How long do you sit?

[jbrown]

If I know birds are there, I give it at least 1hr. If I'm in a NEW place and don't hear a gobble I want wait long...I'll be movin trying to hear a gobble, then set up.

[Duke0002]

I don't have large tracts to hunt, so I sit & sit  -probably too long.  Part of hunting turkey for me is watching what transpires in the woods/field.  I enjoy watching the other wildlife.

If nothing happens, turkey wise, sometimes I'll move a couple of hundred yards to call from a different location.   If its early and I hear birds moving through another part of the woodlot, I may move in that direction.  However, I've been busted or I hear a gobble from the place I just left.   Depends on my mood, I guess.

The first half of our spring season ends at noon, so a 7 hour sit is not unreasonable for me.   

[Crutch]

It all depends on what it happening. 90% of the time I slip into where I hear the hens and set up. I don't get busted very often because if I know there are birds close by, I move really slow and set up before I call. Quite often I hunt birds that are hard to hunt because they are in open fields with hens, so sometimes i have to take a less dominant bird or two to get to the boss later in the year.

[Skeeterbait]

Can't really answer that in a finite figure.  If I feel the party is going on elsewhere I will go find the party.  If I am sure I got the right address but just arrived early, I will wait on the party to get started.

[PANYHunter]

I usually dont hang around too long unless I know for sure they are in the immediate area.  If nothing there I will move on and try to locate some gobblers. 

[Basser69]

If I am setting up to sit because I know birds are there, I will stay for at least a couple of hours. If I am in an area that I am not sure about, running and gunning it is. Crow call or owl hoot, listen for a couple of minutes and move on.

[Muskie03]

I don't sit until I hear a bird. If that means I check 3 properties before I sit than so be it. With 5 to 7 day seasons I can't afford to sit in quiet woods.

[Shotgun]

I have became way less patient over the years.  In the mornings If I havent heard or seen anything after a short period of time Im off looking for greener pastures.  In the afternoons I'll wait them out if I have to.  When hunting out west I dont even get out of the truck until I see a longbeard. 

[turkey_slayer]

Looks like we need some new stuff so lets get started:

You come into a hunting area befor light, no gobbles so you pick a tree and sit - how long till you move on?

Most of the time till about 11.  If I havent heard any gobble by then I start easing back to the truck (can only hunt till noon here). I have specific spots at each place that I listen from.  If there is a turkey within hearing distance and he gobbles I will hear him.  I dont call or try to get 1 to shock gobble.  I let them do their own thing.

[st4wheel]

long as it takes

[Expressjet]

I usually stay for a couple hours and then start checking some other fields..

[Jay]

A lot of times the only time they gobble is in the morning. If I don't hear anything, I'm on the move. Generally I have an alternate game plan, where to go if they aren't in Roost 1. 2 years ago only moved 200 yards to pick up 2 gobbles. That ended well.

[tgs]

The best 90 minutes of turkey hunting I've ever experienced came after sitting for over an hour without hearing a thing.  If I had been anywhere else I would have been long gone but I only had permission to hunt the land I was on and couldn't go anywhere else... Good thing cause I wouldn't have had these boys come in.  All three came in seperate to the call!  Felt like I was on duck a hunt for turkeys...



This is in CT, where three birds are legal.  Ever tried carrying three 20lb. birds out?  It's a good problem to have.

[Jay]

Awesome, and none of them Gobbled?

[tgs]

I'm sorry, after the intial period of silence (that period of when I would have normally left), the first bird hammered about 60 yds to my right as I was doing some soft blind call purring, but kept on gobbling goind down over a knoll into a hollow, once down there, that hollow came a live with birds.  I called all three gobblers out of that same hollow over the next 90 minutes.  The first two died within inches of where the other had stood, both coming in seperatly, and with the third, I had gotten into a calling battle with a hen and she came looking to fight and dragged ol' long beard #3 up with her.   I'll never forget it...it was simply an amazing time in the woods.