Tips on turkeys that are still in large flocks

[midmslongbeard]

The best two properties I hunt the birds are still in large groups I hear groups anywhere from 10-20 longbeards together on the roost with lots of hens they aren't responsive and if they answer they start going the other way but keep gobbling til out of hearing. Then Saturday mid day it was raining so I sat in a blind on a food plot and 12 longbeards 15 jakes and only 1 hen came out in a field and still weren't responsive to calling just fed and left. Any ideas I've tried everything including trying to circle around and get between them and places they usually go and just sit and nothing's working

[Spitten and drummen]

You either hunt them like deer or just hang on and in a matter of a short time they will start spreading out. The thing about spring turkey hunting , the phases they go through change regularly . It's tough and nothing's working and then it's like bam , overnight they change and become workable. Hang in there and tell yourself tomorrow is the day and before you know it , the switch will flip on

[Bowguy]

Roost em n set up close, they'll fly down all around you. Try some gobbler fight calls

[strutnrut]

You have a tube call. Do some fighting purr's or agressive purr'ing with sharp hard clucks like a pissed out old hen.  A push pin call is great for this. Shannon makes one of the best push pins I have ever heard. When they start gobbling just start gobbling back at them. Burn them up. Atleast one of them two year olds won't be able to take it. Good luck. 

[TauntoHawk]

Strut decoys, gobble calls, fighting purrs can all work on flocked up gobblers.

My favorite is as someone else mentioned, get in super tight to the roost. Something has to fly down in range right? I've had good luck watching those flocks fly up in the evenings and sitting right where they flew up from as many times their take off point on the ground will be their landing spot again the next morning because it has a clean line from the roost trees.

[zelmo1]

  I'm with TauntoHawk, good advice

[stinkpickle]

Busting them up (like a fall hunt) works well, too.

[Marc]

On flocked up birds, I generally pay attention to what the flock does as they leave the roost...  Set up next time in the direction that they were going...

I would think that there will be some disputes over dominance between both hens and toms as these flocks start dispersing, and this is the time that I will call back aggressively to hens that are calling, and possibly gobble back to toms that are gobbling...  In years past, I have had luck doing this, and I have also sat empty-handed scratching my head at times.

[midmslongbeard]

I know it's early I'm just frustrated cause I've tried everything that's been mentioned except a gobble tube and busting them up. The turkeys on one property are different than any I've hunted other places they gobble all winter long and last year I would see poults that were a few weeks old the last two weeks of the season they are constantly leavin me speechless

[porcupine]

Isn't Turkey hunting a blast !!!when you get one of em it will make it that much more cool

[sbraham]

My gosh man!!!! Dont you know you supposed to strap a strutter decoy to your weapon and walk out to them??

[eggshell]

Several good suggestions here, but persistence is the best tool.  Don't rule out busting the flock like a fall hunt....it works. You will need patience though as it may take a while before they get back together. You need a good bust though, just running them off won't do it.....scatter them to the four winds.  If you decide to scatter them get as close as posible before you charge or they'll just run off. Shoot in the air helps.  Heck if your not picky you may very well charge them and get close enough to kill one. A big flock often gets confused because they want to stay together and some will linger trying to keep track of their buddys. I wouldn't shoot one on the bust, but I wouldn't fault anyone for it either. To preserve your spring this is a one time thing or you could run the birds off period. In time they will bust up and that is the day you want to be there as every gobbler will be doing his best to establish himself and will drop his guard. Hang with them this is a good problem...sure as heck beats no turkeys in site.

Remember if you bust them it's a fall hunt not spring. Gobbler yelps and Kee Kee runs and a few gobbles are the calls of choice. Forget the hen yelping.

[falltoms]

Over the years I have called flocks into gun range, spring and fall. I ran a box call and mouth call at the same time, then.answered myself right away with a pot call or wingbone. I sounded like a flock myself. Of course it doesn't always work but it worked enough to make me right this.

[clr]

Busting them up (like a fall hunt) works well, too.

Some of the guys around here use a Walmart marine horn to do just that.

[TRG3]

If you've ever shot a dominate gobbler only to have the subordinate toms attack him instead of running off at the shot, you know that those attacking birds are only kept in line via peck order; therefore, loyalty to the boss is only kept there by force. Based on that, I've had good luck in calling subordinate gobblers away from the flock since these birds want to breed too and will seek opportunities to slip away from those above him and do so. In addition, boss hens do not like new stranger hens (my calling) moving in on their territory since peck orders rule with the females, too. If you can irritate the boss hen into deciding it's time for her to put me (Whatever calls she makes, I do back to her but in a more aggressive way) in my place, then there's a good chance that she will drag a gobbler or two with her. A few years back it was late in the morning and I was just enjoying the day when I noticed a flock of turkeys about 400 yards away in a picked corn field. So what's to loose if I start making some loud hen yelps? So I did, and much to my amazement a hen started my way on the run followed by at least 10 other birds. The whole flock crossed a creek and maintained their momentum all the way to my decoys. She went right to the hen decoy and assumed what I interpreted as a dominant stance. A nice gobbler was part of the following flock and trailed the boss hen by 80+ yards, so I had to wait for him to come into range. When I shot him, the other gobblers immediately attacked him, then moved off some 20 yards only to return to peck him some more. The went on for several minutes until they'd settled the score with the now dead tom. Turkey hunting is far from a routine event. That's why I love it!