Setting up on a gobbling bird

[catman529]

What to do when you hear a bird gobbling in the distance and you want to call him in...

First it might help to call to him a couple times to see how responsive he is. If he's hot, the game is on. You need to quietly close some of the distance without being seen, and pick a setup that conceals you (have a good backdrop like a large tree or thick bushes). Ideally you would try to get to within 100 yards or so for the best setup, but this depends entirely on terrain and cover. If you can't get any closer without seeing into the area where you think the bird may be, then pick a spot and set up right there.

While walking, don't worry about being silent. Turkeys make a lot of noise themselves in the woods. Just walk slowly and avoid stepping on sticks while constantly scanning the woods.

Now you have to decide what's gonna make the gobbler come in range before he can see where you're sitting. Most commonly this would be a small thicket, or a rise in terrain that the bird has to come over before he's in view. Set up with the visual barrier between you and the bird, so when he shows he will be coming into range. Make sure there isn't an obvious roadblock like a fence that he won't cross. You can get away without the visual barrier, but the chances of the bird getting "hung up" out of range are much higher, because he can see where you're coming from but can't see the hen.

Now for an example...you're walking along the top of a ridge that slopes off into a steep hill with a creek bottom below. You can't see down there without walking over the crest. As you're walking to wherever you're going, a crow flies over and caws, and you hear a gobble down the the bottom, less than 150 yards away, if you had to guess. You stop and make a few loud yelps on your call, and he fires back right away. Now he knows you're there, and you gotta pick a spot to set up.

You've walked this ridge before, and you know the woods are wide open down the hill and the bird would likely see you if you walked over the crest. So you creep toward the slope where a big walnut tree offers enough girth to break up your silhouette. You get situated, and can see the ground about 35 yards ahead of you, before it slopes off down toward the bottom. There's a few bushes in the way, but enough openings you should easily get a clear shot.  You've now got an ideal setup, and the game begins...keep in mind he may likely skirt to your left or right when he comes up, so be ready to swivel if you have to. And remember, you don't always win. He may lose interest, skirt around behind you, or bust you with your gun in your lap. That's what makes it so addictive.

Feel free to add anything to this thread, everyone's got something to say.


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[HFultzjr]

Very good points above.
When I first started hunting, I would pick a spot where I could see a good distance.
Then when the bird came into view, he would stand out of range looking for me.
After not finding me, he would wander off.
Now I prefer the set-up as above, or somewhere that when I see him, he is in range, or almost.
Exceptions would be open woods, fields, etc.
Then I would be using a blind and decoys.

[GobbleNut]

Excellent points, catman.  Great scenario, as well. 

I would emphasize one point on moving towards a gobble you hear.  It is vitally important, before moving in on a gobbler, to fully assess what he/they are doing beforehand.  There are birds that will hold their ground,...and there are birds that will start on a bee-line for you once they hear your first call.  Those birds are usually on a suicide march,...IF you let them come to you.  There is nothing more frustrating in turkey hunting than realizing you had a gobbler that was hell-bent on letting you shoot him,...and you blew it by trying to move in on him and got busted. 

Before moving towards a gobbler that has answered your call, give him enough time to let you know if he is on his way to you where you are,...or if you will need to try to approach closer.  If he is on his way, analyse the area you are in as quickly as possible and set up to maximize your odds of killing him when he arrives. 

[catman529]

Good point GobbleNut, nothing worse than moving too much on a bird that may be headed your way already


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[slwayne]

In regards to trying to close the distance on a gobbler, be aware of the impact that terrain and foliage will have on the loudness of the gobbles that you are hearing.  I am hunting deep woods most of the time and have learned the hard way that gobbles will travel a lot farther early in the season before the underbrush has greened up than later in the season when the underbrush can really mute the sound.  If you're hunting the woods late in the season that gobbler that you think you can move pretty aggressively on because he sounds a long way off may actually be a lot closer than you think.  His gobbles are being muted by the underbrush.  If the terrain is hilly that will compound the issue.  Move cautiously.

[Rzrbac]

This response may not seem helpful but give it some thought. First of all, I have seen birds hang up on a ridge top with an old piece of woven wire fence not more than 20 yards wide and less than 1/4 from that ridge called them into cut over timber and treetops so thick they nearly have to step on you. 

Now with that said, the set up is the key.  It will beat good calling any day!  Many hunts are over before they're started because of a bad set up. I've been guilty of this so many times.  I've been hunting turkeys for 31 years and they still surprise me.

Here's an example from last season:  Mid morning in a very familiar area except it had been recently timbered. Struck a bird and he was closing fast. With nothing but tree tops all around, I assume his likely avenue of approach is the freshly cut logging road. Absolutely not, he followed it for awhile and once he got close walked right into those treetops and circled behind me. Way too thick to shoot, he stood there gobbling for awhile and walked off straight behind me.  If I had it to do over again I would still think I had picked the right set up!

[Dtrkyman]

That set up with the hill drop rarely works in an area I hunted the last few years...the birds would hang up just out of sight seemingly never exposing themselves for a shot, that is until I started standing behind a large tree and just peeking out from. Behind it, I managed to kill three birds that way that I would not have seen from a seated position!!!


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[GobbleNut]

That set up with the hill drop rarely works in an area I hunted the last few years...the birds would hang up just out of sight seemingly never exposing themselves for a shot, that is until I started standing behind a large tree and just peeking out from. Behind it, I managed to kill three birds that way that I would not have seen from a seated position!!!

Yup.  One of the best pieces of advice I have seen on set-ups is evaluating each situation individually and determining if sitting or standing is your best option.  There are times and places for one or the other, for sure.  We, as turkey hunters, have been "conditioned" over the years to automatically think "sit". 

Last spring, I filled my last tag on the last morning of the season by choosing to stand rather than sit,...even though my first inclination on that set-up was to find a place to sit,...and I probably would have done so if it had not been that I was standing next to the perfect little juniper tree that I just happened to notice would present the perfect "standing" set-up. 

I had been working that bird for about an hour.  He had initially answered my calling from about a quarter mile away but would not start toward me, even though he was gobbling regularly.  I had made a big loop around him, stopping in places that looked promising that I felt he might break and come to, but he was holding his his ground on a pinyon/juniper slope off a little knoll that allowed me to circle him without being seen. 

I eventually worked my way around the back side of the knoll and eased my way toward him slowly along the slope, testing him when needed with some soft yelps to make sure he was not moving.  He answered one last time when I was about 100 yards from him across a shallow, open swale.  I thought to myself, "if he is going to come, this is the spot", and looked around quickly for that pre-conditioned "sitting spot".  That is when I noticed the scraggly juniper, stepped over to it, and after a quick evaluation, said "hmmm, this is the perfect spot to stand". 

As it turned out, that decision got me that gobbler.  He went silent and I had no idea if he was coming or going, so I just stood there peering through the branches of that little juniper tree.  I had been standing there probably ten minutes, scanning the slope, when I spotted movement down the slope forty yards at an angle to my left.  He was sneaking along across the slope parallel to me, and all I could see was the upper third of his body from the beard up.  The final step of easing my gun into position and ending it was simple, but the realization that I would never even have known that gobbler was there if I had not been standing up,...and that my decision to stand rather than sit was the key element that got me that bird, did not go unnoticed at the time,...nor will it in future set-up decisions. 

[Bowguy]

Good post. Taking the birds temp as some say or evaluating its willingness to work comes w experience but it's better to find one wiling than water time on a one time gobble especially if other birds are available

[Marc]

Excellent points, catman.  Great scenario, as well. 

I would emphasize one point on moving towards a gobble you hear.  It is vitally important, before moving in on a gobbler, to fully assess what he/they are doing beforehand.  There are birds that will hold their ground,...and there are birds that will start on a bee-line for you once they hear your first call.  Those birds are usually on a suicide march,...IF you let them come to you.  There is nothing more frustrating in turkey hunting than realizing you had a gobbler that was hell-bent on letting you shoot him,...and you blew it by trying to move in on him and got busted. 

Before moving towards a gobbler that has answered your call, give him enough time to let you know if he is on his way to you where you are,...or if you will need to try to approach closer.  If he is on his way, analyse the area you are in as quickly as possible and set up to maximize your odds of killing him when he arrives.

Yeah, and then there is the aspect of painstakingly making your way around a bird to set up on him, call to him, only to hear him gobble from whence you just came.

Obviously, if a bird is a really long ways off, I am going to try to cut some distance quickly...  I will try and relocate to an area that offers a good vantage point to both see or hear the bird if possible, and in doing so, try to pick a location that is a likely avenue of travel for the bird...

However, before moving in on that bird that ain't close and ain't all that far, I am more keen on finding a nearby setup and feeling things out for a bit before making a move.  If he is not coming closer I will then figure out what is next...  If he is approaching, and I still decide to move, I have a far better idea of where to cut the bird off if I know what direction he is moving.

[CMBOSTC]

Yeah, and then there is the aspect of painstakingly making your way around a bird to set up on him, call to him, only to hear him gobble from whence you just came.

I had this happen. I've also had a gobbler put the rush on me and I hadn't even finished calling. I was trying to strike one with the use of my mouth call, so I had no idea that he was close by and I wasn't ready for him.

[ilbucksndux]

My rule of thumb is to try and cut the distance in half even if he is heading my way. To many times I have struck a bird and immediately sat down . He then ends up hanging up 100 or so yards away expecting the hen to come to him.

Example

Two years ago  I was in a woods that is about 500 yards wide. The side i was on is fairly open but staring in the middle all the way over to a field the under growth is pretty thick. i was about 50 or so yards into the woods and struck a bird.After a couple calls to guage how hot he was I headed straight for him. By the way it sounded to me he had roosted on the edge of the field and pitched out into it. I called a few times while heading to him to simulate that the hen was coming and to see where he was. i was a little more than half way across and just into the thicker stuff when I sat down. I called pretty aggressive the second I sat down then shut up.  Just a few minutes later I caught movement 50 yards out coming straight at me. When he was at 20 yards I was afraid he would get to close and id mess something up so I let the lead fly.

[TRG3]

Staying put and offering some hen yelps should help you determine the gobbler's expectations of the hen. If his gobbling gets closer, then continue to hold your ground and look for him as he comes your way, often sneaking in. If he holds his ground and continues to gobble, then he is expecting the hen to come to him. In the latter situation, I often move in his direction, offering yelps to which he answers giving him the impression that the hen is coming to him. At some point, while the distance between us keeps the visibility of the two of us to a minimum, I'll use my Primos gobble tube after my hen yelps to give the real gobbler the impression that another tom has move in on the hen before she got to him. Hopefully, in the real bird's mind he has just been robbed by an intruder tom. Since in the real world, both gobblers and hens constantly vie for dominance, there's good chance that the real bird will soon make his way to your position to check out the new guy, offering you the opportunity to give him a ride in your truck. My Funky Chicken over a hen in the breeding position often sells this approach. This technique has worked for me, especially later in the morning when a gobbler is on his strut zone.