ..there have been a time or two when due to the lay of the land I had know idea how to get to a bird without spooking him.
:z-winnersmiley:
I have had this happen several times.
He looked like a crashing airplane going down. :TooFunny: :TooFunny: :TooFunny: :TooFunny:
if you aint spooking a few you aint trying lol
I dont know about SHY but I know a few guys that are scared to screw it up which when its all said and done they dont get a shot off because they ended up being to timid. The main thing i learned along the way was to
A) get a game plan together quickly and as soon as you do start making a plan B and C incase they are needed
B) get as close as you can and if you happen to screw it up learn from it and try not to make the same mistake twice.
Quote from: Jay on February 28, 2011, 07:55:36 PM
I only go into shock when the sucker gobbles from the tree I'm sitting under ;D
me too!
Ya gotta get real close...or you won't be able to shoot 'em off the limb. That .243 ammo is getting expensive.
My dad told me that if you don't bump a couple birds a year your not gettng close enough. And just cause you bump him doesn'tmean you can call him back , move in the direction he flew , set up let things quiet back down and start calling. It's not like he flew to the next county. He'll do the same thing he did the day before, and will be looking for hens. Some times seperating him from his hens isn't a bad thing.
Quote from: chatterbox on February 28, 2011, 07:34:37 PM
Quote from: Jay on February 28, 2011, 07:25:07 PM
;D I think you are bored. I get busted just about every year, but not Turkey shy. Ticked off more than anything. Stinken silent birds.
All you can do after that Jay is pick yourself up, change your depends, and climb right back in that hoverround! :icon_thumright: :icon_thumright:
:icon_thumright:
Sometimes, when they gobble alot, I just go and sit in my truck. Just sit in my truck. :lol: Ya guess, there are people who for one reason or another lock up when a bird gobbles.
I do think a lot of people are too conservative in their hunting style for what ever reason. My hunting would be considered aggressive by many. But if you are fully ablebodied with some reasonable woodsmanship skills, then picking a spot and guarding it for the morning like deer stand hunting is a huge waste of time.
I love Turkey shy people...quit hating on them ;D
Quote from: Shotgun on March 01, 2011, 09:20:36 PM
I love Turkey shy people...quit hating on them ;D
Thier some of my favorite people, I just don't like hunting with them ;D
Quote from: guesswho on March 01, 2011, 10:18:19 PM
Quote from: Shotgun on March 01, 2011, 09:20:36 PM
I love Turkey shy people...quit hating on them ;D
Thier some of my favorite people, I just don't like hunting with them ;D
I'm right there with ya :icon_thumright:
I have to disagree with you Paladin. We get so much hunting pressure where I am mid May these birds get real quiet round here. Educated birds are not a myth IMO. It happened to me last year; birds gobbled on the roost hit the ground and shut right up
Quote from: stinkpickle on March 01, 2011, 01:40:42 PM
Ya gotta get real close...or you won't be able to shoot 'em off the limb. That .243 ammo is getting expensive.
:TooFunny: :TooFunny:
Quote from: guesswho on February 28, 2011, 07:10:09 PM
Is there such a thing as turkey shy hunters? Some claim that their are call shy birds that are afraid of calls. Do you think there are some hunters who are afraid of turkeys? What I mean is do you think there are some hunters who are so afraid of getting busted by a turkey that they are afraid to really try and kill one? Afraid to call, go to the bird, get within 80 yards, ect....
yeah, that used to be me. Playing the game too careful, gets you nothing. I found this out the hard way, 4 seasons in a row.
Quote from: lmbhngr on March 01, 2011, 10:26:31 PM
It happened to me last year; birds gobbled on the roost hit the ground and shut right up
If they were educated why would they even gobble on the limb? Could it be once they hit the ground they had no need to gobble anymore? How far along are they in the breeding season in mid May where your hunting? Just trying to figure out if something other than pressure made them go quiet.
I hunted the same bird for more than a week straight. Shot the one he was hangin with got a fistful of feathers. From that day forward both birds would gobble on the limb; pitch down walk the opposite direction from where I was. I switch my calls every day. Mid May here is full foliage on the trees; maybe they gobbled to let the hens know where they were. They didn`t roost together. I know when I would leave they would be in the field with the hens. Another spot we hunt middle of May you`re lucky to get a tom to answer your calls but you drive by the farm at dusk they`re in the fields. Both spots get hunted ALOT! These birds get called to alot that`s why I always switch up my calls.
my only issue with "called at alot" or call shy birds is REAL hens call all day in the woods and during feeding.
I am not understanding how "calling" is the issue. human or danger affecting a birds behavior sure but I dont see it as the calling part. I believe once pressue really gets on them from seeing a bunch of humans in the woods that were not there all year they behave more as nature intends them to...hens coming to them. if they cant see you or you are not on the way then they will go elsewhere.
that just my opinion though
Quote from: reynolds243 on March 02, 2011, 09:29:37 PM
my only issue with "called at alot" or call shy birds is REAL hens call all day in the woods and during feeding.
I am not understanding how "calling" is the issue. human or danger affecting a birds behavior sure but I dont see it as the calling part. I believe once pressue really gets on them from seeing a bunch of humans in the woods that were not there all year they behave more as nature intends them to...hens coming to them. if they cant see you or you are not on the way then they will go elsewhere.
that just my opinion though
Face it, the not only know that it is a human calling, but they also know what type of call you are calling on and even in some cases can narrow it down to brand :-\
Call me crazy but I think if you use the same call day after day that bird`s gonna get "educated".If you use the same series of calls day after day the bird gets educated. Call to much the bird gets educated. Maybe it doesn`t have anything to do with calling but if the birds get hunted everyday don`t they get called to everyday? Bottom line IMO is that the later the season gets these birds aren`t coming unless they see the hens.
I think we could all agree that birds do the darndest things for not very obvious reasons. Ive saw the dramatic sides of both. Just last year a friend asked me to help him kill a bird that stayed in one of his fields. He didnt know much about turkey hunting and wanted me to call. We approach the feild and theres two hens feeding 300 yards away. We do the sneak and get in a favorable position to watch the hens and field and i open with one series of the lost call medium voice (cluck, blah blah blah). They immediately stand upright and do the old slow.....turn...easy....look over the shoulder....step....step...... tuck the wings and run away to the other side of the field. Wow never saw such a dramatic response from any bird.
Two seasons ago on a heavily hunted public piece during the middle of the week roosted a bird and man was he ever hot. I just knew he had been bumped from his normal roost because he was in an odd ball spot and was gobbling his head off. Hmmm I got between him and where i knew he wanted to be and where i knew his usual hens were. Well he let loose all the way to the decoy and i coldnt get a shot from the angle i had. He stayed close to long and caught sight of the glare off my barrel and left quit gobblin every thing. I knew i was still btween him and where he wanted to be so i circled around to make sure he was on the right side of me and bumped him again as in i saw him turn a run . Relentlessly I setup and gobbled a few times staged a fight hat beating, purrs, the works low and behold as soon as i sat the hat back on my head here he comes running half strut 19 steps boom dead. It all started at daybreak and ended at 9 now that bird was in a bind, away from his hens and obviously a extremely jealous hard hunted 4 yr old public land bird with a short term memory. Strange arent they.
I'm very turkey shy. I even go so far as to wear camo in the woods so they don't see me. ;)
TTT
I was searching around for another old post and saw this one from last year and thought it was worth bumping to the top...
The difference between a rookie and a veteran is that the rookie is afraid he's going to make mistakes and the veteran KNOWS he's going to make mistakes. I'm somewhere in between. I know I'm going to do it, but still apprehensive about it. A bird can't get spooked by nothing, and likewise he can't die by it either.
Very good thread. I know several people who are "turkey shy". I have one particular good friend who thought I called too much and was too aggressive when setting up on birds. These are heavily hunted public land birds too. After he hunted with me a few times,saw the results of my aggressive tactics, he became less turkey shy. ha.
I will move A LOT when I am on a bird if he is being stingy. If I am pretty sure I can get away with moving closer, I will do it. If he is one of those birds that like to walk back and forth and not come in.. I will move up each time he turns another direction.. Just don't call as you are moving up or the bird may not walk back into his comfort zone...And I don't consider this bush whacking...He knows where you originally called from, that is why he is doing what nature intended...Waiting for the hen to come to him..
I also will make wide sweeps around vocal birds that are playing hard to get. If they keep gobbling, I will come in behind him as close as I can, opposite the direction I last called.. Then a lot of times all it takes is a few clucks to kill him. But then again there are times when he gobbles from your initial setup after you take the time to cautiously sneak around. But more times than not, in the situations I employ this tactic, the former wins.
I do bump a couple birds a season, but that is a risk I take. It is not the end of the world, he will be there the next day to play.
Quote from: lmbhngr on March 02, 2011, 08:39:33 PM
I hunted the same bird for more than a week straight. Shot the one he was hangin with got a fistful of feathers. From that day forward both birds would gobble on the limb; pitch down walk the opposite direction from where I was. I switch my calls every day. Mid May here is full foliage on the trees; maybe they gobbled to let the hens know where they were. They didn`t roost together. I know when I would leave they would be in the field with the hens. Another spot we hunt middle of May you`re lucky to get a tom to answer your calls but you drive by the farm at dusk they`re in the fields. Both spots get hunted ALOT! These birds get called to alot that`s why I always switch up my calls.
I would have called, then high tailed it and got in the opposite direction of where you initially called.
Quote from: Jay on February 28, 2011, 07:25:07 PM
;D I think you are bored. I get busted just about every year, but not Turkey shy. Ticked off more than anything. Stinken silent birds.
You keep getting busted because you haven't camo'd your power chair yet! Bwahahahahaha
Hang around deerhunt. This subject comes up often. BlahBlahBlah
Quote from: ccleroy on February 22, 2012, 12:09:32 AM
Quote from: Jay on February 28, 2011, 07:25:07 PM
;D I think you are bored. I get busted just about every year, but not Turkey shy. Ticked off more than anything. Stinken silent birds.
You keep getting busted because you haven't camo'd your power chair yet! Bwahahahahaha
:TooFunny: :TooFunny: :TooFunny: :TooFunny:
When I first started turkey hunting I guess I was kind of shy. I think because I really did not know what I was doing and did'nt want to mess it up. I would call very conservative. As my experiences grew I became a run and gun type hunter. Now when I hear a gobbler sound off I'm on him and let the chess game begin! I have gotten ALOT more aggressive with time.
not turkey shy at all, over aggressive at times but not shy.
I don't tote around a turkey vest full of calls just to cluck once ever hr or so.
my dads the worst in the world about not gettin to the the birds if they fly off the roost and go the other direction in his mind the hunt is over. Im glad i learnt my own methods of turkey hunting and adapted my own style cuz turkey hunting gets boring 30 min a morning lol im not downing my father because he has been such a good mentor to me. and because of him i learned how to turkey hunt i just had to teach myself how to hunt from 8 o clock til dark
We had a guy in our club who was so shy about calling to a turkey, he would sit down against a tree and just hold up a card every 15 minutes that had "yelp, yelp, yelp" printed on it. No kidding, Dick Kirby wrote it, so he know it would work.
He killed turkeys every year doing that.
:gobble:
FullChoke
This topic is funny!!!!!!!!!!!turkey shy
:z-winnersmiley:
Quote from: hoyt on February 22, 2012, 10:34:44 PM
I don't tote around a turkey vest full of calls just to cluck once ever hr or so.
I finally told him to fall in behind me or sit there and I'd go kill the turkey.
[/quote]
Well, did you kill that turkey?
When I started out, I called all the time and nothing happened. This was because, I was calling while they were on the limb. From that, I went "shy" and killed a few birds. Now I am less shy and do a lot better. I need to learn to get closer to birds that are on the limb so I can be the first "hen" they want to see. What helped me was hunting with others and letting them hear my calling and saying that it was good enough to kill birds. Up until that, I did not know if I sounded good or not.
Quote from: Rio Fan on February 23, 2012, 02:36:44 PM
Quote from: guesswho on February 28, 2011, 07:51:44 PM
I finally told him to fall in behind me or sit there and I'd go kill the turkey.
Well, did you kill that turkey?
Yes the turkey died. He followed my lead and he's the one who pulled the trigger about an hour later.
i like to get within 80 yards, if not i dont feel like ive hunted him, your going to bust birds
I will move on a bird in a minute if I feel I need to. Yea I get busted sometimes but I also kill birds that may not have been killed without the move.
Turkeys may not be call shy but older gobblers sure are wary. They are a different animal than a 2yr. old. Occasionally they do something out of character.