Other Hunting > Turkey Hunting
Turkey Report
Russ McDonald:
--- Quote from: Bogie85 on May 07, 2019, 08:08:14 AM ---
--- Quote from: Russ McDonald on May 06, 2019, 11:14:26 PM ---When your calling don't over call. Nit getting any response just do a series of calls every 15-20 minutes. Eventually the toms will bachelor up I think there is a transition right now. The hens are startingnto nest so they a kicking the boys out. So the boys startung looking for single ladies. That is when you will start seeing groups of toms and nothing else. Saturday a family I had out spent 12 hours in a blind to finally have a tom come in and he came in totally stealth mode. No gobbles and just starying putting when he got within 60 yards of our decoy.
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Thanks for the great advice, do you think you can have too many decoys? I think you are right, because most are henned up right now it seems.
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Yes. I did on Saturday and pulled 2 and just stuck with a single feeding hen.
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Wazntme:
Sometimes turkeys just shut down, perfect example is the 2nd week of the opening we got over to our spot on Wednesday, and on Thursday and Friday we had so many coming in to our calls that we were literally shooing away jakes and small toms because they were so hot and we thought we were the best hunters on the planet! Then on Friday night they turned off and we didn’t hear another gobble until Sunday afternoon! Needless to say we felt pretty stupid for not capitalizing on how good it was the days before. If you know they are there then they are there, you just need to sit against a tree and call until your legs fall asleep. They will come, it just takes them a while to slowly graze in a zigzag pattern to your location.
bearpaw:
--- Quote from: Bogie85 on May 06, 2019, 08:12:05 PM ---Unfortunately I don't get to post that joyous picture of me with my first turkey. This is my first year out for turkey, and feel like I learned a lot. But for some reason we couldn't ever get a gobbler to come in. They almost all had hens, and when they didn't have hens. They just wouldn't budge even after 2 hours of sitting, they would gobble until 6am and than nothing for the rest of the day.
My question to those that may have insight on what's best to do. When they shut up at 6am. Should I just be sitting in the same spot? When should I call it and move to a new spot and call? Should I stop calling all together? My hunting buddy can't go for the next 2 weeks, wondering if it's worth trying to go solo?
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Those toms probably have hens, when toms are henned up generally the hens will go away from calling and the toms will follow. Occasionally agreesive yelping will call the whole flock in, but as mentioned they generally go the other way. When this happens you can make a big loop around them and try calling again or sit quietly and wait, both methods have worked for me in the past, but sitting quietly has worked more times than calling when toms are henned up. If you have seen the flock feeding in a particular spot you can set up there and wait, they usually come if you are quiet and very still.
Bogie85:
--- Quote from: bearpaw on May 08, 2019, 03:58:44 AM ---
--- Quote from: Bogie85 on May 06, 2019, 08:12:05 PM ---Unfortunately I don't get to post that joyous picture of me with my first turkey. This is my first year out for turkey, and feel like I learned a lot. But for some reason we couldn't ever get a gobbler to come in. They almost all had hens, and when they didn't have hens. They just wouldn't budge even after 2 hours of sitting, they would gobble until 6am and than nothing for the rest of the day.
My question to those that may have insight on what's best to do. When they shut up at 6am. Should I just be sitting in the same spot? When should I call it and move to a new spot and call? Should I stop calling all together? My hunting buddy can't go for the next 2 weeks, wondering if it's worth trying to go solo?
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Those toms probably have hens, when toms are henned up generally the hens will go away from calling and the toms will follow. Occasionally agreesive yelping will call the whole flock in, but as mentioned they generally go the other way. When this happens you can make a big loop around them and try calling again or sit quietly and wait, both methods have worked for me in the past, but sitting quietly has worked more times than calling when toms are henned up. If you have seen the flock feeding in a particular spot you can set up there and wait, they usually come if you are quiet and very still.
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Really good info, thanks for the heads up! Really helps me learn how they think, which is the biggest hurdle when you can't get out every weekend :).