The lusty gobbler had been gobbling non-stop for the past half hour as dawn slowly started to brighten the eastern horizon. I had softly yelped 3 or 4 times, only to be cut off by intense gobbles every time. So I shut up and waited for fly down time. I heard his wings flap as he glided off the roost and came to land 20 yards in front of me. BOOM, that’s how it should happen!
Countless gobblers have taught me lessons to prove this was rare day indeed. There are no rules in the game of spring turkey hunting, and I will try to show you the dichotomy that is the hormonal Tom turkey.
I always call sparing to a roosted bird. My general rule to a roosted bird is; get his attention, and shut up. I’ve always thought most birds will come to investigate eventually. It can work out just like above or I have patience and can wait out a gobbler’s curiosity and breeding instinct.
OR
Call until your mouth blisters to a roosted bird. With today’s tremendous population of turkeys, there is never a shortage hens, and often the most vocal gets the first shot at fly down. I sometimes have verbal “spats” with real hens that want the gobbling fool we are fighting over. I don’t always win, but I certainly put in my two yelps!
Know where a gobbler wants to go and be along that route. I continually say, good woodmanship kills far more birds than good calling. Scouting and knowing habitat is key. If you know where a Tom wants to be and have set up along that route, he is going to come into gun range.
OR
Get to the bird, period! With the exploding turkey poulations, if a gobbling Tom isn’t coming, you better go to him, because more often than not, he has hens. I have never hunted from a blind, and use a run-n-gun method of turkey hunting. Maybe in the areas where you can sit in a double-bull and wait until they come, this may not apply, but to me that is not what the whole essence of spring hunting is all about.
OR
I often more away from a gobbler that is answering me but refusing to close the distance. I think it gives the impression the hen is moving off to greener pastures. I guide a lot, so I often leave my hunter where we were as I move away. Many times this has put a turkey dinner on the table.
Never set up on a Long Beard with an obstacle in the way. Turkeys are famous for refusing to cross a stream, walk down hill, or jump a fence. I always attempt to be seated against a tree that that has a clear view of my quarry’s path, preferably uphill.
OR
Call like crazy if you can’t get a clear path. I once called a tom through a nasty blow-down. There was no way I could get around it without spooking him, so I sat down and cackled my heart out. I had chased this tom for a ½ mile up this hill for a half hour. He kept answering but always moving just ahead of me. Finally we were only 30 yards apart, but this big snarl of downed trees separated us. I want to say I was more surprised when his head stuck out from behind a log in the middle of all this, but really, the load of heavy shot probably surprised him more.
Gobblers are closed mouthed in the rain, so stay home, stay dry, and chase them another day.
OR
I love rainy days. I can move about at will. I leave my vest home, wear light rain gear, and cover lots of ground with a diaphragm in my mouth. They may not gobble as often, but they know the breeding season is short, and aren’t going to miss a day just because they are wet.
I could go on and on, but the point is, there are no rules. If it’s not working for you, change it up. Don’t be afraid to try something out of the box. Lastly, I still say my number one weapon in the turkey hunting game is a set of binoculars. They have binoculars built into their head, you need the same advantage or you are at a great disadvantage.
