Success Rate Once You Get Him Gobbling?

[owlhoot]

Do we get any extra credit for killing gobbler on places we never set foot on before?
And more extra credit for public land we never set foot on before?
What if we never got started until a week into the season?
And being over 55 years old?
No decoys or blind?
What about not having more than two calls?
Can we get over 100% if when the gobbler came in he had a buddy of two with him?

[guesswho]

I'm blaming my low percentage rate on the fact that I have exceptional hearing, or creative hearing.  I hear gobblers about 91% of the times that I call.

[BDeal]

The original question was around the number of gobblers brought into kill range vs the number of gobblers in engaged calling. I asked because I feel like my percentages should be higher and to get a rough idea of how others are doing. I hunt pressured birds and I have no choice. If people don't like the question or it's too difficult for them to understand, then there is no need to post an answer here.

[Happy]

I think there was nothing wrong with your question and am surprised by the some of the responses and lack of responses. (If that makes sense. I dont see it as a means of bragging to share some info. As gobblenut posted there is no cut and dried apples to apples comparision of one hunters skill vs another's and that is not what this sport is about anyways. Every serious Turkey hunter I know could care less how he stacks up against another hunter. He wants to see how he stacks up against a gobbler. That being said I feel that anytime a Tom is consistently responding to calls and is on accessible ground he is killable. Doesn't mean its gonna be easy or that it is going to happen but the opportunity is there. It's just a matter of using the right strategy to make it happen. For me that's calling and positioning and sometimes I get it right and sometimes I get it very wrong. I have always said that finding a workable Tom is half the game and killing him is the other half. Good luck and dont be scared to experiment a little and find out what works and doesn't work for you. That's the best way to learn anyhow.

[BDeal]

I think there was nothing wrong with your question and am surprised by the some of the responses and lack of responses. (If that makes sense. I dont see it as a means of bragging to share some info. As gobblenut posted there is no cut and dried apples to apples comparision of one hunters skill vs another's and that is not what this sport is about anyways. Every serious Turkey hunter I know could care less how he stacks up against another hunter. He wants to see how he stacks up against a gobbler. That being said I feel that anytime a Tom is consistently responding to calls and is on accessible ground he is killable. Doesn't mean its gonna be easy or that it is going to happen but the opportunity is there. It's just a matter of using the right strategy to make it happen. For me that's calling and positioning and sometimes I get it right and sometimes I get it very wrong. I have always said that finding a workable Tom is half the game and killing him is the other half. Good luck and dont be scared to experiment a little and find out what works and doesn't work for you. That's the best way to learn anyhow.

Good Stuff. Thank You!

[Honolua]

I think I do really well but I wouldn't wanna hazard an actual guess at the numbers.

Last year I killed four and missed one (I still can't figure what happened on the missed bird and think about it more than I should, even now.)

I believe that, numerically, I do fairly well. I know I shouldn't think like this, but if he answers me more than once I automatically think, "Dead Bird."

*I am deeply Blessed though, and get to Turkey hunt every single day of Turkey season every year on very good private land. So it has allowed me to hunt in one season more than many guys get to in several years.

This has really meant I can afford to hunt them with a really aggressive style and to take risks that guys with less time to hunt probably wouldn't dream of trying.

I don't have any idea how this style of hunting would serve me on Public land.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Turkeyman]

Many variables affect your success rate once you get a gobble. Number 1, IMO, is hunting pressure/"humanization". Example: many years ago I had the privilege of hunting turkeys that had never been hunted before on a very large Indian reservation. The Counsel decided to start having a turkey season and I was fortunate enough to be there the first year. Now...perhaps a resident on the reservation may have popped one from his pickup window occasionally, but they never heard a turkey call nor were hunted. Well...opening morning I never heard so much gobbling in my life...nor ever expect to again. Nonstop gobbling everywhere. When I set up and made a call I literally had gobblers running toward me. Stevie Wonder could have killed as many as he wanted with Ray Charles as his guide.

[GobbleNut]

Many variables affect your success rate once you get a gobble. Number 1, IMO, is hunting pressure/"humanization". Example: many years ago I had the privilege of hunting turkeys that had never been hunted before on a very large Indian reservation. The Counsel decided to start having a turkey season and I was fortunate enough to be there the first year. Now...perhaps a resident on the reservation may have popped one from his pickup window occasionally, but they never heard a turkey call nor were hunted. Well...opening morning I never heard so much gobbling in my life...nor ever expect to again. Nonstop gobbling everywhere. When I set up and made a call I literally had gobblers running toward me. Stevie Wonder could have killed as many as he wanted with Ray Charles as his guide.

Been there,...done that!  Exact same results.  To expand on it a bit, the reservation has a much-harder-hunted national forest right next to it and, overall, the birds are considerably more difficult to hunt there even though it is the same population of turkeys.  Hunting pressure is everything.

[Greg Massey]

I think a lot of it has to do with how that gobbler falls within the pecking order of the birds ... hen mood also .. I've seen hens on someday's that just didn't care about the gobbler and continue on with their day ...  You will sometimes just get that courtesy gobble , it could 1 - 3 gobbles from that bird off in a distant ... I guess with time and experience you learn to feel out what that bird is telling you in what he wants .. but that's why it called turkey hunting , someday's you just get your butt whipped and then the day comes were your successful ... It's like i could do nothing wrong ..

[Missouri hunter]

With the OP in mind,
My kill rate/call to 50yd or under, doesn't seem to have much to do with how they gobble or even how much they answer. I've had them gobble once and then show up. I've had them answering me every time and not. I've had them circle me just out of sight. I've had them gobble the first time at 60yd or less, looking for me when I've been cold calling. And yes I've had them come in hot too. These are all public ground birds, and as such a lot has to do with how much they've been messed with, and how different you approach your calling and setup from the "normal". I feel like most of the battle is a good setup but sometimes I've used calling to make up for a not great setup. I kill one bird last year that I had to call from 300yd or so, as he was on private and I was on public. I had to get pretty sassy with him to get him to start answering and he took is time coming in. Once he was moving I just gave him a few clucks here and there. It was good fun!

[Turkeyman]

I've always said that once you get a responsive gobble...not just a courtesy gobble...he's half dead. Now it's up to you to perform the second half. With experience you'll know the difference.

[redleg06]

A lot of factors here but, as some have already said, where you're hunting can make a big difference in a number of ways...  1) Pressured birds vs. un-pressured 2) Rio's can be easier than Easterns (yes, there's exceptions to every rule before anyone needs to argue that point) 3) the actual terrain you're hunting... for example, if I'm hunting area's with less brush and terrain obstacles , it's easier to get a good shot on a bird and actually finish the deal.

At the end of the day, if you're not finishing birds, it could be your set up or your calling (knowing when to call, when to shut up, when to change what type of call you're using, or maybe just raking leaves etc.) or other factors.  The better turkey killer's I know are all really good at knowing when, where, and how to set up... They're the guys who have less stories about "well, he was 20 yds away but I couldn't get a shot"...not 100% preventable but the better hunters find themselves in situations like this less than your average hunter. Or the "he hung up on a creeK" again, not 100% preventable in all cases but the better hunters have this happen less because they usually set up better before the creek becomes a problem.... There's a ton of scenarios but, long story short, if you're a decent caller (you don't have to be great) but improve how you set up on birds, you're percentages will go up.....

Unless you're the guy that kills 99% regardless of where he hunts...I'm not talking about that guy

[Cut N Run]

Over the years, I'm pretty consistently in the 25% range. A few of the properties I hunt are small with quite a bit of hunting pressure (and idiots) surrounding it. The turkeys hear a lot of poor and alarming quality calling, so they are sort of conditioned to be even more cautious than normal.

There's also a gobbler at one of the horse farms who has used me (and everybody else for that matter) for the past two years running.  The woods there are pretty open and the bottom he travels through is in a bowl shape, so he's expecting to see the hen he hears.  He answers back with fury, though he only gets so close to me.  Maybe it will be my turn this year.  It's a chess match, but I love it and live for every chance I get to play.

I suspect my numbers would go up some if I could get out ahead of them farther, like I used to, but it is what it is.  I found a vantage point on a new piece of land that may pay dividends this year, though it's within 150 yards of a back property boundary that also gets hunted. Who knows?  It's a long way from any access points, which probably works in my favor.

Jim

[GobbleNut]

There's a ton of scenarios but, long story short, if you're a decent caller (you don't have to be great) but improve how you set up on birds, you're percentages will go up.....

Fact is, you don't even have to be a decent caller.  As you say, you just have to be in the right spot and make sounds that the gobbler wants to hear.  Those sounds can be something totally different than what we think they should be. 

Personally, I hunt with a number of friends (as well as take out the occasional newbie) that are not that serious about turkey hunting and who haven't gone out of their way to learn to be great callers.  They are adequate, and pretty much know what to say to a gobbler most of the time, but some of the folks I hunt with pretty much suck at calling.  My approach with everybody is that, if I go hunting with them, I want them to call to 1) get them "hooked" and 2) so I can evaluate their calling and give them suggestions for improving.

Over the years, I can't tell you how many times I have sat next to a friend calling to a gobbler and said to myself,..."There's no way that gobbler is going to come to that calling",...only to have the bird come marching right in.  ...And I am not talking about barnyard "pet" birds here folks.  I have seen gobblers on some high-pressured public land in various parts of the country come to calling I never in my wildest dreams thought they would.

Having said that, make no mistake, everybody should try to be the best caller they can.  However, from what I've seen, anybody that thinks gobblers will come only to great calling are pretty much sadly mistaken.  An adequate caller (or sometimes even a bad one) that knows where he should be calling from will kill as many or more gobblers than the great caller that doesn't. 

...But, as you say,..."there are a ton of scenarios"....

[Turkeyman]

Gobblenut...what I advocate is, on a scale from 1 to 5, a 3 caller with a 5 woodmanship and turkey knowledge will kill far more birds than a 5 caller with a 3 woodmanship and turkey knowledge.