i cant kill this bird!!!

[supremepredator]

Ok, so there's this turkey that has been roosting regularly on a hillside above a creek adjacent to a field. The only time I have seen the bird in the field was opening day. The following weekend I hunted his roost site early morning and came within 80 yards before I saw him and 2 hens roosted with him. I sat my @zz down and watch him fly down away from me. I yelped only a little and before I knew it, his fan crested a rise directly in front of me. I readied my 12, but as soon as his head came up he saw something he didn't like, folded his fan and gave me a 2 second window before he bolted. Needless to say, I should have taken the shot. Next week I roosted him and got above him the following morning. I was on a bench and he was just below me gobbling and drumming like crazy. Again, I called only 2 or 3 times and at 7:00 he never gobbled again. I sneaked in a little closer, but he had moved on. Saw some hens flush 30 minutes later, must have been a coyote or cat. Any advice?

[g8rvet]

Sounds like you are in different terrain than me, but one piece of advice given to me when I was first starting out was: If you get frustrated with a bird, leave him alone for a while and look for another bird.  Can be good advice, as I am known to be hard headed. We hunted a bird all season long one year.  He seemed to zig when we zagged every hunt. Never did kill him. Saw him on the limb the last day of the season. With three hens.  Never said a word. All three of us killed birds elsewhere though, but that one that got away haunted us.

[Farmboy27]

Try to change it up a bit. You said you've only called to this bird sparingly. Maybe he likes it hot!  Try some aggressive cutting and yelping. It might not work but then again maybe it will. If you don't like hitting them with the aggressive calling then just keep using your best predictions of where he wants to go and be patient. And when you kill him, let us know how big he is!!  Good luck!

[Ozarks Hillbilly]

Stay with him longer if you can. I haven't killed that many birds right off the roost. It sounds like a hen may have stolen him the second morning. Give him a few hours and she may loose him and go off to nest and he might fire up again. Patients and perseverance will kill a lot of birds.

[silvestris]

If he answers you, you can call him.  In the famous words of Quatro in "Total Recall", "Use your mind".  If you are competent enough to talk him to the gun, then talk him to the gun.  If not, but he answers you with vigor, shut up and let him be the one to worry as you keep your eyes peeled.  You have had him close enough to kill so you must be doing something right.

[TRG3]

I had a gobbler react similar to what you describe. In fact, I hunted him for 2-3 days and the hens always took him away. Often these gobblers will react to calling later in the morning when the hens have left him and gone off to nest; however, this tom would not come in even under these circumstance. I left that area and hunted elsewhere. I went back a couple of weeks later. As usual, he flew down and went the other way as he had done in the past. He gobbled for about an hour several hundred years away to my yelps but held his ground and would not come my way. Only when I used my gobble tube did it irritate him enough that he came in, going face-to-face with my Pretty Boy gobbler decoy before catching a load of #5 shot. My guess is that it was finally late enough in the season that there were no hens that went with him nor came to his gobbling after fly down. This gobbler had 1 1/2" spurs, the longest of any bird that I'd taken in 20 years of hunting turkeys. I assume by his behavior that he was the boss bird in the area.

[Bowguy]

Try sneaking in early and since you have him roosted set a deke where he can see it. hopefuly you're on correct side of tree, if not a couple tree yelps so he sees it. Another dif kinda deal is if he's on ground use gobbler sounds, you can try yelps or clucks but Idwind up using a fight scene if nothing else worked. Very good odds when used properly. And tons of fun. Prob one of my favorite methods with all the insane gobbling as he runs in

[davisd9]

I recently killed a bird that I have chased three years. He will eventually make a mistake, you just have to be ready. Just know if you kill him it is very bittersweet. It is almost like losing an old friend. Good luck!


Sent from the Strut Zone

[Dr Juice]

If he answers you, you can call him.  In the famous words of Quatro in "Total Recall", "Use your mind".  If you are competent enough to talk him to the gun, then talk him to the gun.  If not, but he answers you with vigor, shut up and let him be the one to worry as you keep your eyes peeled.  You have had him close enough to kill so you must be doing something right.

I concur. This is some great advice. Good luck to ya.

[Brs2427]

I would try having a buddy call twenty or thirty yards behind you. Maybe have him walk away and call.

[Marc]

Two words "Funky Chicken."

Just kidding...  If all else fails, I might try gobbling at him as well...  Answer his gobbles in the morning with your own...  Do a few hen yelps to let him know there is a hen in the area as well...

Had a bird that evaded me all last season, and I never had the balls to try that tactic...  As soon as I would call at him (hen calls), other hens would immediately take him the other direction. 

Wish I had tried gobbling aggressively last season, as everything else I did was a complete failure on that bird.

[fallhnt]

Two words "Funky Chicken."  That's funny

[Gobspur]

Patience.  Switch your calls up.  If you still have him roosted, setup on him and stick it out all morning.  Call every 20-30 mins.  He may come looking when hens go to nest.  He may come silent, or may answer you then.  If he answers, read his temperature and call accordingly.  Patience kills a lot of birds.

[wytrat785]

This is why I love this board! All posts are giving you great advice. The tactic I'll throw out that worked for me this past Spring on a tough gobbler, key in on the hens. What I did was focused on the lead hen, mimicking her calls and cutting her calls off. Made her mad as all get out. She came in looking for a fight with the gobbler in tow.

[silvestris]

Just clear your mind and hunt the sucker.  You are going to think yourself into a dizzy.  It is just a bird.  Enjoy the pursuit, whether you kill him or not.  I called perhaps the finest turkey I have fooled with in 43 years from 400 yards to 60 yards yesterday afternoon. He gobbled over 100 times and left gobbling on his way to roost.  I was so proud of my friend for not taking the long shot.  We both agreed that it was probably the most exciting and pleasurable hunt of our lives even though nothing died.

Have fun.  Enjoy yourself.  If you don't, you need to take up something else that gives you pleasure instead of worry.