What happened to this roosted bird?

[DeafGobbler]

Took what I learned last week turkey hunting up in Virginia and applied it to FL.

Successfully found two roosted birds in the morning on 2 consecutive hunts, I'm stoked at that alone! First time I've ever done that by myself.

The second bird I'm a little confused where I messed up.

Pulled a shock gobble with a owl hoot during breaking daylight. Got within I'd say 50 yards in thick swamp, plenty of cover between him and I and successfully got decoys out and sat down with no light or loud noises.

I thought by the real owls hooting and pulling gobbles out of him all was good. I have my best but yet still very poor impersonation of a fly down cackle followed by soft yelps 20 minutes apart. Still a couple more gobbles afterwards. About time I was sure he was on the ground never heard another peep. I assumed he was coming to me silently, but after sitting for 40 minutes or so and hearing another vocal gobbler up the hill, I packed up and went to chasing that one.

Did I spook this bird or not wait long enough?

[jed clampett]

 :possibly had a bunch of hens with him....not to much into the fly down cackle

[EZ]

Who knows.
You did good slipping in close. I would have sat tight and would not have been fooling with decoys.
And while I most always like to do a little roost talk, at 50 yards I may have given one soft tree yelp, but certainly not a flydown.

[Marc]

If he stopped gobbling on the limb after you set up (or if his gobbling became more subdued) you probably spooked him.

If he continued to gobble on the limb after you set up, but stopped after fly-down, he was likely with hens.

Almost as important as listening for gobbling in the morning, is listening for hens.  How vocal are they, where are they at.

Generally, it is a good idea to remain quiet to a bird on the limb in the morning...  But...  If I hear a vocal hen nearby, I will answer her.  Cut her off, and call to her.  If you can irritate her into defending her dominance, you have a chance of the tom coming in with her.  If you remain quiet, she will probably walk off with him (away from you).

[DeafGobbler]

If he stopped gobbling on the limb after you set up (or if his gobbling became more subdued) you probably spooked him.

If he continued to gobble on the limb after you set up, but stopped after fly-down, he was likely with hens.

Almost as important as listening for gobbling in the morning, is listening for hens.  How vocal are they, where are they at.

Generally, it is a good idea to remain quiet to a bird on the limb in the morning...  But...  If I hear a vocal hen nearby, I will answer her.  Cut her off, and call to her.  If you can irritate her into defending her dominance, you have a chance of the tom coming in with her.  If you remain quiet, she will probably walk off with him (away from you).

Okay, it was the second then. There was no change in his calling well after I got set up. It was another 15 or so of gobbling after I was sitting down. Then when the sun started to peek through the swamp over the horizon and I'm assuming he was on the ground. I didn't hear him again until he was about 100 yards maybe deeper into the swamp, if that was even the same bird I was hearing.

Thanks for the input

[WNCTracker]

Sounds like he wasn't buying what you were selling :-) Id guess there was a hen involved somewhere.


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[Erno86]

Once he's finished with his hens --- and the hens have gone to nest --- with luck,  he should come-a-calling to your location; unless he or one of his hens have spotted you; or his hens want nothing to do with you and will lead him away to safety.

I prefer the fly-down cackle, with follow-up yelps, because hens do it too. Don't forget to flap your hat against one of you're thighs, to simulate turkey wing beats during the fly-down cackle; especially when your that close.

[MickT]

If he stopped gobbling on the limb after you set up (or if his gobbling became more subdued) you probably spooked him.

If he continued to gobble on the limb after you set up, but stopped after fly-down, he was likely with hens.

Almost as important as listening for gobbling in the morning, is listening for hens.  How vocal are they, where are they at.

Generally, it is a good idea to remain quiet to a bird on the limb in the morning...  But...  If I hear a vocal hen nearby, I will answer her.  Cut her off, and call to her.  If you can irritate her into defending her dominance, you have a chance of the tom coming in with her.  If you remain quiet, she will probably walk off with him (away from you).

This x2. Also get to the same side of the gobbler's roost as the hens if you can do it without spooking the bird. You don't have to be between them, just close enough that the gobbler can swing by to pick you up on the way to the hens. It scored me a nice gobbler last Friday morning.


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