Calling Across River

[Waterhead]

Wanted to get some thoughts on upcoming weekend situation.

Taking son to some private land we have access to. about 35-45 acres. Mostly 2-3 yr clear-cut. We have a 3 acre food plot along a river that's about 30 yds. wide. Across river we've heard turkeys and prior to the clear-cut we would see them pitch across into the 3 acre food plot.

Since this is our only private land access and the public land we usually hunt doesn't open until the following weekend.

My thought is prior to the field is a high point plan on listening from there then either call from there if we do not hear anything in hopes it would travel further or drop on down to the field in hopes to do some softer calling.

Since it's youth weekend I already have a pop-up blind set up in the field. And I might even bring my decoys with me.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Has anyone knowingly called a tom to pitch across a river?

[appalachianassassin]

yes

[GobbleNut]

Although it is usually best to be on the side of the river they are on, I don't think rivers or other barriers are a problem IF a gobbler really wants to go across for some reason.  You should do your best to give them that reason...   

[GregGwaltney]

Oh yeah, that is an easy pitch for them. I had a piece of private property I hunted 30 years ago that was similar to what you referenced. It was a larger piece (1000 acres), but there was a small 20' wide river/creek, that was clearcut on my side and wooded on the other(Not huntable). The birds roosted on the other side of the creek in the timber, but would pitch 200-300 yards right to me in the clearcut.....I would call very limited/softly to them while on the roost (just before I believed they were going to fly down) and just enough for them to get my general location, it worked like a charm as I got my limit 2 years in a row. If they are already pitching to the food plot, I would not put decoys out there. I will say that the birds stopped this behavior when the clearcut got 3+ years old, just too thick I presume. Boy was that a fun place to hunt for a few years, I can still picture those birds gliding right to me.

[Waterhead]

Oh yeah, that is an easy pitch for them. I had a piece of private property I hunted 30 years ago that was similar to what you referenced. It was a larger piece (1000 acres), but there was a small 20' wide river/creek, that was clearcut on my side and wooded on the other(Not huntable). The birds roosted on the other side of the creek in the timber, but would pitch 200-300 yards right to me in the clearcut.....I would call very limited/softly to them while on the roost (just before I believed they were going to fly down) and just enough for them to get my general location, it worked like a charm as I got my limit 2 years in a row. If they are already pitching to the food plot, I would not put decoys out there. I will say that the birds stopped this behavior when the clearcut got 3+ years old, just too thick I presume. Boy was that a fun place to hunt for a few years, I can still picture those birds gliding right to me.

Thanks for the help!

To my knowledge they are not currently crossing the river to the food plot and the clear cut is probably already to thick. this was why i'm thinking of using the decoys to maybe help encourage them to cross. From ground level it's pretty hard to see across but from up in a tree i'd imagine it's pretty good. Both sides of clear cut are mix of hardwood/pasture but not a lot of total acreage.

Think our current plan is to hunt this area in the mornings then maybe do some riding around to a couple other spots. Other spots might require door knocking which i'm not against.

[soILstrutter]

I always assumed that birds on the other side of a creek/river were just unattainable. Last year I set up on the only group of birds I had access to, but they were obviously on the other side of a 40 yard wide river. I called and worked them just as I normally would, and killed a longbeard about 30 seconds after his feet( accompanied by two hens and another longbeard) landed on my side. I have a feeling that river bottom turkeys adapt to the terrain they live in. I'm sure that longbeard had flown that section of river several times. If he wants to come find a hen bad enough, he will find a way.

[Greg Massey]

Although it is usually best to be on the side of the river they are on, I don't think rivers or other barriers are a problem IF a gobbler really wants to go across for some reason.  You should do your best to give them that reason...   

X2

Convenience the gobblers you are the hens they want / need to come see ...  This is where calling ability makes a lot of difference than just making squawking noise. IMO 

[Marc]

I have had them cross rivers, and one even flew across a canyon.  Don't expect it, but am always hopeful.

I have also had them hang up on a shadow...  Had a pair of toms that refused to cross two fence posts with no fencing there.

Given the chance I would certainly try to get them across...  If they are with hens, it will be more challenging, unless you can get a satellite bird worked up.

[ShortMagFan]

I've shot them by calling them to the edge of a creek or small river many times

The land I grew up hunting was on a river in north Georgia way too wide to shoot across. Many a morning I left them gobbling at 10 or 11 am after spending a couple hours trying to coax them across

I'd go get lunch and sneak back into the area mid afternoon and the Tom had come to my side looking for that hen on more than one occasion.

[Kylongspur88]

Yes. If they want it they'll pitch across water/river. Turkeys are weird. I've called them across a river but had them hang up at a branch laying on the ground.