Hunting with hens around

[SinGin]

So I'll just throw this out there but if a gobbler gobbles good on the roost and the hens fly right to him after fly down, whats a guys next move? I've managed to get on a couple of good ones but just as the sun comes up, there go the hens, and that can only last about 5 to 10 minutes. So what do ya'll try then??

[stinkpickle]

If the hens are vocal, I'll try to mock the boss and one-up her.  Sometimes, she gets mad and comes to me, dragging the tom with her...BUT usually, it just speeds up their exit.  Either way, it's a lot more fun than sitting there doing nothing.

[Planner]

I try to get some more coffee, maybe a breakfast taco.... Then head back out in a hour and kill the gobbler who doesn't have any hens. So, what you described is pretty much every morning here in Texas. The gobblers typically are roosted with their hens and while first daylight is tons of fun to hear them gobble, they pitch down with their hens, strut a little, gobble a lot and walk away with their hens. I've had success calling aggressively to the hens, as mentioned, and having the boss hen come show me who's boss while dragging a Tom. I've also been fortunate to have a gobbler fly down right at me at daybreak. More often than not though we kill birds an hour or two after daybreak when initial breeding is done and the gobblers are looking for a receptive hen.


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[FLTXhunter]

Man does that summarize my season.  I've gotten on several roosted birds or had several birds coming in hot, only to have hens go to them and lead them off.  The hens are being vocal right before flydown but getting quiet on the ground so trying to bring them in by calling is not working either.  I'm at a loss.  One thing is for sure, this year has taught me that I am far from being a great turkey hunter.

[jakesdad]

I've learned to just hang in there and sooner than later hens leave and gobblers are lusting for their next girlfriend. 3 of the 4 birds our household killed this year was because of that very reason. If I had to guess % wise how many birds I've killed that were henned up but called in later in the morning I'd say it's 75% on the conservative side. I'm far from any turkey hunting expert but this is one lesson I've learned very well. I'm actually fairly surprised if I kill a bird in under an hour off the roost.

[TRG3]

I've come to the conclusion that if the gobbler has the option of going with the visible hens or coming to me, the invisible hen, that almost every time the real hens will win. Having said that, options available are (1) challenge the boss hen and hopefully bring her to you, dragging the gobbler with her, (2) stay put until late morning-it was 10:45 the other day-and call infrequently, anticipating that the gobbler will come looking for you after the real hens have headed off to nest, (3) wait until later in the season when few if any hens are responding to the gobbler on the roost and he may come looking for you, (4) gobble and challenge the peck order, more than likely bringing in a subordinate tom while the boss gobbler leaves with the real hens. Late in the season after the hens are not responding to the gobbler on the roost, imitating an intruder gobbler has been successful for me in bringing in the boss bird. My season is over with the taking of my third Illinois gobbler, but I hope to study and learn to successfully utilize fighting purrs as part of my 2017 strategy.

[nosaj]

I've learned to just hang in there and sooner than later hens leave and gobblers are lusting for their next girlfriend. 3 of the 4 birds our household killed this year was because of that very reason. If I had to guess % wise how many birds I've killed that were henned up but called in later in the morning I'd say it's 75% on the conservative side. I'm far from any turkey hunting expert but this is one lesson I've learned very well. I'm actually fairly surprised if I kill a bird in under an hour off the roost.

X2  and be careful of over calling in the meantime