How to put the slip on these ol’ longbeards

[Mossberg90MN]

So this is the issue I'm having....

I'm runnin' & gunnin' covering ground and I'm able to get on longbeards. Or at least locate them...

I run into these 3 issues...

1) I try to be very careful cautiously closing the distance. Once I get about  80-100 yards and try to call again, I will get a response but the bird won't budge. It will just stay there and gobble. Give him the silent treatment but he still won't move. Which leads me to issue number 2

2) When I try to reposition on him and set up at a different angle, I notice the bird seems to move further away. It's almost like it moved the distance I closed. This happens a lot.

3) I'm not fast enough closing the distance on a gobbling bird and it veers off in the wrong direction.
If I try to get ahead of him he goes the other way, or vice versa...

4) Whats the right way to go after a turkey gobbling on the ridge top? I try to approach him from an angle and try to get set up on the ridge top about 80-120 yards from him, and try to call him in my direction. I'm just gonna say, it hasn't worked yet!

Needs some pointers from the timber turkey hunters.

Thanks guys


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[Marc]

Odd season for me...

Weird weather patterns with early warm weather before the season, followed by unseasonable cold weather and rain with the start of the season.  I feel like some hens were almost done breeding when the season started, and some hens were just getting ready to breed.

More hunters in the field than I have ever seen before...  And a lot more pressure on birds than normal (some of it from me).  The private land I hunted had hunters on every surrounding property, and the public land was riddled with people.

I had more birds hang up than I have ever had before; just outside my comfortable range.  I tried the silent treatment...  I tried moving in on them...  I tried moving parallel to them, and I tried moving away from them...  I finally consoled myself with the thought process of "some of these birds have been pressured enough that they want the hens to come those last steps to them."

And then you find one horny enough to be called in and killed....

I will say that for a bird above me, I try to get on even ground or higher, and make sure that the terrain between him and me is approachable and easy....  And that he cannot see me getting to that spot.

[GobbleNut]

  I finally consoled myself with the thought process of "some of these birds have been pressured enough that they want the hens to come those last steps to them."
And then you find one horny enough to be called in and killed....

My thoughts and hunting strategy exactly.  It sounds like you have just been unlucky enough to be running into gobblers that have been hunted enough that they have "learned" to avoid certain turkey calling strategies hunters use.  ...And some of them eventually get to the point that they will avoid any turkey calling at all coming from a supposed turkey that they cannot see.  If they hear a turkey call, they will stay a safe distance away from it,...perhaps even keep gobbling,...but will not approach a call until they see a real, live turkey hen.

If you hunt long enough, you will eventually get to the point where you can recognize those types of gobblers by their reaction to your calling and hunt strategies. Those turkeys can be killed,...but you have to be willing to adopt hunting strategies that are less-based on calling, and more-based on patterning, positioning,...and often bordering on ambush. 

As Marc states, unless you want to adjust your hunting methods to accommodate the above, sometimes you just have to keep moving and hunting new areas until you find that one gobbler that wants to play.  I am a firm believer that if you have a reasonable amount of area to hunt,...and a good turkey population,...you can eventually find a bird like that.

[silvestris]

Ever wonder where all the people came from, and WHY?

[Turkeyman]

Ever wonder where all the people came from, and WHY?

Many Covid-related hunters this year. They have nothing else to do. Never turkey hunted before, but what the hey, give it a whirl.

[Marc]

Ever wonder where all the people came from, and WHY?

Many Covid-related hunters this year. They have nothing else to do. Never turkey hunted before, but what the hey, give it a whirl.

Yes...  I call them "Corona Hunters."  No work, and nothing to do...  "Why not kill a turkey for dinner?"

I know of a few duck hunters who have never attempted or thought about turkey hunting that hit the woods this season...  A couple of my neighbors who maybe go dove hunting every 5 years were asking me what to buy and where to go....

Weekend warriors, and "once-a-season" hunters are hunting several days per week.  (I am generally a weekend warrior, but I hunted weekdays a fair bit this season).

I would estimate in my area an honest 10-fold increase in hunting pressure.

[Ihuntoldschool]

If It was me I would employ a lot more patience and a lot less movement. I would have confidence in my calling and in the area I was hunting if I knew gobblers were there. I would find a good setup and let my calls do the work for me instead of trying to run around and chase gobbles all morning.
I wouldn't let any "expert" fool me into thinking that a gobbler was somehow shy of a good hen sound either. I would sound and act as much like a real hen as I could. I also wouldn't let anyone fool me into thinking that some of these birds couldn't be called to the gun/bow on any given day. Hunters like to console themselves by calling certain birds call-shy, but don't be fooled. There are no call-shy turkeys, they will get shy of people for sure, but not good, realistic hen sounds. Realism is important, sound like the hens you hear in the woods/fields and you'll be okay.

Turkeys do move away from calling at times for sure, but that's turkeys being turkeys. They may be following a hen, or going to a strut zone where they meet their hens, or maybe he's tired of playing that game right now.  Hunters make the mistake of labeling these birds as call-shy partly to console themselves but the turkeys just being a turkey, just doing what he does. But don't think for a second a bird like that can't be called to the gun with fair chase methods. Some days turkeys are more excited than others, their mood changes.  Calling can change their mood as well.
Patience kills turkeys and movement can cost you turkeys.   Good luck.

[Mossberg90MN]

Thanks for all the pointers! I think I'm gonna bounce around to some other spots and try to find a willing bird. I'm gonna come back and check on these birds periodically, the day will come when those hens are gone and they will be vulnerable.

Patterning might be a good idea, but these birds basically roost on the public and quickly get to the private. But every now and then you can catch them well onto the public.

Might try waiting them out on spots I've heard gobbling before.


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[rifleman]

Early on in my turkey hunting days I was hell bent on calling, running from hollow to hollow, trying to move on birds, all the tactics we read about from the experts.  I finally slowed down and learned to go where turkeys are or like to go. Find a good place to setup, call lightly using lots of clucks, even if no turkey gobbles I set there and try not to move at all.  Moving about is usually ends up with a spooked bird, remember they can hear and see beyond belief.  For my old age style of hunting these fellas my motto is:  patience and persistence pays.

[Greg Massey]

Most of the time those gobblers will put the slip on you ...

[rifleman]

Well put Greg Massey.  My thoughts exactly.

[bonasa]

So this is the issue I'm having....

I'm runnin' & gunnin' covering ground and I'm able to get on longbeards. Or at least locate them...

I run into these 3 issues...

1) I try to be very careful cautiously closing the distance. Once I get about  80-100 yards and try to call again, I will get a response but the bird won't budge. It will just stay there and gobble. Give him the silent treatment but he still won't move. Which leads me to issue number 2

2) When I try to reposition on him and set up at a different angle, I notice the bird seems to move further away. It's almost like it moved the distance I closed. This happens a lot.

3) I'm not fast enough closing the distance on a gobbling bird and it veers off in the wrong direction.
If I try to get ahead of him he goes the other way, or vice versa...

4) Whats the right way to go after a turkey gobbling on the ridge top? I try to approach him from an angle and try to get set up on the ridge top about 80-120 yards from him, and try to call him in my direction. I'm just gonna say, it hasn't worked yet!

Needs some pointers from the timber turkey hunters.

Thanks guys


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I used to only run and gun in my early days. Then I started to roost them and stick to one bird until it was dead. Finally I am to the point now where I can pattern birds , know their roost, strut some, feeding locations and where the hens nest.

1) you are not making the right calls or enough calls
2) the bird is walking away and your not calling frequently enough
3) you're bumping or pushing the bird, not enough to spook though
4) get closer and more aggressive in your calling , then stop

[TRG3]

Have you tried to sound like another gobbler has responded to your calling, thus challenging the peck order?

[mspaci]

never saw another hunter & heard 3 shots besides mines in about 15 mornings hunting. Mike

[Turkeyman]

"ihuntoldschool" pretty much hit it. I used to be what the young crowd calls "run and gun" before it had a name...I just called it "walk and call". I killed my share of birds that way. Anymore, I'm more of the "mosey from place to place then sit and call" type of hunter. My percentage of success is probably about the same, but a lot less tiring now!

I managed four birds this year...all of them by exercising patience. Years ago I would have been long gone looking for a more eager bird.