Down Hill-Up Hill

[hawk]

Can a tom be called down hill/up hill? If I were set up at the bottom of a ridge and the bird was on top  can I call him down? and vise versa

[stinkpickle]

Possible?  Yes...BUT he's less likely to come downhill if can already survey the bottom from the ridge top.

[TauntoHawk]

Up hill, down hill, across creeks, over a road.... if they're hot enough they will come anywhere


I prefer to get on the same level or slightly above him unless its a short ridge with a field below that they are pitching too then below. It really depends where they want to go

[TRG3]

After hunting turkeys for over 25 years and reading countless articles about what turkeys will and won't do, my experience is this: A turkey will do what a turkey wants to do! I've seen turkeys fly 100 yards across a river, go up hill, down hill, hop on and over logs, etc. I once killed a gobbler that walked to the top of a bull dozed pile of brush, probably because it gave him a better vantage point in his search for the hen that was calling to him. Granted, given the opportunity you want to make the turkey's path to you as easy for him as possible, but you have to work with the terrain that's in front of you, so make your decoy set, call, and most important of all...have patience.

[mudhen]

Yep, they will do what they want...

I've had them: wade a creek while gobbling, fly from 1/4+ mile and land 5 feet from decoy, two toms fly in like a pair of mallards, uphill, downhill, side hill, etc.

I will say that it seems like a decoy in sight tends to help with downhill birds...


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[arrow1]

Hunt long enough and you're bound to see it all.  However highground or level will work best in most scenarios.  You will have plenty of birds "hang on the lip" of a hillside/ridge or hang up on a blowdown and look down gobbling as you call from below and come no further.  Of course, a quick reposition and you're playing his game.

[mikejd]

Absolutely. i have called them uphill and downhill many times. If you give him what he wants yo hear anythingi is possible.

[Bowguy]

I agree with the posters saying yes. In some areas, especially mountainous areas the fields are down so it's totally natural. I've called em every which way besides that, even seen em fly over fences

[Triple Gobble]

Yes, but most people will say uphill is easier, I think
If there hot enough, they will do backflips to you, but
I think getting on the same level as them is best

[Greybeard11]

Absolutely agree, they can and will go anywhere, if THEY want to but level or above is a great place to start.

[Anobody]

Can a tom be called down hill/up hill? If I were set up at the bottom of a ridge and the bird was on top  can I call him down? and vise versa

bump
In my travels birds like to come uphill... to me it boils down to security. he can (parascope) only exposing his head to look around up a hill but not down. also finding terrain features helps like flats or logging roads.  I also agree a bird will come across water, fences, roads. I watched birds as a kid fly from one mountain top to the next.

[hotspur]

Yes they do what they want,  ut the up hill down hill thing is he is more likely to approach calling up hill because he can't see, he has to move up to see. My main tactic is to  sit within range of the top of a rise

[lmbhngr]

Calling them uphill is a lot easier downhill. They lime to keep the vantage point

[OldSchool]

We have a lot of rolling hardwood ridges here and the average bird tends to come to a call better from above his position than from below it. If he's up on top I try to get right up there with him. If he's  over the crest somewhere, I'll try to work my way to a point where I can cover the crest from the back side and call from there. I rarely try to call one down hill to me if I have a choice.

Bob

[Marc]

Hunting the foothills, the biggest advantage I can get is to get above them...  If I hear a bird gobble above me, I shut up and start working around and above his position. 

I enjoyed hearing some of the explanations for such behavior on this thread...

I have seen birds cross creeks and roads...  Called at a bird a few years ago, that got hit by a car trying to cross a major road (whether from me or a live hen I do not know)...  Then I have seen birds that will not cross some invisible barrier, or a small depression, or whatever...

I suppose if I ever really figure it out, it will not be nearly as much fun...