Do You Call In Hunters Occasionally Or Never On Public?

[quavers59]

     This has happened  to me occasionally. Usually in the open Hardwoods or Hardwoods/ Wetlands Fringe up here in New York. I consider  myself a pretty good caller with the Pot and the Box and my 33rd Spring starts on April 25th in New Jersey.
    The Turkey Hunters who Try to Sneak on near to my Hen Talk all take Slow measured steps with Shotgun at Port Arms. Thankfully, I see them early and call out- " Hunter" while not moving. My Father Taught  me early on to- Watch Your Backtrail.
    I figure that these Hunters must Think there is a Big Boss Gobbler Strutting Quietly close by to that Vocal Hen. Believe me- that sight will wake you up fully if you are a bit tired. Seeing a slow moving Camo Ninja with eyes narrowed in on your Location.
   To digress a bit- Famed WW1 Ace of Aces-- Manfred Von Richthohen- " Red Baron" who had 80 confirmed Victories  taught his men while Flying in front of his Squadron how he constantly looked behind his plane often at all angles and how to attack out of the Sun.
   I have probably  had at least 4 or so occasions where,I called in Hunters. Not Fun when they are walking in behind your Tree. So far,I have caught them all because of my habit of Looking Behind occasionally.  I do that while Hiking as well .
    I don't  think this happens  often for anyone . I think despite  rising Gas Prices- it will be Crowded on Public this Spring-- at least early on.
  So who has called in a stalking Hunter while you are giving out Sweet Hen Talk?

[HookedonHooks]

It's happened a few times to me on public, but I never really had a close call so to speak, we always took note of each other several hundred yards away and went separate ways. I do know a girl my age from my hometown who got shot a few years ago on public land from her calling position past the decoys. She survived but had to have quite a bit of lead taken from her right leg, arm, and side of her face.

I had walked in on a guy that was gobbling his head off on public land, luckily I seen his pop up blind and decoys from several hundred yards across the field where I came up the ridge from and turned around and went back where I came from. There was no other birds gobbling that morning, even on the limb, but they were around there was a pile of birds in there for several days prior. The only reason I can think he was gobbling like crazy was to try and fire a bird up because they were tight lipped that morning and he knew they were in there too.

[GobbleNut]

Thinking about your question, I can only remember two occasions over the last five decades or so that I have had other hunters approach close enough for me to actually see them,...and they were going to a gobbling bird that I was calling and were not aware I was there.  Fortunately, I hunt large areas of public land where I can avoid putting myself in situations where I would be likely to have hunters stalking my calling. 

From my admittedly limited experience with it, hunting places where there are enough hunters to have them sneaking up on your calling is pretty much a waste of time.  Unless you are extremely fortunate, any gobbler that makes a peep (or not) is going to be spooked long before he has the opportunity to come to a turkey hunter's call.  Simply stated, I just do all I can to avoid ending up in a situation where I even have to worry about other hunters being around.

Again, I feel sorry for anybody that has to hunt in situations where that is not avoidable...

[fallhnt]

All the time

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[TurkeyReaper69]

I have twice, both on public land in Mississippi. First time this happened I heard the dude (at this point didn't know what the sound was) coming through the woods. When I finally saw him he had a decoy bag on his back with a red head sticking out of it. I just thought that was the dumbest thing to be coming into hen calling with a gobbler decoy on your back, seems like a good way to get shot.

The second time was just as odd, before daylight I was on a ridge waiting to hear a gobble and I saw a light coming my way. Sure enough I told the guy I was hunting the area so he ended up leaving (I had assumed the guy had left the area when he wandered off, but he ended up going like 125 yards away and sitting under a tree.) Anyways, ended up not hearing a bird that morning so I just hung out on that ridge for an hour or so before work doing some soft calling thinking maybe a silent bird would come in. No bird comes in, but that dude walks back up again and sees me and asks if I'd been hearing the hen that has been "real vocal" on the ridge. I was pretty baffled, I'm assuming he was a new hunter.

[Iaguntrader]

I've never had it happen in Iowa, but it happened twice in a week last year in Nebraska.

[paboxcall]

Only time I called in a hunter was on 160 acres of private ground. Guy came in from the bordering public ground, hearing my mid day, nothing happening occasional hen yelping.

Spooky part was he emerged with his shotgun at high ready staring at the hen decoy. Yelled "Hey!" and that snapped out of a trance or something. Guy never said a word, quick stepping back toward the public ground.

He never called, never made a sound, just stalking turkey sounds. Pathetic behavior.

[Hughesjr60]

Yup. I was sitting up on a ridge in 2020 when all these people were out of work getting paid. I had a log as a back drop. I was doing some soft calling as I have called in some turkeys before to this spot. My back was against a big dead fall that butts up to private. Down below in the river bottom I heard a guy crow calling and walking below me to my left. I mean every 30 seconds he was crow calling. Then to my right down below I hear someone calling really loud with a box call. I had a jake decoy out and thought I better I better grab that and hide it under this tree before I get shot. 10 min later this guy comes up right where that decoy had been shotgun at the ready. I yelled Hey. He goes man I didn't even see you, did you hear that hen up here. I said dude that was me. Lol made feel good about my calling but after 2 minutes of talking to him I learned quickly he had no idea what he was doing. After that I don't use decoys on public anymore. And where I was at you had to take a boat to get there or walk over a mile. I hunted back in this area almost exclusively from 2013-2019 and never saw anyone or people sign. Ever since 2020 I can't believe how many people are back there now. Part of it though. Glad I've got a couple private places to go now and thousands more public acres to go too elsewhere. Just have to work harder

[Mallard1897]

A handful of times on public, mostly guys marching in losing it on the call. Only once stalking. Guy wearing a camo T-shirt and blue jeans just kinda slow walking up the hill with his gun at low ready. Never went back to that spot.

Once on private had a bird across the field 50yds from the edge by some houses that I was trying to call over to my position. All of a sudden a shot of rang out from directly between the houses and the bird started flopping. I was nearly in line with him and the bird but I think being over 100yds away and slightly uphill kept me out of range. As I sat there in disbelief, he came out into the field to get the bird without his gun. Went out to confront him and he took off back into the woods at a brisk walk and was gone by the time I reached the bird.

Some real scumbags out there.

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[Cowboy]

Once about 20 years ago I had been working a pair of gobblers that had set up on a knoll for a strut zone. I had been working them a long time with them gobbling alot. Finally one of them broke strut and slipped in and I was able to take him. As I was standing there admiring the Tom I looked up and was surprised that an older guy was walking up. He started talking to me about the gobblers and I said I never heard you calling to them? He said No I never did but I was sneaking in on them while you were! I got a cold chill up my back cuz him doing something crazy like that could have been a BAD ENDING.

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[dzsmith]

I've never personally called a person up with my calling but I've worked birds that people who happened to be in the woods with me also heard and they made a move on him...... 3 of which watched the bird die.  Not a brag by any means .... One of these individuals calling was very good when he was closing in and I genuinely thought a hen was coming to intercept him. A dangerous situation no doubt .... Definitely need to 100% identify your target when shooting . On the other hand ... I have also been on the way to a couple birds that were shot before i got there. I wasn't near as close though....

[Kylongspur88]

I've had an instance of a guy sneaking in and shooting at a gobbler I was working. I was on a youth hunt. It was hilly there and a guy snuck between me and the youth hunter and the bird I was working and knocked the bird down at what must have been 60+ yards. I didn't know he was there until he shot. We were lucky he didn't shoot at us. I about wrung his neck but I had a kid with me. Reported it to the game Warden and who knows if anything came of it. Regardless of where I'm at I try to keep a tree at my back big enough to protect my vitals in case some idiot shoots from behind.

I actually did have some idiots shoot my duck decoys while duck hunting. We were on private property in a river cut and these guys snuck in behind us and jump shot my deeks at about 3-4 feet over our heads. I'll just say it had the opportunity to get really ugly but cooler heads prevailed.

[Gooserbat]

No, I sound like a hen not a tom

[ferocious calls]

Yes several times. Care needs taken when stroking on a Ferocious calls box. 

[MISSISSIPPI Double beard]

Yes several times with a call. One time with calling and a gunshot. Kinda pissed one guy off when they came to see what I shot. On public land in Miss. Two guys had a gun and the sulled up dude didn't. I guess he was the guide.