So, I went hunting this weekend. Only the 2nd and third time (both this weekend) I have hunted them outside of spring. I killed a few as a young'un during deer season, but they were just targets of opportunity.
I knew the areas they roosted and the areas they fed through where I was hunting (in the spring anyways). So had a good idea where to start.
First day, was talked out of going where I wanted to and set up in a clear cut surrounded by bottoms. Nothing. About 10am we went to my first choice. Sat up and sure enough, with some quiet calling, hear comes some birds. We had them talking and the boss hen was above me on the ridge, calling the birds up below her. We were talking back and had them all riled up. A jake came walking straight to me but never offered a clear shot. All jakes and hens in the brood. They came up near where my nephew was and raised a ruckus for a while.
Day 2. New spot we knew held birds. We set up along a ridge, almost to the top, but not over, alongside a river bank. After sitting down and day breaks, we had birds all around us tree yelping. We join in and just try to sound like 2 more birds. We watch three fly down to our right and hear the rest pitch straight down, below us. Same as the day before, boss hen and several birds doing keekee runs, the longest I have ever heard. After it is obvious the hen is not coming to us, we head down, this time to bust them up, but the drop off was too steep and an impassable creek between us. We went around where they were headed and got in front, but they either turned up the feeder creek or never got to us.
So my questions.
Day 1: Assuming jakes are on the menu, should we have busted the flock once I was out of the game? My nephew could have done it easily from his position. I could not as it was thick and I was behind them. We decided that would have been best.
Day2: We tried it on Day 2, but the terrain prevented us from a bum rush flock bust.
Either day, is getting in front of them a viable option, or is it likely the boss hen is going to most times lead them away, no matter how much we sound like another boss?
Day 1 was definite brood flock, but day 2 was mixed, nephew was pretty sure the birds that flew up the creek were gobblers-the birds were spread out over a very large distance. We could see into that bottom and pretty sure they went our into the chop. After the gobs left, we decided it was likely it was another brood around us. Would you have also tried to guess their direction and try to wait or pushed forward and made something happen from the way they were headed?
Got to hear some totally awesome turkey sounds, every sound a bird makes except a gobble. had a blast. Was very fun.
In happier news, we stumbled on a heck of a wood duck hole.
Would just like to hear some thoughts on tactics. Dogs are not legal.