Quiet birds

[2flyfish4]

Just curious what percent of your birds never gobble, they just come in quiet?

It seems like over the years I have shot a good 30-40% of my Tom's that never gobbled. I'm just set up, doing alittle bit of yelping every 15-20 minutes. And bamb, a tom comes into range strutting, but never makes a sound other than drumming.

[ScottTaulbee]

The one I killed last season didn't, very pressured public land, it was the second week of season, I was easing along a hidden path off of the main trial in and heard turkeys walking over the side of the hill from me in a holler. It was thick in there and I could only see about 15 yards in front of me, I yelped a couple times and scratched the leaves and the walking kept getting closer, about 15 minutes later out steps a long beard at 10 yards and I killed him. At the shot, two other longbeards were still down in the holler running around, I could see them from where mine was flopping. None of them gobbled, drummed, or strutted. I typically fall in to a silent one every few years, I'd say 6 to 8 years apart. It's not often that I'm still hanging around waiting on one honestly.


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[Burtwill]

Probably about one a year but it is usually by design. It's typically an afternoon when I don't figure they will gobble and I just go set up in a spot I think they should be near and call occasionally.

I killed sunday this way. I definitely prefer one coming in gobbling but if I have time i'm in the woods and just adjust tactics accordingly.

[Kygobblergetter]

The way I hunt (and enjoy hunting) does not lend its self to killing birds that done gobble at all. The ones I can think of that I killed without a gobble comes out to about 4% but I'm sure there's another 1 or 2 I'm not thinking of


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[strum]

Sunday the gobblers were sounding off at daybreak . Same place yesterday I only heard one gobble way way out but then around 8 am 3 came in silent. I have no idea why they do what they do.  I would much rather be on a vocal one but sometimes you have to take the hand your dealt.

[GobbleNut]

I'll have to check the box "does not apply" on this one... 

[357MAGNOLE]

It might say alot about me but I've only been busted by the quiet ones. I think it's close to 25-30% though. They usually come from somewhere unexpected and the movement catches my eye and I turn my head and I'm busted. Still getting better about that. I've also gone to stand up before and had one 20 yards away bust me, happened a few times actually and one time it was a pair of long beards.

[Paulmyr]

I've had plenty that were gobbling come in silent or others in the area were gobbling when one comes in silent I didn't know was there but none come to mind when no gobbling was heard. My style of hunting doesn't lend itself well to calling in birds that hadn't gobbled. I'm usually just listening. If do call I've usually vacated that spot before they show up. I won't be far away but I won't be where there looking for me.

[Marc]

Well...  What do you mean by "comes in quiet?"

Does that mean you never heard a gobble, and comes in quiet to your calling without ever hearing him?  Does that mean you heard him gobble once or twice, and he came in quiet after?

I have had 4 experiences with birds this season (2 of them got Killed):

1)  On my way to the first spot (about 1 mile), I was walkin' and talkin' and had an angry hen interact with me about 1/2 way to the spot...  Never heard a gobble.  Did some calling from the spot and 10 minutes later a bird "appeared" in front of me silently strutting.  (Dead bird)

2) Once again interacting with an angry hen (above me calling very agressively with me calling back).  Heard one distant gobble.  He suddenly gobbled about 10 feet in front of me, poking his head over a rise...  Believe there is still some residue in my shorts from that gobble (as it startled me good).  (No dead bird)

3)  Just after an encounter with a strutting/spitting hen that put on a long show for me, I headed back out the ravine in quiet woods...  Several hundred yards from that encounter, I glassed a hillside and spotted a tom about 200 yards away on the hillside opposite me.  Took cover behind a log, and started calling.  He immediately went into strut and headed my direction.  Got behind a bush about 20 yards away, and scared off by a coyote that rushed in.

4)  Calling at some birds for fun down a steep gorge, otherside of a major road, and angry hen came to investigate.  While she was on her way up, a bird further below her gobbled several times and stopped.  She ended up on a rock 15 yards away, and we yelped and cutt back and forth for about 20 minutes. That tom "appeared" in front of me in full strut...  Gobbled once, and I shot him. (dead bird 2).


I would say this season about 50% totally silent.  I would say normally about 10% totally silent, and about 30% gobble at a distance and come in silent.

[Greg Massey]

Very Few ...  drumming, spitting and hearing them walking in the leaves ...  most of the time ... and visual contact ...

[Tom007]

Over the years after trolling all morning, I would set up in one of my spots where I have had success over the years and just soft call. I do this from 10:00 to noon on very slow days. I have had gobblers come in without gobbling, sometimes strutting on the way to their demise. This has happened quite a few times over the years. All the sudden, he appears out of no where. It's a waiting game that takes patience, not for everyone, but when they aren't talking, I use this tactic. I refuse to leave the woods until quitting time, regardless if they are not talking......that just me.

[2flyfish4]

No doubt hunting quiet birds is not very exciting. But you don't know if they will be gobbling or not till your in the field and I'm not turning around and going home just because the birds aren't super vocal.

Most these quiet birds i have shot are in the late morning to early afternoon. I normally slip into areas that I know there are birds, they aren't gobbling. But I go set up and let out a lonely hen yelp every 10-15 minutes. I will do this for normally atleast an hour, sometimes 2 hours. Sometimes hear some distant gobbles, but typically not in response to the call. The majority of the time I dont hear any gobbling. But its not uncommon for a bird to show up. Maybe they are just passing through the area, maybe they are responding to the calls, just not gobbling. Not sure, but a bagged turkey is a bagged turkey.

[Flatsnbay]

My very first and best turkey came in totally silent, not a peep. He just appeared.

I'd say probably 90% talk back to me at one time or the other over my hunt. I bet if I stayed put in the blind that number would increase. I guess you never know when there's a silent turkey coming to your calls.

I know there's been several times when I've left my blind to run and gun, I've walked past the spot that I've been sitting that morning and see a turkey standing where my decoys once were.

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[Marc]

I would be willing to bet that I don't have a clue as to how many birds have come in quiet, that I never saw.  Hunting hilly, wooded, brushy, rocky areas, and it would be quite easy for a bird to get by me without seeing him.

Thinking about it, I have killed a few, in which all I heard was some sort of quiet cluck or drumming to give me notice of a bird I would not have otherwise seen.

Hunting grassy areas, I cannot hear them walking...  And I have bumped a fair number of birds getting up to move.  I have no idea how many birds have walked in range behind me, or otherwise out of my view...  I suspect it is a decent number though.

I do know that the more pressured the birds are (by human hunters or predators), the more likely they are to move in tight-lipped.

[Muzzy61]

For me they may gobble on the roost, but far fewer gobble on the ground coming to my calls. Called 4 in this year that were shot and not the first gobbled on the ground.