Mudhen mentioned Ray Eye in an earlier post. It was Ray Eye's article a few years back that emphasized the peck order that dominates the lives of both gobblers and hens. I've used that information to take my three-gobbler limit annually in Illinois since that time, including at 7:30 this morning on opening day of the first season when a 23# tom came across a 20 acre picked soybean field to challenge my Pretty Boy, me taking him at 25 yards. It took about 30 minutes of scattered hen yelps followed by gobbles from my Primos tube with the real bird gobbling back before curiosity got the best of the real bird and he came on a dead run the last 100 yards. I've got 3rd and 5th season tags to go and plan to this same technique to entice other gobblers. I may switch to a Funky Chicken later on to reduce the intimidation factor. While I don't take many on the fly down, the next three hours after that have proven fruitful, usually after his hens have headed to their nesting sites. If you are not taking advantage of the turkey's peck order, you may be limiting your opportunity.
