Your Odds of Breaking a Bird From His Strut Zone

[tlh2865]

If you have a gobbler hot in his strut zone and by himself but he does not want to budge, what are the odds that you can get him to come in just by using hen calling or silence.
How often have you seen a gobbler get tired of waiting and commit vs get tired of waiting and wander off? And how long does he normally stay on his strut zone before doing one or the other?

[silvestris]

Fire him up and then go silent.

[Tlanham34]

Obviously many factors and variable to answer your question: early or late season, how much pressure has he had, terrain, weather?...but all those things aside, if you can't get a line of sight and use a decoy to your advantage and are just using calling and silence tactics, I would say you have about a 10% chance based on my experience.  He is where he wants to be, and his nature and DNA tells him the hens will come...

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

I would back out and have a blind in that strut zone with some decoys when the sun came up.  No expert But thats what I would do.

[GobbleNut]

Quite honestly, I am not sure there is a such thing as a "strut zone" where I hunt.  At least I have never identified a location where a gobbler would specifically go on a regular basis to try to attract hens.  If I hunted somewhere that strut zones were a regular occurrence and identifiable, I think I would go with the tactic of establishing a set-up location at that site when the gobbler was not there and wait him out. 

I am also a firm believer that gobblers that will not approach a turkey call they hear in the woods are often (not) doing so because of "learned behavior".  Take that comment however you like.   

[ChesterCopperpot]

Depends on size of strut zone and whether I can use terrain to move on him. I've had birds in tight, maybe 25yd, strut zones, and I've had them work long, maybe 100yd, strut zones. I've been able to use terrain, primarily because I live in and hunt the mountains, on the birds with those big strut zones closing the distance when they're at their farthest point from my start position. Only other way I've ever personally killed one off a strut zone was got another gobbler fired up and coming and when he came from his direction the other one came off the strut zone. Other than that they usually drive me crazy and I wind up screwing something up or just never see them. I've had them gobble on strut zones they wouldn't budge from for hours. Had them go silent and disappear. Also had them go silent, me think they disappeared, and them actually be headed my way as I stand up and they bugger. Nowadays I tend to try to slip on them and it's because I just enjoy it as a tactic. Hard to pull off, but it's fun every ten or so yards you get closer, and unforgettable when it works out. Bird I killed yesterday for the last day of SC I slipped on. Was a fun, fun hunt.


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[Sixes]

I've backed off and just out of sight and called them in. I've also set up and they never leave and I've also waited until teh next day and shot them when they get there.

[TonyTurk]

and I've also waited until teh next day and shot them when they get there.

This is what I did this year.  Found a big Tom strutting for 15 hens on April 9th in the evening. Of course he would not come in shotgun range.  So I watched the whole flock go off to roost and left under cover of darkness.  Came back the next afternoon around 4:00 and set up under cover of a cedar tree in the same area he had been strutting the previous day.  Sure enough the whole group came back to the same spot!  He was 23 lbs with an 8" beard and spurs just shy of an inch.

[Mossberg90MN]

I think if your within decent calling distance, it's worth it to sit there and do some calling and then silent treatment. Just like us, if your the only game In town he will eventually go for it.

I think it all comes down to if a hen comes and takes him away. From what I have noticed they are less likely to come from a strut zone if it's in the evening. Of course there's no absolutes in Turkey hunting.

But I've seen them strut in a field edge, not gobbling and just letting the ladies know where he's at.

Now if he's in a strut zone mid morning, it's more then likely game on.


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