gobbler answers my calls but will hang up out of range

[potter]

This happens to me every year. I hunt public land and always seem to have the turkey hang up just out of range, ive hadthem hang up like this and answer my calls for hours and no luck, ive also gone silent after geting responses with no luck, I hunt mountains, cover alot of ground to find them, hate to leave them for another day. Any advice

[guesswho]

If possible close the gap.   Once closer use more subtle calling, scratching leaves, purrs, whines, single clucks etc.  Then increase from there if need be.   Pay attention to your set-up.  You need a set-up where you think he would be comfortable coming to.  Try to find a place where he would be in range before he could see the hen he thinks he's hearing.  I try to choose set-ups based on what his eyes can see more so than what I can see.  If your on a flat and he can clearly see that flat from a hundred yards he's probably going to stay a hundred yards away until he sees the hen or he loses interest, which may be what your experiencing.  If your in a spot he has to step around a blowdown at forty, or top a rise at 40 to see the hen then your odds start going up.

[Bowguy]

Good post.. Another option is something he maybe hasnt heard after you've exhausted what guesswho said. Gobbler sounds or fight. They fairly often get them to come right in when you figure they were stuck. It could get em to leave to so use it last chance imo

[falltoms]

Setting up right is the most important thing in Turkey hunting in my humble opinion. Once you have him fired up sometimes the best call to make is none at all. He knows where your at

[Premier Turkey Calls]

I agree with guesswho. The best setup is where the gobbler cannot see you until it is within shooting range. No decoy necessary. Curiosity kills.

[mightyjoeyoung]

Setting up with the topography in your favor whenever possible is rule #1.  If that doesn't work or you just can't do that, get in his roost/flydown wheelhouse early, set up prior to him being there, or, when he sounds off and you know he isn't henned up, back up and call.  Make yourself sound like a hen that's "lost interest".  If possible team call too.  Caller 50-75 yards behind the gun.  He'll be looking for the hen when you dump him.

[Rzrbac]

He could be on a strut zone. Listen closely to see if he's in th same spot every time he gobbles. Sometimes a gobbler will walk back and forth on his "strut zone". This could be a bench, open creek bank or the top of a ridge. It's not always possible but sometimes if the terrain permits and his strut zone is big enough you can wait till he makes his way to the other end of his strut zone and sneak in close to the opposite end. If you can do that, a few leaf scratch and a soft cluck or yelps will put him in your lap.

This is not the best method and only try it if you know the terrain well enough, I've killed several doing this but I have certainly spooked my fair share of them too

I would use this as a last resort. I'm more of a make him come to me kind of hunter and as others have said set up is paramount. If you're not where he's willing to go, it doesn't matter how well you call, he's not coming.

[Happy]

Another side note on this. If you start a gobbler up I would try and close the gap but not head directly towards him. I don't want him to get the impression that I will come to him. Instead I angle towards him and sometimes past him. Now this should not be done to quickly. Undisturbed hens only move so fast in the woods. Setup is crucial to prevent hang ups but you can sound over eager to get to him and blow it that way as well.

[GobbleNut]

Gobblers that come to a certain point and stop are usually the ones that have had some sort of previous encounter with a phantom hen calling to them that they have approached and something happened that scared the bejesus out of them (i.e....someone shot at them or killed their best buddy that was with them). 

While I agree with the notion that where you set up on these kinds of gobblers can, at times, make a big difference, there are going to be "conditions" where you are hunting that just do not allow for that.  In addition, there are going to be some gobblers that have "been through the ringer" enough times that they are just not going to put themselves in a position of jeopardy by approaching too closely to an unseen hen sounds.  Sometimes those gobblers just need a visual confirmation that there is a turkey there before they will come closer.  And sometimes the solution is simply carrying a decoy and sticking it in the ground...if, again, the conditions are right such that you can do that without getting busted. 

There are times when none of the right conditions exist.  In those circumstances, you can still get many of those hung-up birds to come closer,...and many times right up to within sure killing range.  They are just looking to SEE something to confirm there is a live turkey calling to them.  There is a pretty simple way to provide that.  Think about it....   

[Bowguy]

Gobblers that come to a certain point and stop are usually the ones that have had some sort of previous encounter with a phantom hen calling to them that they have approached and something happened that scared the bejesus out of them (i.e....someone shot at them or killed their best buddy that was with them). 

While I agree with the notion that where you set up on these kinds of gobblers can, at times, make a big difference, there are going to be "conditions" where you are hunting that just do not allow for that.  In addition, there are going to be some gobblers that have "been through the ringer" enough times that they are just not going to put themselves in a position of jeopardy by approaching too closely to an unseen hen sounds.  Sometimes those gobblers just need a visual confirmation that there is a turkey there before they will come closer.  And sometimes the solution is simply carrying a decoy and sticking it in the ground...if, again, the conditions are right such that you can do that without getting busted. 

There are times when none of the right conditions exist.  In those circumstances, you can still get many of those hung-up birds to come closer,...and many times right up to within sure killing range.  They are just looking to SEE something to confirm there is a live turkey calling to them.  There is a pretty simple way to provide that.  Think about it....   

The remote controlled turkey car thing??? Sorry cracked me up

[Happy]

Gobblers that come to a certain point and stop are usually the ones that have had some sort of previous encounter with a phantom hen calling to them that they have approached and something happened that scared the bejesus out of them (i.e....someone shot at them or killed their best buddy that was with them). 

While I agree with the notion that where you set up on these kinds of gobblers can, at times, make a big difference, there are going to be "conditions" where you are hunting that just do not allow for that.  In addition, there are going to be some gobblers that have "been through the ringer" enough times that they are just not going to put themselves in a position of jeopardy by approaching too closely to an unseen hen sounds.  Sometimes those gobblers just need a visual confirmation that there is a turkey there before they will come closer.  And sometimes the solution is simply carrying a decoy and sticking it in the ground...if, again, the conditions are right such that you can do that without getting busted. 

There are times when none of the right conditions exist.  In those circumstances, you can still get many of those hung-up birds to come closer,...and many times right up to within sure killing range.  They are just looking to SEE something to confirm there is a live turkey calling to them.  There is a pretty simple way to provide that.  Think about it....   

The remote controlled turkey car thing??? Sorry cracked me up

Yup. A little remote detonator and walla, no more hung up gobbler. Gonna call it the tominator.

[GobbleNut]

The remote controlled turkey car thing??? Sorry cracked me up

  Exactly!  Man, you're good!

[GobbleNut]

Yup. A little remote detonator and walla, no more hung up gobbler. Gonna call it the tominator.

You shouldn't have said that,....you know, now it will be on the market next spring from somebody....   

[Happy]

That's alright. I haven't seen anyone marketing deer corn laced with viagra yet. That was one of my original ideas from a few years ago. Get a doe decoy in some Victorias secret and hit the estrus bleats. I would suggest being in a tree to keep from getting violated from allbthe bucks that are sure to come running. You may have to shoot them all in order to make it back to the truck safely. That's the only kink(no pun intended) in the plan. Was sure the Busbices were gonna run with that one.

[Happy]

In all honesty most of my hangup occurred because of 1 or 2 reasons or a combination of both.
1. I called from a position that the tom knew he should see the hen and he came as far as he needed to get a visual and locked up.
2. I over called him or moved straight at him and gave him the imppression the hen was coming to him and all he had to do was gobble and look purty.
* A third mistake is setting up in an area that makes it hard for a tom to approach. Creeks, fences, big ravines or thickets are a common one. Sometimes they come anyways but sometimes they don't. They sometimes will cross a 6 lane highway to get to you and other days a mud puddle will hang them up. All you can do is eliminate as much of it as possible and play it from there. Experience is the best teacher in these cases.