What are some of y'alls tactics to get one to commit those last few yards, turn that corner, or come over that rise?
This seems to be one of my main troubles!
Patience
If he's come that far he will continue to look for the hen unless he sees something out of place.
Cluck and purr. Scratch the leaves
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Quote from: Phillipshunt on April 03, 2017, 03:30:35 PM
Patience
If he's come that far he will continue to look for the hen unless he sees something out of place.
I have had multiple times when I can see the birds tailfan, just over a rise that is in good shooting range, and he never pops up over the top.
Hunting Rio's in hilly country, I have often had them come up just below a knoll or ridge that they just need to pop their head over, and it never happens...
Happened to me several times last year... Next time it happens, I am standing up and shooting him.
Quote from: Marc on April 03, 2017, 03:51:15 PM
Quote from: Phillipshunt on April 03, 2017, 03:30:35 PM
Patience
If he's come that far he will continue to look for the hen unless he sees something out of place.
I have had multiple times when I can see the birds tailfan, just over a rise that is in good shooting range, and he never pops up over the top.
Hunting Rio's in hilly country, I have often had them come up just below a knoll or ridge that they just need to pop their head over, and it never happens...
Happened to me several times last year... Next time it happens, I am standing up and shooting him.
You might not have seen the gobbler peek over the hill and see you. If a gobbler has come that close and nothing spooks him I don't think he would just walk off something about the set up or something else has made him suspicious. Good luck with the standing and shooting.
I would have killed a lot more birds if I could answer this question 100% correctly.
I know that early in my career, I liked to hear them gobble too much and I just could not SHUT THE HECK UP. That was all on me figuring things out.
I have a lot of experiences where I am solidly in the game, being cagey and the bird just won't finish. I always assume that I have messed up and figure what to do different next time, but sometimes I think it is just turkeys being turkeys. How fired up is he, how many hens are there around, etc. I had one coming to me on a string after knowing where he was roosted and exactly which way he would want to go. I walked about a 1/2 mile to get around him and get to where I needed to be to call to him. I waited until he flew down and talked to him so sweetly, just enough to get him coming to me and he was. Closed from 150 to about 75 and shut up. Dead bird, right? Then I heard the unmistakable sound of a turkey behind me. I just sat still thinking he had circled me and would come around. Too late I realized it was a pair of hens walking right to him. About the time they would have reached him, he shut up and I never saw him. He did die about 2 weeks later, and although I got to watch it, it was my brother that squeezed the trigger.
Agree with g8rvet - sometimes it's just turkeys being turkeys. Mother Nature planned it for the hen to go to the gobbler. We are trying to reverse that. Sometimes, it does not work.
Most frustrating hunt: Trying to get my son a bird... typical Pennsylvania hardwoods mountain ground. Set up, had the birds come in, 2 long beards strutted and gobbled for an hour + at 80 yds (within sight). 3 hens walked by us at 20 yds and hung around feeding. Eventually the toms just walked away. Stupid turkeys! :angry9:
Quote from: Phillipshunt on April 03, 2017, 04:03:52 PM
Quote from: Marc on April 03, 2017, 03:51:15 PM
Quote from: Phillipshunt on April 03, 2017, 03:30:35 PM
Patience
If he's come that far he will continue to look for the hen unless he sees something out of place.
I have had multiple times when I can see the birds tailfan, just over a rise that is in good shooting range, and he never pops up over the top.
Hunting Rio's in hilly country, I have often had them come up just below a knoll or ridge that they just need to pop their head over, and it never happens...
Happened to me several times last year... Next time it happens, I am standing up and shooting him.
You might not have seen the gobbler peek over the hill and see you. If a gobbler has come that close and nothing spooks him I don't think he would just walk off something about the set up or something else has made him suspicious. Good luck with the standing and shooting.
I have hunted many areas where birds do just this, it is not a setup issue it is just how they are, I have solved the issue on many birds by simply standing behind a tree, you can kill them easily that way and may have never seen them sitting on the ground at all, I call them peek a boo birds, well I started surprising them. Need a vocal bird and the right situation but it works awesome.
Scratch, or even toss a small rock or stick off to your side. But you do run a risk of being seen if the timing on his part is just right.
Quote from: JHoyle on April 03, 2017, 03:38:55 PM
Cluck and purr. Scratch the leaves
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There ya go
Quote from: Bowguy on April 03, 2017, 08:54:14 PM
Quote from: JHoyle on April 03, 2017, 03:38:55 PM
Cluck and purr. Scratch the leaves
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
There ya go
X3 :icon_thumright:
Quote from: JHoyle on April 03, 2017, 03:38:55 PM
Cluck and purr. Scratch the leaves
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
And a few doses of the silent treatment in between. Has worked for me countless times on some tough birds.
Quote from: Phillipshunt on April 03, 2017, 04:03:52 PM
Quote from: Marc on April 03, 2017, 03:51:15 PM
Quote from: Phillipshunt on April 03, 2017, 03:30:35 PM
Patience
If he's come that far he will continue to look for the hen unless he sees something out of place.
I have had multiple times when I can see the birds tailfan, just over a rise that is in good shooting range, and he never pops up over the top.
Hunting Rio's in hilly country, I have often had them come up just below a knoll or ridge that they just need to pop their head over, and it never happens...
Happened to me several times last year... Next time it happens, I am standing up and shooting him.
You might not have seen the gobbler peek over the hill and see you. If a gobbler has come that close and nothing spooks him I don't think he would just walk off something about the set up or something else has made him suspicious. Good luck with the standing and shooting.
I know for a fact on at least two occasions last year, that bird never took a peek over the top... I could see his fan the whole time. He would walk into the depression, strut like heck, and walk back to the next ridge to look for the hen, and come back, but he would not breach that high point. I even tried gobbling at him one time, which got him fired up, but he still would not breach that little ridge.
Looking back, I should have either knee crawled to the depression when he was faced away, or just stood up and shot him (when he was faced away).
Younger birds will peek over almost every time... that is actually the toughest shot a turkey hunter faces though... You have to put the bead in the dirt to kill him.
I have had as many or more birds in good range that I never got a shot at, as I have had birds I have killed. Last year was the turning point for me... A bird hanging up in a depression, I am going to make some sort of move on him (after a reasonable amount of time of course).
I think that those old toms that make it, learn to use the terrain, and become hesitant about poking their heads over a rise in which there could be any number of surprises on the other side.
Went quiet and had one cross a pond today for a KS bow kill
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I worked one over an hour this morning. I thought I had the perfect set up. He crested a small ridge 55 yards away. I was setup in semi thick timber. I thought he would come on closer looking for the hen. Well he did not. He stayed there about minute at the most , clucked a few times and eased back the way he came. Tough spot because I knew if I made any sound he would pin point me. Never heard him again today. Round 3 tomorrow. He was henned up on round 2.
We can all tell stories about how we did everything right and killed old Tom and we can all tell stories of how nothing went right and we have no earthly idea why we did not kill him.
Had one Sunday roosted exactly where we thought he would be. I set up on a trail he had used the prior two days and my nephew slipped around to the other likely spot he would travel. I had already sat down and was listening to his real close gobbles and was waiting to hear him hit the ground before i called when he suddenly flew out of the tree, about 15 minutes earlier than normal. I hot footed around and got in front of him, but he only gobbled once when he hit the ground and I called in a hen, no gobbler in tow. After talking with nephew, he was just getting ready to sit down when he busted three hens that had roosted right where he was sitting. The timing was right that they had spooked the tom as well. If those hens had not been roosted there, that Tom would have likely died.
Sometimes being quiet is right, sometimes letting it rip calls them in. There is never any one right answer so you go with the best odds. I have had them hang up on a tiny little mud puddle and had some fly across a pretty wide creek to die. Random, wary and panicky.
Been having some success with birds not wanting to close the distance since trying a handheld decoy. Now ya need to be very careful and know your surroundings and who is around. Fortunately I am on private ground without anyone else around. I was really reluctant about trying it, but have def had some success with it getting them to close. With that being said, I've also sent one out of the country trying it... Like the earlier comments, sometimes turkeys are just being turkey's and that's how it goes no matter what ya do
There's no exact answer imo. Scraping leaves. Not just digging but the scrape once, pause....scrape twice like a hen does switching feet. You could go silent, break out a gobble tube. If you want to get aggressive and know the land you could circle him if you can do it quietly. I have no where near the experience some of these guys. Just my opinion. That's why they can be so frustrating.
Also how far would the 10-15 yards put you?
scratch the leaves and cluck
More than once I have had one just over the top of a ridge where I could see his fan but he would NOT stick his head over any farther. A few times scratchin the leaves or the silent treatment worked.The last two times that has happened to me I eased behind the tree and stood up. Now when he hangs up at 50 yards and I want him at 40................not came up with a solution for that one yet.
I'm convinced that some gobblers, at least here in PA, will only come in to where they should see a "hen". If it's you call that brought him this far, he is looking for something, be it bird, leaf scratching, movement, anything. If he reaches a certain point, can hear a hen, and sees nothing.........gone! Of course you always have those birds that will run you over looking for her. My advice is, if you need him to come those last 10-15 yards to be within 40 yards, then change your set-up. A little thicker, rise in a knoll, terrain, etc. When I set-up, I want the gobbler to be close to 40 yards when I 1st see him. It's fun watching them gobble their head off, strut, etc., but if they are out of range and you can see them, they are looking for you. If they don't see what their looking for they will move on gobbling for you to follow. A good set-up is also having someone call about 15 yards behind you. Puts you between the caller and the bird. Nothing is carved in stone and they may run right up to you. I used to see a lot of gobblers, but didn't kill any. Now if I see one and I'm set-up, he is in range or very very close. Of course I'll probably do something else to mess it up.........LOL!
:OGani:
QuoteMy advice is, if you need him to come those last 10-15 yards to be within 40 yards, then change your set-up.
Good advice and I can easily admit this is where I am struggling. People say this all the time, but I have to see in my head what they mean. Sometimes I see it as I am setting up, sometimes not. But I believe it is correct, too many other good turkey killers have said it for me to dismiss it. I just am not sure it has fully clicked or not yet.