Tactics

[shane071489]

Can you tell tell me your thoughts on afternoon hunting and why that would be helpful? I attempted to hunt these birds until about 10:30 by sitting in the location where we thought would be the best spot for them to enter our property from the field. I went and ate lunch came back around 12:30 hit the call with no response. I sat for say another 30 minutes and gave up for the day. When you say afternoon do you mean like at 5-6pm? I can hunt in the afternoons.

If you can legally hunt afternoons, that would be worth a try.
Without being able to put eyes on the field, you can't know what's going on or judge their reactions to your tactics.

Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk

[Paulmyr]

My hunt day usually starts an hour before 1st light and lasts until early afternoon with my best luck coming after 9:30.

Reading your accounts of the situation and how you were calling sparingly it sounds like you were calling in hopes of a response instead of conversing with them. If the turkeys are gobbling respond to them when they gobble. It tells them you hear them. If your just calling to get a response it doesn't let the gobblers your hunting know your interested.

[shane071489]

I called not long after sunrise the Turkey gobbled, I realized he was in the field edge so I moved to where last year I was able to get one to leave and come to. There is a hole in the fence they travel. Once I sat down I yelped Turkey immediately gobbled, I yelped again, he immediately gobbled again, I then tried to cut him off with a quick yelp series. I then sat my call down. It felt as if the next 20 minutes the turkeys just gobbled every few minutes and I did not respond. I did scratch some leaves intermittently. After what felt like 20 minutes or so I yelped again he responded and I attempted to cut him off again. After another 15-20 minutes I attempted a different striker, turkey gobbled again. All while what sounded like walking left, right, closer, farther away. Another 15-20 minutes I attempted a wing one Turkey responded again. Another 15 or so minutes went by I went back to my pot call and yelled, then likely did some purrs and clucks. Jake comes in besides us then gobbles in the woods. Turkeys in field continues gobbling. It felt like forever but maybe I called more than I thought.

I know the saying read the turkey if he's hot  be hot. I considered that but if I called him/them everytime he gobbled it would be yelping every few minutes for over an hour. Is this what you would have done? I'm a fan of the call less and try to play hard to get but I'd rather communicate with the turkey and not just call. Can you explain what you mean by communicate with them. Thank you.

[Neill_Prater]

Remember, if you didn't spook, miss, or cripple the bird, you didn't make a mistake. What you did, or didn't do, on another day, or with another turkey, might have resulted in high fives and a photo shoot. 

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[Paulmyr]

Nope sounds like you did alright but if your going try the silent treatment you do the silent treatment. After 20 mins he might have been thinking about breaking to check and see if your still there. If you call to him again he knows your still there and will wait you out.

 Also sounds a lot like when I try to pull a gobbler from private to public. Generally its not happening they know where they are safe. Is it possible the property your hunting gets a fair amount of hunting pressure and the field they are hanging in doesn't?

[shane071489]

No pressure on the property I'm on and probably no pressure on the field. Both are private land and I'm the only one who hunts this property. So outside of the pressure I cause that's it. Yeah I know I'm trying to convince the turkey to come where he doesn't want to be. I'm just trying to make sure I'm giving it the best shot I can.

[shane071489]

Thanks for everyone's responses again. I have some new stuff to try that's for sure.

[Paulmyr]

Good Luck!

[Paulmyr]

And remember the silent treatment is the silent treatment. No calling after you them fired up. If they stop gobbling all together. Be on the look out, they may have stopped gobbling because they are sneaking in.

[eggshell]

Try them late afternoon to early evening. Most of all, be patient. Don't over hunt the property, go find some other birds and check these out every couple days. If you don't fill your tag on another you'll hit the day they haven't had any hens for a while and they'll break. I'm guessing your calling a bit too much also.

[silvestris]

If he is roosted on your property, get between him and the field and tree yelp to him while he is on the limb.  Quit calling once he flys down and get ready.

[Zobo]

Remember, if you didn't spook, miss, or cripple the bird, you didn't make a mistake. What you did, or didn't do, on another day, or with another turkey, might have resulted in high fives and a photo shoot. 

This is what you call turkey wisdom. 100% 👍

[GobbleNut]

Any of the tactics mentioned, which have covered many/most of the possibilities, may work at some point in time...or they may not. The fact of the matter is that you may spend your entire season trying every tactic imaginable...and still end up going home empty-handed when all is said and done.

If you have no other options and are happy to continue to be frustrated by the situation you are in, stick with it, ride it out, and be willing to accept the outcome that these turkeys...in the situation you face...may never give you an opportunity to kill one of them.

Sometimes it is just better to explore other options in terms of finding other turkeys to hunt rather than just keep beating your head against an immovable object. Regardless of what anybody tells you, there are turkeys out there that are just not willing to play the game...no matter what tactics you throw at them (qualifying that statement to exclude "tactics that are considered to be unethical"...which can vary a lot depending on who you are talking to).

[Zobo]

  You just have to try different things. There is no right answer.
  You could try backing off quietly and then calling again.
  If he's hot and not coming, you can try yelping AFTER he gobbles, don't cut him off. Don't call to make him gobble, call in response to his gobble.
  Also, remember if it's windy,
turkeys will be weary of entering the woods from an open field. They can't hear as well on windy days and rely more on sight. They fear ambush in the woods on windy days. So I wouldn't even hunt that spot if the wind's kicking.
  But enjoy the challenge that's what is all about!
  And DONT resort to fanning or some other unsafe tactic. Anyone can do that, you'll learn nothing from that.
  Good luck! 👍

[Dougas]

I usually am in the woods 1 hr before shooting hours to the last of the shooting hour. I have had success almost every hour of the day.