Working a bird thats uphill from u?

[cohuttariverrat]

I had a situation last year that drove me nuts and I need good advise. This is in mountain terrain 2 ridges with nice saddle in between them. If a bird is above you and no possible way to get up to his level without getting busted what do you do? I had this happen to me a few times same bird same ridgetop. I feel its a strut zone for him as it was always around 10am and he would gobble his head off on that ridge. I even sat up on the ridge across from it which is lower, got him fired up a little then walked 50yd from my setup fired him up again as if I was leaving then hurried back to my setup. Never could coach him down. Any advise on birds above you?

[appalachianstruttstopper]

If I know a bird is working a certain are up in the morning be it a ridge top, flat, saddle, hollar, or whatever, after 2 times, 3rd time I'm gonna be right where he is gonna be, but I'm gonna be there at 5:30 in the morning with my mouth shut until I hear where he is. I prefer to work a turkey after he has flew down, so if I had this situation, he probably wouldn't hear nothing out of me except a flap with a wing or hat and some scratching until he was on the ground.

And if I am where he likes to be before he gets there, he ain't gonna hear alot of calling, cutting, and so forth.

Chances are the bird you were fooling with had probably already met some girlfriends there on several occasions and to him you where out of place.

[BowBendr]

If I know a bird is working a certain are up in the morning be it a ridge top, flat, saddle, hollar, or whatever, after 2 times, 3rd time I'm gonna be right where he is gonna be, but I'm gonna be there at 5:30 in the morning with my mouth shut until I hear where he is.

Chances are the bird you were fooling with had probably already met some girlfriends there on several occasions and to him you where out of place.

^^ This ^^
Couldnt have said it any better

[cohuttariverrat]

That makes sense. I never figured out his roost but he sure used that ridge at or after 10am. 1st time we encountered I was 3/4 way up that ridge facing back at the saddle i have to cross an were all fresh scratching was. Made few calls an 15min later heard limb behind me. It was Jake 10yd behind me. I slowly spun around on him then heard big boy sound off from that ridge. I tried sweet talking but didn't work. I did sit that ridge next week for 3hours to only see a lone hen. Last day of season I heard him up there again on my walk back out. I will return this season with new tactic. Thanks

[turkey_slayer]

Call him down. Unless I'm on the ridge top a lot of birds will circle to get above me then ease down. Gives them the advantage point. I don't know who started the "they want come down hill" or always get above or on the same level but it's deff wrong

[appalachianstruttstopper]

Call him down.  I don't know who started the "they want come down hill" or always get above or on the same level but it's deff wrong

Deffinite myth indeed! Always heard the same thing growing up and found out different. I have actually had tom's to walk down hills so steep I seen one slip in the leaves! Got a good chuckle before smokin his head.

In turkey hunting, if you hear the term "always", it is usually "always" bad advice! Lil

[turkey_slayer]

Call him down.  I don't know who started the "they want come down hill" or always get above or on the same level but it's deff wrong

Deffinite myth indeed! Always heard the same thing growing up and found out different. I have actually had tom's to walk down hills so steep I seen one slip in the leaves! Got a good chuckle before smokin his head.

In turkey hunting, if you hear the term "always", it is usually "always" bad advice! Lil

We hunt kind of the same terrain and have seen that myself. I've watched em come strutting down ridges so steep I'm like how the heck can he walk on that much less put on a show lol. No way I could get up it without spooking them so I call em down to the holler.

[cohuttariverrat]

Glad to hear folks working them down steep hills. I have never had luck with it an most will say its hard to get them too.

[appalachianstruttstopper]

Glad to hear folks working them down steep hills. I have never had luck with it an most will say its hard to get them too.

The hills that turkey_slayer and I hunt are appalachian mountains. In some cases it is easier to coax a tom to the head of a hollar down hill from him than it is to try and manuever around him. In these mountains, you can get busted a few hundred yards on a trying to get around a turkey.

There is a valley I cut my teeth on turkey hunting and every turkey I ever killed there I called down hill. I have killed 30+ turkeys in this one hollar. So steep it is practically impossible terrain to walk up. Even the ones I have killed out of the hollars there were above me. Talking about an uncomfortable seating position, 40 deg incline against a tree, you feel like a folding chair after about 20 min of this. lol

[cohuttariverrat]

yea that's me too. N. ga mountians. cant circle around on him without getting busted. Can't come in backside of that ridge without walking 5miles and I can't find there roosting areas. seems like their mid day area. I found this place by mnt biking my 2yr old son and calling some hoping to let him hear one. Well we did strike up a gobble and my son said I wana see that turkey dad. Needless to say I was in there the next morning with vest and gun to meet the ole tough hilltop bird. Im cautious about decoys in the woods but I may just try a lone hen that would be visual to him from that ridgetop.

[timberjack86]

Call him down.  I don't know who started the "they want come down hill" or always get above or on the same level but it's deff wrong

Deffinite myth indeed! Always heard the same thing growing up and found out different. I have actually had tom's to walk down hills so steep I seen one slip in the leaves! Got a good chuckle before smokin his head.

In turkey hunting, if you hear the term "always", it is usually "always" bad advice! Lil

If he is gobbling above you get on the side of the ridge below him and call. Make sure when you set up that he is in gun range when he can see your calling position if he can see where you are calling from he will hang up if he dosent see a hen. Turkeys will go down hill as much as they go uphill.

[DirtNap647]

id rather be above him

[mikejd]

Im.sure most of us prefer to be above him but if its to risky or not possible
just sit tight you can de f2f intently call him down hill. And if its 10am that your hearing him up there
That's even better because by that time some of his hens are moving off.
so he will be more likely to come to your calling. Dont go overly crazy with tbe calling because from his vantage point he will be expecting to see you. Use some terrain to throw his view off so by the time he sees u theres a fist full of 5 shot heading his way.

[Spring_Woods]

I don't think it's a rule of thumb or they'll never do that. It's more of an idea of putting the odds in your favor. I never feel as confident if I'm setup calling below him. Ymmv

[L.F. Cox]

The real problem calling gobbler down hill is you are more likely to get spotted by him.