How to tell a gobbler from a hen?

[kj]

My brother in law (BIL) got me into hunting several years back but had never hunted turkey.  So I took him out on the closing weekend last season.  We had two days to hunt the property and showed up the afternoon before to scout the area.  The area had already been heavily hunted so we found some hens but no toms.   As we were getting ready to leave I gave one last crow call and heard a faint gobble in the distance.  We worked our way down the hill and found a gobbler roosted in a tree in the extreme far corner of where we could hunt.  We put him to bed for the night, excited about the next day.

Showed up the next morning and set up about 100yrds from him at the other end of the field.  We started calling and he immediately replied.  We called back and forth several times before he flew down in a different direction and shut up.   We worked around and found him on the ground with some hens.  So we tried calling him with another call and he gobbled right back but would not come to the call.  After a while he and the hens just slid out of bounds.  Now we knew why he was still there.  We were done for the day.

The second day, we got there earlier and set up close to where he flew down the day before.  Again the gobbler responded to every call but flew down with his hens and shut up.  We could see him 80-100yrds away, got him gobbling away to our call again but could not get him closer.  Finally he started sliding off towards the out of bounds area.  I said we were done but BIL decided to try cutting the turkey off before he got out of bounds. 

I started hiking out via the now empty field while BIL made one last futile attempt at the bird.  BIL gives up and joins me.  We can hear turkey working up hill parallel to our area but still out of bounds and by now several hundred yrds above us.  Turkey then makes a right hand turn back into our area and another right to complete a U-turn back down towards us.

Gobbler is now just 150yrds above us, 40 yrds to the right and amazingly coming right back towards us.  BIL wants to hurry back to the gobbler's field but I convinced him that turkey needed to cross the trail we were on thus offering him a clear shot.  Next gobble is only 60yrds above us.  He is coming fast.  We don't have much time and I want BIL to get his bird.

I tell BIL to set up against an Oak tree where he can see the turkey coming.  I then make a big mistake and decide to hide against an embankment where I will be safely out of the way but cannot see the gobbler.  I turn around and BIL has set down in the middle of our trail right in the open.  Too late to change now.    I can see him and hear the gobbler.  It is close, gobbling and drumming.  For a minute I thought the gobbler would come down right on top of us but it finally comes out a little to the left.

From where he is sitting, BIL can't see the gobbler due to some low bushes but it is close.  Maybe 4-5 yrds from him and 6-7 yrds from me.  I was shaking he was so close and so loud.  But nothing happens.  Finally BIL slips off the safety.  Still nothing! Finally he shots.  Excitement and high fives.

We went around the bush to get the gobbler.  Nothing.  Wander around looking in the bushes.  Still nothing.  BIL has wandered 10 yrds away.  I call him back, and said wasn't the gobbler right here?  He said, "Yes but then it flew this way".   I said you are shooting 3" Heavy 13 at 5yrds, if you hit the bird it won't be flying anywhere.  What happened? 

Turns out gobbler poked its head over the bush and sees BIL in the trail.  BIL sees gobbler but since he was new to turkey hunting isn't sure if it is the gobbler or one of the hens.  Gobbler and BIL were both trying to decide what to do.  Gobbler being faster at the decision process than BIL ducks.  BIL shoots over its head.

BIL spends 30 minutes looking in poison oak for the gobbler who is now 3 counties away. I have a beer at the truck waiting for him to give up.  That was how our season ended last year. 

I was very sympathetic at the time because I know what goes around comes around.   But the vision of that gobbler has been haunting BIL for 11 months now.  We have several hunts planned for this season and the #1 priority will be getting him his first bird.  But I need to tease him one time first.  So when I pick him up at 4:30am this Sunday, the attached hunting aid will be on my passenger seat of my truck.


[attachment deleted by admin]

[archery1]

LOL.......GREAT STORY

[PANYHunter]

Nice story.  Hopefully he can figure it out quicker this year.  

[bowhunter84]

 

[TrackeySauresRex]

  .....He's Hooked! 

[Hognutz]

I think he may be a little better prepared for this years hunt. Good luck to you guys..

[jshively]

 

Reminds me of my first couple of years turkey hunting.  Came home many a days with the tail tucked between the legs.

[Basser69]

  .....He's Hooked! 

[hookedspur]

  .....He's Hooked! 

[Trevor2]

Great story.....but here in tn waiting would be good thing to do, bc were are allowed " bearded turkey" so no mattter if its a gobbler or not if he had shot him and it had had beard rot and was a male with no beard it wouldnt have been legal here.

[Muskie03]

 

[Crutch]

LOL, thats funny and thanks for sharing. The funny part of that story is that we were probably all as green as he is/was about hunting turks at one point or another.

[oatsj]

Just hang in don't give up, you will get one just be Patience 

[Flydown]

Great read. Good luck this Spring!!

[LX_Trkyhntr]

Great story!!    to your BIL!!