ESTIMATING GOBBLE DISTANCES

[Longspur321]

The other morning, I was listening to a bird gobble in a new spot that I had found the previous afternoon while scouting. As I stood on top of the ridge trying to guess-timate (like most of us do)where he was roosted, it got me thinking about how I need to sharpen my skills pertaining to judging distances of gobbling birds. In short, I want to know how far a gobble resonates in different types of terrain in conjunction with various weather conditions(fog, rain, calm, humid, windy, hot, cold, etc...) I know there are countless factors that play in to it, but I think it would be beneficial to hear what others have to say on the subject.

Here's my scenario from a few days ago----->It was a dead calm, but extremely foggy morning. Bird was still roosted. I was on top of a big ridge that dropped down from 330' to creek bottoms ~200' below on both sides. I could hear him gobbling somewhere in the bottom to my south. There was a stand of very old longleaf pine with a fairly dense understory of yaupon between us. I guessed he was about 300 yds from me very close to the creek bottom. Now, looking at my aerial maps, if he was indeed roosted over the creek like I think he was, he would have been +450 yds. So, I was off by 150 yds...I THINK. Guess I just misjudged.

Let's hear some different scenarios about the TYPE OF TERRAIN & THE CONDITIONS YOU HEARD OR SAW A BIRD GOBBLING FROM AND EITHER GUESSED THE DISTANCE CORRECTLY OR FEEL YOU WERE WAY OFF AND WHY. Please be as specific as possible.

[busta biggun]

It is really difficult and comes more with experience. I have been hunting for 27 years and I still get it wrong sometimes. Wind is the biggest factor. If I hear a bird gobble in 30 mile hour winds I know he's close. Even if the wind is blowing towards me. Gobbles also bounce off of water so if a bird is across a lake he may be way further than you think. Gobbling in tall timber magnifies gobbles and he is usually further than he sounds. That being said, they sound further away once the trees are in full foilage. Open air (birds in fields) seems to swallow up gobbles and they sound very faint when they may be right over the crest of a hill. Main thing for me is this?


Is it getting LOUDER???!!!!!

[Basin_hunter]

Very tricky when they flip around on the branch and gobble the opposite direction also, esp if he's roosted on the base of a ridge or in a bottom. I just always try to stay on top of the ridges when moving in on them where there is more cover.

[Tail Feathers]

I stink at judging it.    And with the practice of a whole season, I don't get much, if any better at it.

[T-town]

Hmmm... I can't gauge distance, course sound, or keep up with direction... maybe I'll learn something on this thread. Thank the Lord for creeks, fence lines and logging roads... andmy new GPS

[Timber Chicken]

Alot also depends how well you hear. The hearing in my right ear is horrible. So alot of times they seem further. One of my buddies has awesome hearing and alot of time he hears birds I can't.

[socalturkeyman]

Well the bird I killed last year was  magical! I heard him on Saturday at about 1 pm on a blue bird day. I had just made a big circle with the starting point being about 150 yards from where I ended up killing this bird four days later. As my buddy and I are just getting to the gate I hear him gobble,I was excited, I hit the locator call and him booms back at it. I have really good hearing and sense of direction,but As soon as I dropped off the road into the woods I couldnt hear him. I made that big circle about 5 time that day. Stumped,tired,and just plain beat for the day we decide to go home. Im taking my vest off when I hear him gobble.Ahh a end of the day tease. Well I show up I think  on Wed. or thursday,after talking it over with a few RDR's and took the same walk and it took about two hours for the round trip. Again as soon as I hit the truck,GOBBLE GOBBLE!!!! But this time I had a better plan after talking with the guys. I went on to google earth and found a likely place where this bird was at. Jay told me to look for a bowl or a saddle,that would mess with the sound of the gobble.Well I found that area and I killed that bird within 5mins of setting up.

Now the best part was that is was no more than 100 yards from the truck where I kill this bird. I literaly walked right bellow that dang bird and couldnt hear him due to the  light breeze and creek. SO It can be tough to jugde gobbles and distance.

[jblackburn]

I'm not sure how accurate I can judge a gobble, but back when I lived in Missouri I could at least tell if a bird is close or far.  But since I started hunting Rios in KS and OK I have had to adjust how I gauge a gobble since rio gobble is different than the eastern.

Basically, if I think a rio gobble is far off, I should sit down and get ready!  I have been busted several times because they always sound farther away than they really are.

[GobblinNC]

also depends which direction the turkey is gobbling towards

[El Pavo Grande]

I can hear turkeys a long ways, but have noticed coarsing them is harder for me these days.  I know in the bottoms they are almost always closer than they sound.  For many that have little experience hunting bottoms, I think think this is one of the most difficult aspects of hunting there.  If you think he's 200 yards, he may only be 75.  In the mountains it depends on the terrain......how rough or broken up it is.  Early season with very little foliage sound seems to carry a long ways, especially on those cool mornings.

[TRKYHTR]

There are so many variables here that I don't think it's an exact science. Besides the terrain as far as trees, hills, creeks, ridges etc... The turkey turning in different directions to gobble. The wind, the moisture in the air and then you have the turkey. I saw a turkey gobble one time and I was only 30 yards away. If I had been 50 yards I would not have been able to hear it. They can adjust the volume in their gobbles.

TRKYHTR

[ferocious calls]

Have found it easier to judge distance while still roosted. Having an intimate knowledge of the land can go a long way to getting into the zone undetected.
Each season has a few that fool me with thier distance, usually from down over an edge where he seems way farther than he is.

[Neill_Prater]

There are so many variables here that I don't think it's an exact science. Besides the terrain as far as trees, hills, creeks, ridges etc... The turkey turning in different directions to gobble. The wind, the moisture in the air and then you have the turkey. I saw a turkey gobble one time and I was only 30 yards away. If I had been 50 yards I would not have been able to hear it. They can adjust the volume in their gobbles.

TRKYHTR

Joe, I agree with you. My hearing is far from perfect anymore, but I have always found it difficult to get an accurate read on how far a bird is, especially when they are roosted. And, if you think it is tough in the woods, try hunting around a reservoir. I've walked many a mile thinking a bird was just ahead, only to find out he was across the lake. One a mile away over water will sound like he is right in your lap. And, like you say, birds can gobble at different volume levels, just like a hen can yelp loud or soft.

[Jay Longhauser]

2 different times stand out for me.  Once a bird gobbled when I was on top of a ridge at a new property and didn't know what the terrain was like.  I would have sworn he was 100 yards or less.  he gobbled a few more times in the same place so I went closer trying to see where he was.  I was expecting to see him maybe 60 yards ahead as I closed ground through pretty open woods.  I got to the edge of the woods an was on top of  a big bluff with a creek then a green field below me.   In the green field was a gobbler with hens, i was sure it was a different bird.  I was looking at him with binoculars and saw him gobble before I could hear it but as the sound reached me it was the bird I had heard all along he was below me and probably 300 yds away but it was still with no wind, all I can figure out is that the sound was rolling up the hill to me, sounded very close and was an eye opening experience. 

Another time I stumbled on a strutter in an open grass field I was 60 yards away looking into a 20 mph wind and he was facing away from me.  At 60 yards I watched him gobble 3 or 4 times and never did hear it.  I just go with my gut , sometimes I'm right sometimes I'm not. 

[Longspur321]

Another time I stumbled on a strutter in an open grass field I was 60 yards away looking into a 20 mph wind and he was facing away from me.  At 60 yards I watched him gobble 3 or 4 times and never did hear it.  I just go with my gut , sometimes I'm right sometimes I'm not. 

That's a prime example of how much the wind is a factor if I've ever heard one. 60 yards away and couldn't hear it. Unreal...