How far is too far?

[Uncle Tom]

I am one of the odd man out on this one. I sit up on a track that I have in mind when I leave the truck that morning, and if when I am sitting there and hear one gobble...no matter the distance I respond with a couple clucks..right at the end of his gobble. If I can hear him, he can hear me. That a given. So, he hears that cluck just as he stops gobbling....got his attention and many times he will gobble again few minutes later. As he gobbles, cut him off again with that cluck. After a few gobbles if I can tell if he is getting closer...I shut up. Maby little scratching leaves, but will not call as long as he is coming. Now, as he is getting closer...maby 100 yds or so I will softly purr couple times. Many times he closes that distance and I kill him. I do very little yelps, cuts, etc. anymore....just clucks and purrs and just letting them know where I am at. Many times I have set there from pitch dark till mid day and killed that bird. I move very little and kill just as many as I use to in my younger years of running & gun. I just like to hear them and get them coming, whether I kill him or not.

[Yoder409]

From my uncle's deck I can call across the valley and get birds to answer that I range at 900yds but they'd have to drop down a hill, cross a field, river, though some yards,  highway, more yards, then up a mountain gaining 500ft of elevation. 

A Gould's will just up and fly straight across if you get him wound up tight enough.  I've seen them do it.

[MK M GOBL]

If I can hear them, they can hear me and the it's game time! One other thing I have had happen with distant "gobbles" I have had it work up another satellite bird and his day ended.


MK M GOBL

[Yoder409]

One other thing I have had happen with distant "gobbles" I have had it work up another satellite bird and his day ended.


MK M GOBL

TOTALLY sage advice !!!!!

[Marc]

Generally, I will get as close as possible...  Sometimes that is not too close.

Whether to sit and work a bird a long ways off?  What does he have to cross or cover to get to me?  Are there other likely options to pursue?  What time of year, and what time of day is it (i.e. later in the season with no available hens, later in the morning mid-season when hens are sitting on the nest)?

Sometimes if a bird is a long ways off, I might move off, look for another bird, and return later...  And that bird is A LOT closer.

Basically it comes down to appraising the situation and your options, and making an informed decision.

[rt2bowhunter]

I have changed how i hunt and what i hunt with over 40 some years (guessing). I used to run and gun calling to a gobbler thought he ain't coming then take off after another. Only to walk back through and he be there looking for me (that hen) this kinda taught me to stay home. Once i started using a bow compound then trad bows and now days a crossbow. I started using a blind where i was pretty much stuck. This lead me to setting up where my calling would reach as much country as i could.

I'll just call to dead woods is how i put it. Sometimes i hear one way off sometimes he's closer. Sometimes i hear him before i call. But the game to me now a day's is you come to my call or i'll talk to you tomorrow. And many times i have had Gobblers slip in without saying a word, i just look and its like they popped up out of the ground LOL.

So to get back to the OP question you can call one in from a long ways sometimes. When lack of permission or the country is just to rough ( were not all 20 years old ). What do you have to lose set still and talk to him.

I also hunt these hills and hollows of Wv . Good luck!