How Many Hens

[wvmntnhick]

Never. I've had conversations like others have state but never had a successful hunt while trying to push around a "dominate" hen.

[Marc]

Whatever she/they do,...I do it back.

That has been my tactic as well...  Generally it does not work, but generally, it the tom is with hens nothing will...  It did work for me last season, and has worked on several occasions...  No other tactic, outside of ambushing birds has worked as far as henned up birds...

Later in the season, there is that magic hour when the hens leave the toms, and that is probably when I have taken most of my birds...

[jims]

I've found that when toms and hens are in larger flocks (6 to 10+) they have a place they are going in mind and it's nearly impossible to sway them to calls or decoys.  Smaller groups or singles are a lot easier.  I've had a lot better luck staying mobile and getting in front of larger groups rather than trying to call them my direction.

[slwayne]

I've done it three times that I can remember.  The first two times it turned out the hen didn't have a tom with her.  The third time we were set up on two toms and a half dozen hens in a bean field.  We were in a power line easement that was separated from the bean field by a tree line that was maybe 20 yards deep.  It was early in the season and the brush in the tree line hadn't started greening up yet so there wasn't much cover for us to move any closer without getting busted.  We set up in a deadfall on the edge of the easement and I started trying to entice them through the treeline into the easement.  Tried everything in my bag of tricks with no success.  The toms would gobble occasionally but would not budge from their hens.  Finally I tried slowly walking away and calling but that didn't work either.  I stopped about 50 yards from buddy and started yelping and cutting as aggressively as I could.  I was going at at it so hard that I was getting out of breath.  Finally one of the hens started yelling back at me and a few minutes later I could see the whole group working their way through the treeline in to the easement.  Pulled the toms within 20 yards of my buddy and he missed two shots with his crossbow lol.  Missed the first shot and had enough cover in the deadfall to reload without being busted but missed the follow up too.  We went back to the same spot two days later (I told him to leave the crossbow at home and bring his shotgun) and I was able to pull one in for his first turkey in the first half hour of daylight. 

[Farmboy27]

I've called in several hens that brought their boyfriend along on a string. Can't really say how because I think they were all just lucky, right time, right place deals. I've had more luck over the years leaving a henned up bird and coming back later in the morning. In the mean time I'll search for a lonely bird to hunt.

[Dmason3]

That's how I killed my tom last year. Set up in a spot they had been hanging out at but only one hen showed up. Thought I would practice my diaphragm call (I'm pretty new to turkey hunting) and just started mimicking her. She got fired up and before I knew it several other birds came sprinting over to see the fight and one was a tom


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cut N Run]

I've called in five gobblers by pissing off the hen(s) with them.  Two were when my best friend & turkey hunting mentor was hunting with me.  He was pretty impressed.  Like others have said, I just match the tone, intensity, and same rate the hen is calling to me with.  Almost mocking her.

One time late in the morning at a property in Granville County, the only turkey I heard was a hen cutting in the distance.  I decided to mess with her just to see what she might do.  She played along seemed to get closer and more bent out of shape with each call I returned. Before long, she was on the next ridge and I could see her with periscope up, searching for the hen she heard.  But, there was a big black blob coming up the ridge behind her, silent.  My heart kicked into overdrive and messing around was over.  I waited until they got down in the draw behind some bigger trees and I cutt loud and hard on my slate.  Then I got the gun up and eased the safety off.  The hen was visibly mad and trotted up towards me seeking to put that obnoxious hen she'd been hearing in her place.  She walked right past me and I waited until her footsteps could be heard behind me before I got all the way down on the gun's stock.  Once the gobbler stepped clear of the tree he'd been walking behind, I busted him at 18 yards. He weighed 21 pounds, had a 10.75 inch beard, and 1.125 inch spurs. 

I pay attention to every hen I hear a hen sounding off on her own ever since.

Jim

[WyoHunter]

I've done it twice. Aggressive, loud calling has worked for me but other times she'll just keep calling as she moves away. Some are more dominant than others.

[catman529]

I've occasionally called in a hen that had a gobbler but most of the time it's a lone hen that fires back at me and comes looking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Marc]

Upon reflection, another tactic I did use once with success was to address the hen...

So say you have a hen 200 yards to the left, and a gobbler 200 yards dead in front.  At some point that live hen is going to intercept him...  So instead of trying to gain ground on the tom, I moved in on the hen.

In doing so, the tom came closer to both of us, and it seemed to irritate the hen into coming my direction instead of towards the tom...  A decoy probably would have been helpful, but the hen ended up walking past me, and the tom did as too...  Well, maybe not all the way past me.

[Rzrbac]

Sounds like everybody has experienced the full spectrum. I've killed gobblers with hens several times and I don't think there's a single strategy that I tend to rely on. I've out cutt the hen and sometimes they come right in with the gobbler in tow. Sometimes they just take the gobbler away. On a few occasions when I knew that was happening I have circled and flushed them on purpose just to separate them. After that it's about getting that gobbler to you before the hen gets to him, almost like a fall flock.  Other times, I've tried the soft talk and leaf scratching. That has probably been the least effective strategy I've employed.

I will add that I have fired up a bunch of hens and called them in with them being very vocal but alone. The interesting point of this is after they leave and things settle down and I am moving on, I have on probably 5 or 6 occasions found nests. I've often thought that maybe the reason for a lone hen that acts so aggressive.

[Yoder409]

I've killed a number of gobblers that came in with anywhere from 1 to 6 or 8 hens.  But they came in as a unit............ not the hen(s) dragging the tom in.

I can yank a hen off with the best of 'em.  I've had SCORES of cussing matches with hens over the years.  Sometimes til I was near out of breath.  Here's what I've seemed to notice................  When I get aggressive with a hen, more often than not it seems to instill a sense of competition in them and they take the tom (which they already have in their possession) and go the other way rather than risk bringing him TO a hen they might lose him to.

At least that's what it seems like to me.............

[Marc]

 I have had very poor luck calling henned up  tom's.

If I can get between the hands and the times, I am likely to be far less aggressive on the calling. Maybe a couple three yelps and a couple quiet clucks after a Tom is on the ground.

If I am not between the hens and the toms,  I might get A bit more aggressive on the calling. Especially if there is a loud, vocal hen calling.

I have found that hen turkeys are a bit like human women, in that they do not like being cut off. When a vocal hen is doing her thing, I cut her off before she finishes each time. They do not always come in, but it always seems to aggravate them a bit more.

More often than not, my own calling seems to encourage the hens to take the toms in a different direction. However I have had multiple times when the hens have come to me. Sometimes dragging a Tom with them, and sometimes not.

Last year I called in hen twice with no time to show for it. However I also call In a hen that did pull in a tom with her.

I had one situation last year, where about three or four hens came in from different areas. The hens started fighting right in front of me, and there was a bird gobbling right below me. That gobbling bird never did show, and eventually all The hens wandered down towards the Tom, much to my dismay I.

[Happy]

Betting that Tom still had some hens around him. Several times I have broken the boss away from the flock only to have the Tom stay back with the other hens. Seem like they are at least smart enough to know we're their best odds of getting lucky are. I have had the best luck when he only has one hen.

Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk

[MickT]

How many times have you ever come out on top arguing with a woman? Exactly as many times as I have killed gobblers by getting in a shouting match with his hens- never.

I have called up hens numerous times, had them "size up" my decoys, but never had the gobbler follow. I'd say he stays with the other hens, waiting for the new girl to join them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk