Outside-the-box advice for a newbie

[appalachianstruttstopper]

Trying to call a turkey with the sun to his face is a big problem causer that alot of people overlook. If you are hunting steep terrain, or other obstacles that prevent him from circling with the sun to his favor, they may hang up way outta range or simply walk away.

[Ded Goblr]

I've brought many henned up ol' toms to the gun in the late afternoons by using excited hen talk then switching to an assemblely call and really raising a ruckus. Pulls the hens with the toms right behind them. I've pulled birds great distances in open country with tactic.

[sixbird]

Try unconventional calling, aka sound effects. The most well known is leaf scratching but using a wing or your hat to do a flydown or even stretch and flap your wings. I also sometimes spit and drum with my voice. Scraping a wing on a tree is also a handy sound. Remember when leaf scratching to mimic the cadence of a turkey. One long, two quick...sound effects work especially well on pressured birds.

I've killed more tough birds with the above tactics than with convincing calling...It's somewhat like a stage play...You set the stage and then make it sound like a real interaction between turkeys. The more stuff you throw in to make things sound convincing, the more convincing you'll be...
That being said, sometimes convincing is just scratching in the leaves...Just imagine what that gobbler is thinking...If you were him, what would you be listening for? Maybe a few quiet calls? Maybe an enthusiastic hen and a competing gobbler? Maybe a hen fight and a competing gobbler nearby? Maybe a wing dragging from a strutting gobbler?
It takes experience to get the timing down and to gauge when a gobbler is feeling uncertain about his chances for that hen he's hearing. Try all of it...
I had a buddy who would call and get the gobbler all wound up, then turn to me and say "Now let him find us..." He wouldn't call again...It worked more than not.
It's all about making that gobbler unsure about his chances...

[Half fast]

Don't start Turkey hunting it's way to addicting!!!

AMEN

[Hhayes6]

find a girl whose father has a BIG farm...........

Good advice...however, I'm pretty sure my wife would not be impressed by this tactic.

best info on this site!!

[FullChoke]

I have killed several gobblers by using my own secret weapon, a nap. 3:30 in the morning gets old a few weeks into the season and I found that if the birds aren't wanting to gobble very well on certain days, I set up in an area that I know has birds, call, then lean back against the tree and snooze for a bit but leave my ears on. This allows the birds time to come find me without my temptation to keep calling.

[BrowningGuy88]

I have killed several gobblers by using my own secret weapon, a nap. 3:30 in the morning gets old a few weeks into the season and I found that if the birds aren't wanting to gobble very well on certain days, I set up in an area that I know has birds, call, then lean back against the tree and snooze for a bit but leave my ears on. This allows the birds time to come find me without my temptation to keep calling.

This works! Nothing beats the rush of waking up to a Strutter!

Then it is up to you: 

[cahaba]

If you are working on a roosted bird and he pitches out away from you slip as quickly as possible to his roost and try to call him back. It works great sometimes as in there are few absolutes in turkey hunting.

[renegade19]

If you can do it without getting busted, change loctions.  Many would be suprised how effective this can be some times.  Just dont get caught!

[NappinUnderTrees]

I have killed several gobblers by using my own secret weapon, a nap. 3:30 in the morning gets old a few weeks into the season and I found that if the birds aren't wanting to gobble very well on certain days, I set up in an area that I know has birds, call, then lean back against the tree and snooze for a bit but leave my ears on. This allows the birds time to come find me without my temptation to keep calling.

This works! Nothing beats the rush of waking up to a Strutter!

Then it is up to you: 

Amen to that Brother! The whole reason I get out is the quiet and serenity of the woods!