Confessions of a no killing 4th season turkey hunter. Suggestions welcome.

[Tnandy]

357magnole gave you some good words of advice for sure. Me personally, if i am hunting a field edge, I am going to use at least one decoy, maybe two. If I use a lone hen, i turn her away from the direction that i am expecting the tom to come from. If 2, then i go with a tom with a white head (breeding mood) and a hen a few feet in front of him on the ground in a breeding postion. Deadly combination. On several occasions i have turned the solo hen toward his direction, only to watch him look, gobble and strut about  60-75 yards away and never come any closer. I learned my lesson lol.  The man that mentored me, really helped me not to overcall and to be patient. If a tom honors you by gobbling at you on the roost, he will probably at some point come through your area looking for love later.  I too live near the Ala. line but in TN and our birds are super bad to hook around you when coming in. I work hard on my set up to try to eliminate that. Jason Cruise has some very informative videos that you could watch. I think his stuff is as good as anyone. Good luck and have fun. PM me if we can be any more help

[KYTurkey07]

I've learned the importance of calling wisely. This means calling with intention as turkeys only make sounds when they have a reason. I have about three volumes of calling sequences that I'll rotate through about every 20-30 minutes. I'll start soft, next will be medium, third will be a little louder, then I'll start over. These sequences are not very long. I'll adjust these depending on time of day and if I get responses. I do this from one location in the woods where I know turkey are around and is clear enough to get a good shot if one shows up. I stay there as long as possible and I try not to move at all. After I do all of this, it comes down to luck. Sometimes a hen will take a gobbler away and sometimes they won't.

[Bottomland OG]

Lots of really good knowledge has been given to you. I didn't read every post but I read enough...... no need in repeating but one thing I can throw at you is that you made the comment that a hen drug the Tom away from you. If he is responding to you , Next time that happens if you have the time be patient, sit tight, don't call loud or a lot. He knows exactly where you are at. Keep your eyes peeled. If he doesn't get boogered along the way he will be back at some point before the end of the day more times than not. That's the way I was taught growing up. It's not easy to do but it's productive until you gain confidence in yourself. When it finally happens you will remember it for the rest of your life. Best of luck.

[Tom007]

You're in the game for sure. The more woods experience and encounters, the better you will get. It will happen, no doubt. The only tactic I can give you that changed the game for me is try calling softer and less frequent. I've found that once he answers you, he knows precisely where you are. Curiosity kills many gobblers, make him find you. Stay the course and a nice Tom will ride home with you, no doubt!

[Lcmacd 58]

I always try to keep it simple ... patience and persistent

[High plains drifter]

Dazzler, I am a big believer in brainwaves.  They discern your thoughts, so be careful that you do not think any thoughts that the gobbler may be frightened by.

  lol

[High plains drifter]

It took me 4 years of hunting to get a gobbler. Get out real early,and try to stay out of the open.