Novice-Hunting my property

[nfa1eab]

Directly behind my house, I have turkeys roosting at the left back of my property. I have set up a ground blind about 150 yards west of them in the woods slightly off the bottom of my back yard. The other day at about 7:30 am I called one in to what seemed like 70 yards but he quit and never exited the woods. About 9:00am, I called 2 different birds about as close (estimating here), and they went quiet. No decoys. Will a gobbler enter a clearing without visually seeing a bird/decoy? When they get close, what calling tactic should I use? I have been told the less you call, the better. I am mm using a box call. One last question. Supposed to get some storms tonight, does that impact what they do in the am if it is gone?

Thnx,
Noob looking for advice

[fallhnt]

Sounds like your using the no decoy strategy wrong. You want to set up where the bird has to come look for you and be in gun range when you see him. If your in a field use decoys.

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[nfa1eab]

I am just off to the side of the clearing. I picked up 2 hen decoys that I will put out to the left of my blind. Any advice on calling when they get close?

[Marc]

I am just off to the side of the clearing. I picked up 2 hen decoys that I will put out to the left of my blind. Any advice on calling when they get close?

Hunting in the woods, I have actually found that decoys seem to hurt more than they help...  If that bird is coming your direction looking for the hen that is making sounds, he will often continue forward motion until he sees the hen...  If you have a hen decoy out, he might stop short and start to display for the hen(s) waiting for her/them to come to him...  Which is why if I do use decoys, I prefer a jake/hen combo.

However, hunting an open area, I do feel that decoys are beneficial...  It seems to me, that if you are in an open area, and the tom should be able to see the hen that is making sounds, and cannot see her, he will either get nervous or disinterested.

I do not like calling at a bird that I can see with no obstructions...  I will wait till they are behind a tree or a bush, or maybe when they go into a depression...  If they are meandering my direction, and I can see them, I do not call.  Of course I am not hunting from a blind though.

If a bird is coming close, but walking by, I will try a few subtle clucks or purrs...  If he still shows no interest I might yelp at him...  If he still continues on his way, I might try cutting at him...  I keep increasing the intensity of the calling until he shows some interest.  I might even throw a gobble at him if he completely passes me by...

[nfa1eab]

Thnx Marc,
Planning to go out in the morning. Storms just moved through. Hope that doesn't affect them much?
Ed

[HFultzjr]

Sounds like they are coming in to where they should be seeing movement or a hen, then getting out of dodge. I would try a hen with a jake. Have the hen angle away from where you expect him. Put the Jake right next to her facing where you expect him. When he hangs up, do some leaf scratching, soft calling. See if you can get some movement in the decoys by placement/wind, etc. He is looking, but not finding.

[catman529]

Most of the time when they see the field is clear they won't come close enough. I struck a bird one time when I was in a small field with a clump of bushes in the middle. The bird was up in the woods and already close. So I could not set up anywhere better than the bushes in the middle of the field. He came into the field and looked around and started putting, trying to find the hen, but he would not close the distance. I normally would not have even tried that setup but like I said there was nowhere good to go, just thicket or field.

I'd say leave your blind where it is in case you need it, but go hunt without it in the woods and try to call one in where he will be close before you can even see him. Got to make them look for the hen.


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[MK M GOBL]

One thing I always look at with private property is how "You" put pressure on it and the affect on your birds on that property. I have about 1,900 acres of private ground to hunt and on most I am the only guy who gets to hunt it, now I may be bringing out someone out to hunt with me but it is under my terms. And then some of these may have another hunter or two... Those piece can get buggered up awful fast when a they IMO don't "know" how to hunt turkeys right... I won't go into to all those details but learn how to be that ghost in the woods and you will keep your property "Huntable" all season long and for years to come.

MK M GOBL

[evanscountylimbhanger]

i agree 100% with what mk m gobl said. turkeys do feel pressure. you need to play them easy and not get in a hurry.

i don't know all the specifics about your situation but i would ask you a few questions to make a gameplan.

why do you think a blind is necessary? was there a reason for you choosing to pick a permanent location? instead of letting each morning unfold and telling you where to set up? i know people that love blinds, but i've never had a gameplan on a turkey go exactly as planned and adjustments to my setup are always needed (something that can't be done very easily with a blind.

is there a reason you are thinking the birds will use that field? is that where you have been seeing them come out to after flydown? again, i ask to point out that just b/c there is a field that doesn't mean thats where the turkeys are gonna be all the time.

everybody can hunt turkeys however they want, i just wanted to play the other side of the throw decoys in a field and sit in a blind approach. if i were to hunt those birds, i would probably ease into the treeline about 80 yards deep and 100 yards from the roost (i'm assuming here that you/I would have that part already pinned down). then when gray day comes along, i would just being doing some real light calling, soft clucks and soft three note yelps. just one or two sequences to let him know your there. they may pitch down and cruise that tree line on their way to the field trying to find this new hen.

the biggest thing being, playing him easy. if he doesn't follow the script, ease out of there trying to stay undetected. better to hunt him for a week then go for broke and possibly ruin him for the season in one hunt. turkeys absolutely do feel pressure. play him easy and make him last!

[nfa1eab]

Set up blind because they seem to be roosting in woods behind house. Have seen turkeys often at bottom of hill and along hillside leading up to the house. This morning after storms last night, no gobbling in that part of woods. Heard one in woods further right of blind, but far off. So far, nothing today.

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[nfa1eab]

First is view from blind. Second is looking down hill from house. Blind is out of picture on right. Two days ago birds were answering from woods in first pic.

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[evanscountylimbhanger]

Set up blind because they seem to be roosting in woods behind house. Have seen turkeys often at bottom of hill and along hillside leading up to the house. This morning after storms last night, no gobbling in that part of woods. Heard one in woods further right of blind, but far off. So far, nothing today.

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i guess thats what i am trying to understand. if you are still trying to pattern the birds (or if there is no predictable pattern), why limit yourself to one location inside a blind? just setup wherever you want with your back against a tree.

and in all honesty, the birds may already be skirting your blind especially if you have called to them from it and they've decided they don't like what they see. might even employ a deer hunting tactic where if the deer have been skirting my stand just out of bow range b/c they have been "educated", i'll hang a brand new sneaky hang on 100 yards from the old stand (and leave the old one where it is).

just saying, you might want to try not hopping in the blind one morning and setting up elsewhere. the turkeys might have a pattern on you...