Tough Bird - Looking For Suggestions

[njdevilsb]

We've been after this same bird all season.  Usually in past years, I'm not sure that we're hunting the same one day after day, but this guy roosts in the same small area every night, gobbles about 8-10 times on the roost, hits the ground, gobbles about twice and is gone so I'm almost certain it's the same one we've been after since day one of this season.  I believe he's the one we got on camera breeding a hen and he's got some long hooks on him.  I think he's just an old smart bird.  We've tried setting up in two different fields in his area with no luck.  This Saturday we got in the woods close to his roost and he went the other way.  Sunday my dad and I split up and covered two areas around where he is, hoping to catch him coming through.  My dad was 30 yards from his roost tree.  The bird flew down behind some thick stuff, strutted briefly, gobbled once, and was gone once again with no shot opportunity.  Yesterday morning I went in about 100 yards deeper hoping to cut him off after fly down, but he was farther over than expected and once again, same verse as every other day.  I know he had a hen with him because I heard her cutt 3 times in the tree.

Down the road about 3/4 of a mile there is some state land that is separated by a dirt road from private land.  There was a tom in full strut with a hen out in that field.  I got into the state land and called some and he never gobbled, just kept strutting.  This was about 8:00, a little over 2 hours after fly down.  I was wondering if it might be him going that far down the road or not.

Is it common for birds to hit the ground and just take right off to another piece that far down the road?  The odd occasion he does gobble on the ground, you can tell he's going the other way at a pretty good clip.  There's a bunch of other birds over there too so I don't know if this guy and his hen spend the day with the other group and come back to roost or what they're doing.

It's almost getting personal with this bird since he has outsmarted us so many times this year.  This weekend we are thinking about just listening for him and once (or if) we hear him, set up about 30 yards on either side of his tree and just wait for him to hit the ground, hopefully in range.  Its thick enough in there and the logging road is pretty quiet so I'm not too worried about busting him.  We haven't yet.  I'm not sure what else to do.  Do you guys have an suggestions about what we should do?  I've never had one bird frustrate me as much as this guy has.  I got a nice 2 year old early in the season, so I've been after this one ever since.

[mikejd]

I have been down that road to many times. Sounds like you are close. You are going to have to gwt him without calling. I hunt with my dad and brother also and for birds that do this (run the other way at the sound of any call) the only thing you can do is set up on a few sides and hope he walks into range. Just know were each other are and be carefull.
I think you'll tag him.

[busta biggun]

When I run into a bird like that I will stop calling and use more natural sounds. Getting a wing to simulate a flydown works wonders. Also scratching in the leaves will help tremendously. I have had birds gobble just by scratching. If you do call, just do very soft clucks. Good luck!

[jblackburn]

When I run into a bird like that I will stop calling and use more natural sounds. Getting a wing to simulate a flydown works wonders. Also scratching in the leaves will help tremendously. I have had birds gobble just by scratching. If you do call, just do very soft clucks. Good luck!

This.

[Rokhal07]

Yeah i agree w the scratching suggestion. I called an old longbeard in with only that about 8years ago and i never even had to cluck or yelp. I suggest 2 long strokes and then a short one (not that theres a rhyme or reason) thats just what i felt comfortable with that sounded most like a turkey

[howl]

Never heard a hen do that. Sounds like the has been and continues to be conditioned against the usual tactics.  Yes they will go about their day like they have an itinerary. If you can pattern it, make like a Jake stealing a hen that would've been waiting. That's a good first move.

[TRKYHTR]

Sounds like that bird has a plan and he is doing it everyday. You need to find out where he is going and either hunt him there or get inbetween his roost and that spot. I hunted AL about 15 years ago and we had a gobbler that was giving us fits similar to yours. This gobbler would gobble after daylight but would not come to you. After the third day I decided to go at him until I saw him or busted him. We'll I finally got to where I could see him. He was still in the tree at 9:30. He would walk the limb gobbling and struttin. No wonder he wouldn't come. I watched him until about 11:00 and then watched him fly over the woodlot we were in and go over the road. We left the next day but the guy who lived there killed that turkey at 11:30 on the otherside of the road. I said that so you would understand that he is going somewhere and thats where you need to be. Good luck,

TRKYHTR

[njdevilsb]

I appreciate the replies guys.  I think we're going to get in real close Saturday morning, hopefully he's still there.  Since we know the general direction he heads, I'm thinking one of us within 30-40 yards of his tree and the other maybe 50-100 yards the way we think hes heading.  The farm he's on is full of fields so I'm wondering where he heads everyday.  The way he goes is just woods upon woods until he gets to the other piece I mentioned earlier that has some farm fields too. 

[RutnNStrutn]

Have you tried a strutting deke with a real fan breeding a hen deke? That and a gobble call might do the trick.
When I was in Ohio hunting, we spotted a tom following a hen shortly after flydown. He wouldn't leave her. We watched him "take care" of himself, then later she finally let him breed her. Another gobbler came in and he ran that gobbler off. He would occasionally gobble at our calls, but would never leave her side. We couldn't approach them, because they were in a powerline right of way. They slowly drifted our way, but it was getting late, and they were still about 125 yards away.
It was 11, and in Ohio you have to quit at 12. So the situation called for drastic measures. I crawled down the fence inside the woods to get about 40 yards closer. When he strutted with his fan blocking his head, my buddy took a strutting jake deke with a real fan and stuck it atop a rotten fence post. Then he took his box call and started gobbling at it. Every time he did this, the gobbler would turn, and give the jake deke the stink eye. Finally, after a 1/2 hour of this, the gobbler couldn't take it any more. He turned, dropped out of strut, and marched up the hill to kick that jake's butt!!   I dropped him with a 35 yard shot at 11:40.
This might work for you too. If you set up a couple of hours before light, and put out the strutting deke where the roosted bird can see it, he might sail down to it to whip some butt.
Other than that, just getting lucky and being in his way as he heads to his morning strut zone sounds like your only other bet. Good luck!!

[njdevilsb]

We do have a strutting decoy but we've only used it once this year.  That might do the trick as long as we get it where he can see it.  Being so thick in the woods this time of year, it may be hard to get him to see it from the tree.  It's getting to that point with this bird that we are willing to try just about anything.

If we do we him, it's probably going to turn out to be a smart 2 year old and not the long spurred one we think he is. 

[busta biggun]

The strutter is a high risk with a possible high reward. This late in the season gobblers are usually tired of fighting and often steer clear of any other gobblers. It may work though, but I would use it as a last resort.

[Tail Feathers]

Is it time to bust him off the roost just as he flies up?
Then you see which direction he went and be about 300 yards in that direction the next morning.
He'll wake up looking for company.

[njdevilsb]

Here's a picture we got of him last week.  I just checked the cameras this afternoon and he only showed up once, not saying that he isn't out there somewhere.  This particular field is huge.  I think you can tell by the visible spur why I'm kind of set on connecting with him, along with the fact that he's eluded us pretty well since the start.  There was a strutter on this camera on Tuesday but I can't be certain it was this bird since he didn't show his spurs.

[Uncle Tom]

Njdevilsb, can tell you what has worked for me on more than one occasion and you may want to try if you haven't got him. Go to the hunting tips section under this General forum, go to page 2, and under "for you deep South guys" read my post on hunting a roosted bird. Let us know if you get him...looks like a nice one.

[zeke632]

Don't let him roost where he wants to.  Go out in the late afternoon with a 22 and target practice where he roosts. Do anything to keep him out.  He ought to want to come back in the morning.  A cluck or two might just do it.   
I've had that work on one that was doing the way yours is doing.
Or he will ignore you and do what he wants.