Going for the Juggular

[Eric Gregg]

I have been thinking about changing my approach to responding to a gobbler on the roost. I know that the typical scenario is locate the gobbler, set up close, shut up until he initiates conversation, then try to sweet talk him to your direction after he flies down.

But what if instead of a sweet lonely hen he hears a jake.......
Hear is what I am thinking.
Locate with my hoot flute (works all the time)
When I set up on him, instead of answering him back with just soft yelps, use a gobble shaker to sound like a young jake and hopefully immediately tick old gobbler off.

Has anyone tried this, and do you think it will work. Of course I would use yelps, clucks, etc......but I am thinking get him to doing this

[honker22]

I wouldn't do it, unless I had been after that same gobbler a few times and my original plan wasn't working. 

[guesswho]

My biggest concern with that plan is that Jakes tend to run together, and most mature gobblers will try to avoid a band of Jakes.  I'm not saying it won't work, just that I think it will hurt your chances more times than not.   But hey, I am wrong most of the time.

[TauntoHawk]

aggressive tactics are my day 3 plan on the same bird...

if day 1 I set up and he flys the other way, and day 2 I set up on the other side and he flys to day 1's spot, day 3 I just try and piss him off or get super close to his roost tree

[ccleroy]

Guesswho nailed it.

[Eric Gregg]

Thanks for the inputs, and certainly gave me some things to consider.
Reason for thinking about going agressive is that the gobbler I have hunted for the past couple of years throws me gobbles but ends up going off with hens.
I know, however, where he likes to go after he has breed his receptive hens and looks for more. Maybe waiting him out if he goes off will be the best route to take.
Wait for him to get lonely then sweet talk him my direction.

A friend of mine and I were hunting and got cut off by a hen. She took him in the opposite direction. I didn't think to try to make her mad, but we came back later on right after lunch and we bumped the old boy by himself. My gues was that he had breed the receptive hens and was around the that spot looking for more.

[hunts4ever]

What works for me is getting closer to the gobbler in the dark than i normally would, call first and then drown out any other hen in the woods. be loud be dominant. I would try that and use a decoy also imitate fly down. A gobble can intimidate him and if you already know what direction he usually goes i would set up on that end. good luck

[cahaba]

Anything is worth trying after a few days on the same bird, even leaving him alone in the morning and trying a midday or late afternoon approach. Also if he flys down in the opposite direction and is without hens I like to get to his rooste tree quick and give him some seduction.

[nyturkeyduster]

Like the others have said, hold off on the jake approach unless the most basic tactics have failed.

[SonicBanshee]

 

[Rockhound]