This weekend during the learn to hunt, I was moving down a ridge that is a peninsula out into a cut corn field. As I was working down it, I spotted 3 toms and 7-8 hens in the field just off the edge of the peninsula. I back tracked and used the ridge to work to the point of the peninsula to get a head of the flock. When I got there, the birds were still 70 yards away just over the hill so I yelped once and all H$LL broke loose and the hens and toms went crazy. I started mocking a hen in hopes she would come over the hill. I also gobbled to make the toms think there was competition. After a few minutes of this, the flock starts to fade away and eventually goes into the woods 100 yards away and goes silent. I looped around on them and they worked into a clear cut where we bumped them due to the thick cover.
What would you have done different to get a crack at one of the toms?
I would probably never gobble again. If anything, it should be a last desperate attempt after trying everything else you can think of.
Well, hindsight is always makes you want to kick yourself. I would have done 1 of 2 things. I would have stayed put in a set-up position and called lightly since you knew thir position. A cluck or purr or soft yelp and then shut the heck up and wait. NO GOBBLE.
The other possibility was to see which direction they were headed and then circle in front and do the same calling. NO GOBBLE.
Less is always more.............. :z-twocents:
I agree, I wouldn't have gobbled, you gave them too much without waiting it out. You stated you yelped and all hell broke loose, so why give them anymore until you see what happens with that? I don't think mocking the hen was a bad idea, but definitely would have waited it out after that, with no gobble.
When I do use a gobble,it's only used as a last resort. And I'll give it a half broken up jake gobble. Also sitting tight for a while helps. They like to sneak a peek. :turkey:
Hindsight is always 20/20, as they say. Anybody that has hunted these birds for any length of time knows that, no matter what you do, there is always the chance that it is not going to work out the way you think or hope it will. It sounds like you might have been a little too aggressive with those birds, but the fact is that they may have responded the same way regardless of how you called to them.
I have learned over the years that if a group of birds is coming toward me, the only sure way of not screwing it up is to not call to them at all. If they are coming to you, let them come. Of course, we all want to call to them to feel like we had something to do with them coming to us, but when you do that, you always risk that they will respond negatively to that calling.
Hey, it happens to all of us. The best you can do is try to take whatever lesson might be learned from it,...and move on.
The reason I gobbled was because there was a 4th tom coming from a different direction to join the flock. I had a fan up in hopes they would see it and come to fight. I figured that with the fan a gobble would make them mad and come in for the fight.
Hindsight is 20/20. I think if it would have been me alone without a kid who couldn't sit still, I would have waited longer. I was trying to make something happen quick because he was moving all over the place.
Personally, I don't think you did anything wrong. As stated above, we never know how a bird will react. I've had birds respond and run in on a gobbler I was working just because he was gobbling. They will respond to that gobble at times. No need to kick yourself for the decision you made. Just back up, punt and try again when the ball is back in your favor.
I would have put my HECS suit on and then belly crawled toward them behind the funky chicken, cackling, cutting, and putt-purring all the way, with an occasional squeal from the Squealing Hen, challenging all takers to a fight. And then limited out.
;D
I personally won't have gobbled but then again I don't even carry a gobble call. And like others have said, it's impossible to say if there is anything you could have done different that would have produced. And I know what you're saying about if you were by yourself. For some reason I always do better by myself. I think I just try to hard when I'm trying to get one in for a new hunter. I start to second guess myself.
If I got in front of where they were going and thought they were going to stroll by at shooting range I wouldn't have made a sound. If I thought they were going to be out of range I would have called. Wouldn't of gobbled until they were leaving, as a last resort.
Quote from: wvmntnhick on April 04, 2016, 04:10:21 PM
Personally, I don't think you did anything wrong. As stated above, we never know how a bird will react. I've had birds respond and run in on a gobbler I was working just because he was gobbling. They will respond to that gobble at times. No need to kick yourself for the decision you made. Just back up, punt and try again when the ball is back in your favor.
^^^This
The birds went the other way, so... you're an IDIOT!
If you told the EXACT same story (different end), and showed a picture of a dead gobbler because he came in looking - you'd be the man!!
I think you nailed it though... probably forced the situation a little too much because of wanting to make it happen. Hopefully your young gun had a good time seeing and hearing the birds.
Is the ice off the lakes up there yet? ;D
I agree with GobbleNut... If a bird (or birds) are coming towards me, I stay silent. If they change direction or look like they might go wide, I would start off with some purrs or clucks... And go crazy from there.
As far as calling aggressively, you can always get more aggressive, but once you have become aggressive, you cannot go back.
Quote from: GobbleNut on April 04, 2016, 04:02:53 PM
Hindsight is always 20/20, as they say. Anybody that has hunted these birds for any length of time knows that, no matter what you do, there is always the chance that it is not going to work out the way you think or hope it will. It sounds like you might have been a little too aggressive with those birds, but the fact is that they may have responded the same way regardless of how you called to them.
I have learned over the years that if a group of birds is coming toward me, the only sure way of not screwing it up is to not call to them at all. If they are coming to you, let them come. Of course, we all want to call to them to feel like we had something to do with them coming to us, but when you do that, you always risk that they will respond negatively to that calling.
Hey, it happens to all of us. The best you can do is try to take whatever lesson might be learned from it,...and move on.
:z-winnersmiley:
There is no cut and dried response from these birds. Ben Lee's style of hunting worked for him and Herb McClure's style works for him. Ben Lee was a wide open, flat out cover some ground with aggressive calling style man. Mr. Herb is a sit back and call sparingly to them. They hunted together....ONCE! I would imagine that most of us are somewhere in between.
Not saying this is right or wrong but if I am in front of a gobbler coming my way, I do nothing but let him come and get ready. If I did call and they answer, I do nothing, let him make the next move, that will dictate what you need to do, maybe get your gun up and be ready as he may slip right up on you. There are no set rules, all birds are different. Just my 2 cents worth.
When I go hunting with kids I just assume we'll get busted no matter what we do. My 12 y.o. son has busted us by looking at his watch, clapping his feet together, deciding he can sneak up on them, coughing, playing with calls, and the list goes on and on and on. He has hunted with a bow, a shotgun and always wants to run and gun them. Sitting just makes him jumpy so we try to find birds he can crawl around in the mud and try to get close. He calls and has a great time but I also figure we're having a good time in the woods together and he has a great appreciation for hunting and has started reading some turkey books (Bad Birds, A Fork in the Road) for his independent reading at school. He has been hunting with me since he was 10 and this will be his 5th season (2 spring and 2 falls under his belt). By absolutely dumb luck and divine intervention by the Gods of Thunder he shot himself a 12 pound hen this past fall. He was super excited and helped me smoke the breast to bring to a family gathering to share. He was super proud to tell his hunting story. That one bird was preceded by twenty or thirty encounters.
Unsolicited advice about hunting with kids but just let them have fun and don't let them know your head is about to explode becasue you spent hours scouting, setting up and calling just so they could fidget and send away the trophy bird. If chasing turkeys is fun and they enjoy themselves there will be plenty of time to fill tags. Let them think they screwed up and missed out you'll be chasing birds by yourself for decades. Net time your in the same situation, get a visual before handing them the gobble call, slate, goose or owl call and sit back and enjoy the fiasco. When the birds run off congratulate the kid on having a go and ask them what the next move is. Chase those birds eben if you are sure it's not going to work.
Out with a kid with no blind just running and gunning for gobblers ; I tip my hat to you.
Everyone with kids should read the previous response. I wanted much too badly for my son to kill a gobbler during his youth seasons. He did not like to get up early and never was really excited about hunting. I could have waited until latter in the day and just let him have fun but I did not. He is now a third year dental student that I am extremely proud of but has very little interest in turkey hunting. The previous thread is great advice, you only get one chance.
If I had slipped ahead and sat down, but couldn't see them once I got there..........I would have called to them. Unless I can see the bird walking toward me, I call to them to check their location.
However, I would have started soft and sweet and I don't gobble or carry a fan. I also would have expected that the lone tom may have been my best chance to kill one of them, and he may have possibly given the three an incentive to check me out before he showed up.
Quote from: wisconsinteacher on April 04, 2016, 04:07:00 PM
I think if it would have been me alone without a kid who couldn't sit still, I would have waited longer. I was trying to make something happen quick because he was moving all over the place.
Ahhhhhh,the good Ol days Lolol! I know what that feels like,and wouldn't trade it for the world. I will say this... That kid is going to turnout to be a great turkey hunter. Keep him coming.
Quote from: Kevin6Q on April 04, 2016, 07:02:05 PM
When I go hunting with kids I just assume we'll get busted no matter what we do. My 12 y.o. son has busted us by looking at his watch, clapping his feet together, deciding he can sneak up on them, coughing, playing with calls, and the list goes on and on and on. He has hunted with a bow, a shotgun and always wants to run and gun them. Sitting just makes him jumpy so we try to find birds he can crawl around in the mud and try to get close. He calls and has a great time but I also figure we're having a good time in the woods together and he has a great appreciation for hunting and has started reading some turkey books (Bad Birds, A Fork in the Road) for his independent reading at school. He has been hunting with me since he was 10 and this will be his 5th season (2 spring and 2 falls under his belt). By absolutely dumb luck and divine intervention by the Gods of Thunder he shot himself a 12 pound hen this past fall. He was super excited and helped me smoke the breast to bring to a family gathering to share. He was super proud to tell his hunting story. That one bird was preceded by twenty or thirty encounters.
Unsolicited advice about hunting with kids but just let them have fun and don't let them know your head is about to explode becasue you spent hours scouting, setting up and calling just so they could fidget and send away the trophy bird. If chasing turkeys is fun and they enjoy themselves there will be plenty of time to fill tags. Let them think they screwed up and missed out you'll be chasing birds by yourself for decades. Net time your in the same situation, get a visual before handing them the gobble call, slate, goose or owl call and sit back and enjoy the fiasco. When the birds run off congratulate the kid on having a go and ask them what the next move is. Chase those birds eben if you are sure it's not going to work.
Out with a kid with no blind just running and gunning for gobblers ; I tip my hat to you.
Agreed it's all about the kid having fun! But I also believe it's about teaching them the nature of the sport and safety. My kid started hunting turkeys at 6 and we never used a blind. It's up to the parent to know when their kid is ready to start learning the game and then when they're ready to start playing the game. When I first started hunting with the gang driving for deer my dad made me walk most of the drives. He said "if you want to do this then you're going to learn the hard parts right away!" And although I don't know your specific situation, I would never allow my son to try to sneak up on a bird. Not only is it a difficult thing to do bit in certain cases it's also a very dangerous thing to do. I'm not trying to be critical but I believe in showing new hunters the typical way that hunting is done. Sure it's not always fun and I always give my son the option to go home whenever he is ready. But when we are hunting we are doing it seriously and he loves it.
Farmboy27, no criticism taken. Safety is THE number one priority when we hunt or use firearms or other weapons. I skipped over the safety part to avoid being too preachy. Most all of the sneaking up upon happens after we're busted and the birds are heading to the far treeline. In cut corn the sight lines are a few hundred yards and I don't think he ever closed to within 200 yards of anything. We talk about about safety quite a lot and he has backed off when he figured the chase might compromise his well being. The solo chases are also with a bow which can be dangerous are much less so then a gun. His firearm habits are very good.
I'm a big believer in experiential learning and we can talk about woodsmanship all we want but until you see the cause and effect it is mostly talk. We talk about movement and being still and how to gain a good position etc. I let Nate dictate what we do and he's learned a lot. The bird he shot was all his. I was mostly a driver and legal adult. He even took his mom to the game reporting station.
I was lucky with both of my boys (youngest just killed his last youth season turkey on the TN opener). I don't use a blind, and it's a very rare situation if I sit anywhere for more than about 20 minutes, so it made it easier to keep their interest.
One suggestion on making male turkey sounds though is to try a jake yelp before going to the gobble. It rarely scares the birds, and it often has the same effect a gobble would. Just don't overdo it. You'll know quick if it will work, and if not you can either back off or throw out a gobble.