What would you do?

[Flredbones]

Just wanted to hear different people's opinions on what they would do in my situation I had this morning. So I'm in Florida set up on the edge of a hammock facing a field. About 7:30 rolls around and I hear my first gobble. Give it a minute, call back. Gobbles shortly after. This goes on for about 20 minutes until I realize the bird circled around the hammock and is cutting through and coming up behind me. So I quickly relocate a little further down and sure enough right where I was sitting a Jake pops out. Maybe a 2 inch beard. So I sit there and watch him look around the field and try to figure out what's going on and I let him wander his way out and carry on his way. So just saw the first bird of the season my blood was pumping a little bit so I sit back down at my orginal spot and get my self together. Well after about 15 minutes I hear another gobble across the field in a swamp bottom. Opposite way that Jake went so I knew it wasn't him. So naturally I follow the gobble. Get set up and call a little. Nothing. About five minutes later three Jakes walk in front of me, a little older, and are feeding. So I have eyes on them. They're small enough that I'll probably pass if they get in range but I decide to call a little anyways. So I do, and they pay no mind to it. Just keep their heads down and keep feeding. Let a little time pass and call again, same result. So here's the questions. Do you think they ignored my calls simply because they weren't interested or because the calls just weren't up to par? I'm by no means an expert caller but I can and have called in fully mature long beards before. The next question is, would you have stayed in that spot after you realized you were gonna pass on the birds and they walk off or would you have continued to stay there and hope for a bigger bird once they exit the picture? Hope everybody else is seeing birds and enjoying their time in the woods.

[HogBiologist]

I sat and listened to a flock of real hens this week. Had I not known the hens were there, I would have said that guy is calling too much. Real turkeys don't sound like callers at call competitions. I doubt it was your calling.

[Flredbones]

I wouldn't think so either. Seems like they just had better things on their mind instead of a hen

[Haypatch]

I agree with the other's probably just not interested and I would have definitely stayed in that setup being that you were obviously in a spot where turkeys wanted to be.

[Marc]

I have seen this happen before as well...

As a rule, I feel that if I can see birds, I should NOT be calling.  I have found that birds can pinpoint where that sound is coming from (I feel within inches), and if they hear calling and cannot see the hen calling back, maybe it makes them nervous... 

Or, if you can see them, they can certainly see you, and they are more likely to see something they do not like...  Maybe not make them nervous enough to book out, but nervous enough not to come any closer.

If I have a bird that I can see that is not headed my direction, I wait till they are behind a bush or tree, or in a depression, or there is something obscuring us from seeing each other.

As HogBiologist points out, some of the worst turkey callers I have seen ended up being live hens...  I think that over-calling has done me far more harm than poor calling.

[wvmntnhick]

If my cousin can call a turkey in, so can you. As has been mentioned above, it's no doubt that they had something else on their mind. Don't sweat it.

[Flredbones]

Alright cool. Well I'll try to mix it up tomorrow morning.  I wouldn't say I over call but I wouldn't say I'm extremely conservative. But like I mentioned I didn't plan on shooting any of those birds. I just wanted to see how they'd react since I could see them clearly. But they didn't react at all. Food must have been more important.  On the flip side I did see several in full strut later on and accidentally jumped one in full strut in some thick cypress. At least I know where I'll set up tomorrow.

[Greg Massey]

More than likely he was with hens. The Tom was doing what he suppose to do you come to him. Give it some time, they will be a time when the hens leave him and he can be called into your setup. It will happen a lot the first of season because you have a lot of hens that are still needing his service. The best time to kill him will be a short time when hens stop coming to him around 11:00 clock or so. You just have to be patient. Also be ready for a silent approach in the early season. You have to understand also that hens will lead a gobbler away form your setup sometimes also. It's frustrating but it's all part of turkey hunting. Again hens were your problem it had nothing to do with your calling. Most all these hunting shows you see, these guys are hunting were the gobbler to hens is like 10 to 1 or whatever.. and they over call way to much it's all for the camera. Better off to call a little and not to much..staying put kills more birds and being patient. Good luck///

[J.D. Shellnut]

They may not have reacted because the mature tom you heard was close by. In my opinion your set up is more important than your calling.

[Dr Juice]

They may not have reacted because the mature tom you heard was close by. In my opinion your set up is more important than your calling.

Concur. In addition, they could have been quiet because they were not hot enough yet. Just to add, the worst calling and cadence I have ever heard in the woods was a hen which I thought was my good friend screwing with me in the wood line. I called that unorthodox hen right up to me, and she definitely need some speech therapy 

Give the area another try for sure.

[fallhnt]

Just keep hunting and calling. Some days turkeys,some days feathers.