Moving on a bird

[triune]

I've had this conversion with three different hunters already this season and thought I would pass it on.  "I have a bird gobbling and decide to move on him.  When I get closer, he shuts up and disappears.  What happenend?"
My first question has been, how did you move to the bird?  The answer has been the same each time, by the hunter just closing the distance in a line from point A to point B. 
Most of the time you may need to skirt around on a bird.  When he knows where the "hen" is calling from, he's going to be looking that way and you are usually busted.  Circling the bird may help you get a better vantage point without being detected.
Seems to be several young hunters on this site so thought I would pass this along.  Good luck to all.

[Clif Owen]

Thanks for the tip.

[Spring_Woods]

Good thread. What about when he is gobbling still while you are on your way to your new setup? You sit down and call and he gobbles a few more times and goes quiet? Or assuming he gobbles and is going away noticeably away from you?

Would you assume he knows where your at but doesn't want to come there?

[ridgerunner]

I find that most times when a bird gobble as he's going away..one of two things. One he has hens and the hens are pulling him away from the  intruder hen..or most times that gobbler has a strut zone..when he hears the hen calling he gobbles signaling " here I am, come on"...then he heads for a field, logging road and somewhere he can be on display when she arrives..Hens go to the gobbler in nature and ole Tom gobbler wants to be on display ,ready to impress when the hens get to him. The gobbling he does going away is to keep in contact eith the hen saying, this is my location follow me to the strut zone...That gobbler has a preferred strut zone..when he hears you calling alot of times that's where he's going...find the strut zone. kill the bird..I've seen this many times over 25 yrs of hunting turkeys..Evryone thinks somethings wrong..."what did I do wrong"?...nothing..circle, get in front of bird and be where he wants to be, or wants to go...it takes some scouting and observation. Good Luck!

[WildTigerTrout]

I just killed my Pa. bird this morning by using that very tactic. I moved three times on this bird and backed away and came at him from a different direction each time. I worked him for 2 hours and 6 minutes and dropped the hammer on him with 9 minutes left till quitting time. What a RUSH.

[Siwash]

This a GREAT thread... I have never heard of this approach/tactic.. thought that when bird hangs up and/or moves off and gobbles as he does so means that he's not interested or spooked...  

I started hunting turkey two years ago and I've learned more from this site in the past two weeks than in two years of hunting

This happened last Wed. Tome was gobbling like crazy and closing in on my location over the course of 15 min or so.. then he moved away while still gobbling a few more times... It seems that he may wanted me (the hen) to follow according to this theory... will try this next outing

Thanks guys...

[triune]

Spring Woods, if he is STILL gobbling then he probably hasn't seen you during your move.  But to answer your question, not always.  You need to take the gobblers temperature then call accordingly.  I find that most new turkey hunters talk "at" turkeys instead of "to" turkeys.  This will just come with time spent in the woods.  I've moved and repostitioned on birds from the roost until as late as 2pm before being able to throw him over my shoulder.  Then sometimes, he just doesn't want to play and may be fearful of getting wingbeat again by the boss.  There are many variables that will keep a bird from running to your calls.  You just have to eliminate as many as possible.

Most guys won't "wait out" a gobbler either, their patience gets the better of them.  I don't have the luxury of hunting an area with good turkey numbers so this makes me really patient and stubborn on one bird.

Now if your on a bird and he just Hangs up for no good reason you can think of....then... try Kee Kee and lost call to him.  This will give a satellite bird the confidence that the hen is alone and it is safe to approach.  This has been my go to call on many birds.  They were all two year old birds except for one.  So this is why, I believe it is a dominance thing.

[fsu33952]

I have seen lots of folks do this and it has happened to me. We move close on turkeys and sit down and immediately call and the turkeys do not answer. We think to ourselves that he must have seen us and took off. Why else is he not answering because he was just gobbling his brains out? What if he hears you walking and thinks you are a turkey? He blows up in a strut and just stands there waiting for the hen(you) to come into sight. Be patient when he doesn't gobble. I saw two gobblers stand dead still for a little over 45 minutes once in the woods. One of them in a 3/4 strut and the other blown up in a full strut. The didn't move a muscle. They just stood there. I have also been trying to slip up close on turkeys and they having heard me moving and came sneaking and met me coming over a hill. That actually happened to me twice in one day. The first turkey busted me and got me flustered and I will be danged if I didn't go to a different turkey and do the same thing. Made me want to trade my gun for golf clubs. My advice is to always be conscious that turkeys will come to the sound of you moving just as much as a call. Lots of times on pressured turkeys they come to it better. I scratch all the time to get turkeys to come to me. My dad and I have hunted turkeys as a team for years and we have been in instances lots of times where one of us could see the turkey and the other couldn't. We have seen them that every time one of us would call the turkey would blow up in a strut and just stand there. The more you call the more he struts. Finally you give up calling and think he has walked off and then he either walks up there to see what happened to his hen or you scare him moving.

[albrubacker]

Great thread!

[nbadger23]

This IS a great thread!  You see and hear about people calling Toms in all the time so for inexperienced hunters like myself you think that it's the way it goes... a hen calls, the Tom comes.  In a thread I posted in a week or so ago, there was some very good advice about how in nature, hens go to Tom's and ridgerunner and FSU reiterated that same thing.  I think a lot of us newer hunters forget that and when we see or hear a Tom heading away from us or they don't gobble back we get discouraged. I never would have guessed that a Tom would gobble and then head to his strut zone so he looks all "pretty" for the hen when she gets there but after reading it, it sure makes a lot of sense.  It also makes a lot of sense that they'd just puff up and sit there in strut mode and not say a word.  Their natural way of reacting to a hen can be to puff up and wait.  

Now I have more questions!  Obviously you don't want to be seen by a bird while moving in on them, but it sounds like them hearing you isn't going to be that big of a deal, as long as you don't crash through the woods like an elephant.   It also sounds like a lot of patience is in order while moving in on them.. i.e. the thought process should be that they aren't moving a ton, so take your time, glass, and make sure they aren't right in front of you and you haven't realized it  I think I have this worry that I have to get their fast because they are going to leave.  If I think about it, turkeys don't really do anything all that fast, so  that's probably bad logic.   Maybe some soft clucking and purring while moving or is that going to make me be pin pointed more easily??  I'm guessing it's just trial and error..move slowly, stop, glass.. call a bit, give it some time and see what happens, repeat.  

[fsu33952]

Badger, I think you are on the right track however I would not recommend calling and walking. That is a good way to end up shot. I can't tell you how many times over the years that I have had turkeys come to the sound of my walking. They can't tell that you are not a turkey walking. As for you calling and them coming. It is not always that easy. The natural thing is for him to gobble and the hen to come running. Even if he is by himself he could still just stand over there and strut. On the public land where I hunt they have learned that gobbling a lot is a good way to get shot or chased by some sort of predator(dogs or coyotes). I saw four gobblers standing in a field by my house strutting so I pulled over to the side of the road. One of the gobblers strutting nonstop and never gobbled while the other 3 pecked around. I can tell you with many years of chasing them that when they shut up that 3 things can be happening. 1. He is leaving because a hen never showed 2. He comes to you and you shoot his head off 3. You become impatient and go down there to try and find out where he is and you blow the hunt. Sunday morning I heard 2 gobblers on the roost. One about 300 yards one way and the other about 300 yard the other. They were both gobbling about the same on the roost so I took off to the one on the flatest ground. I get to him and sit down to wait till he flies out. He flies down and i call to him. He never gobbled until he had went about another 200 yards up the ridge. The entire time the other gobbler is just tearing it up behind me. I threw everything I could at him and he never gobbled. After about 20 minutes of sitting there I said forget this and tore out to the other gobbler. I get to him and find out he is across a creek that is over my head so I just sit there and pout. All of the sudden. What do you think I hear. The first gobbler has started back up. I tear out back to him. This is some up and down steep woods too. I get over there and you would never guess where he is at. Standing in the middle of some burnt ground strutting right by where I had called to him first thing. I had to leave to make it home in time for church by this time. So I left him just standing there. It was thelast day I could hunt until next Spring so I will have to beat myself up for being impatient until next year. I do not know much but I do know that you can never ever tell what they might do. Sa soon as you think that you think you have them figured out they will do something you have never dreamed of them doing.

[triune]

As mentioned, be careful if calling while moving on a bird.  It's just not real safe to do on public land.  I will call to locate a bird but am always just a step or two from a "set up" point when I do so.  The terrain, weather, and distance will play an important factor in how fast and far you can move on a bird. 
Those of us who have been fortunate to participate in several spring turkey seasons still get our share of humble pie each season.  The portions may just be fewer or smaller as you learn more and more.

[WildTigerTrout]

My biggest/best gobbler took me 1 hour 35 minutes to kill. I heard him gobble at 9am. I responded and he gobbled . I got closer and called and he responded again but sounded about the same distance away even though I moved closer. This game went on for quite a while. I thought to myself "he wants me to follow him to his strut zone". I followed and would call every so often to let him know I was still there. After covering about 1/2 to 3/4 mile he stopped and gobbled at less than 100 yards from me. I set up and called softly with purrs and a few clucks and then "scratched in the leaves". That move duped him and he moved in. I killed him at 25 yards. He weighed 23 pounds, had 1 1/8 inch spurs. His beard was thick but only 7 inches. I think he may have frozen the tip of his beard over the winter. He did not stop until he felt comfortable. He led me right to his "Strut Zone". This hunt took place on public land. So when they walk away or appear to walk away don't give up and stay with them. Your luck may change for the better.       WTT

[bnew17]

Interesting stuff here. I agree with alot of what i have read. Especially what FSU said last. Just about the time you think you have them figured out they will do something you never dreamed they would do. I have had turkeys walk away from me gobbling. Sure they might be going to a "strut zone" , but nothing is set in stone. Dont think just because they are walking away from you gobbling, that they are going to a strut zone. In my exerience more times than not they are with hens. I also believe that more times than not when you try to close the distance on a gobbling bird. You get set up, call and nothing. You dont hear him anymore. I believe more times than not he has seen you. I think we as turkey hunters sometimes forget just how great these birds can see.

[WildTigerTrout]

Interesting stuff here. I agree with alot of what i have read. Especially what FSU said last. Just about the time you think you have them figured out they will do something you never dreamed they would do. I have had turkeys walk away from me gobbling. Sure they might be going to a "strut zone" , but nothing is set in stone. Dont think just because they are walking away from you gobbling, that they are going to a strut zone. In my exerience more times than not they are with hens. I also believe that more times than not when you try to close the distance on a gobbling bird. You get set up, call and nothing. You dont hear him anymore. I believe more times than not he has seen you. I think we as turkey hunters sometimes forget just how great these birds can see.

If you are refering to my post I agree you never really know for sure what they may do. In this case it worked out in my favor. Most times it does not.