Really, I believe there is no such thing, but I am done with this bird. He roosts fairly near to same area, gobbles his head off. May bend to calling, but rarely does and does not come in. I have tried quiet with soft stuff and leaf scratching (which got him the closest, he would just not come back from where he knew the hens were headed - we watched them fly down) and called more aggressively which brought a hen in, but not him. If I could hunt the property to the north, I believe I could kill him tomorrow, but I can't. He struts in the same area and we watch the hens go to him. I could kill him by just being quiet and getting lucky with him flying down to me, or I could deer hunt him and kill him on his way to roost. He has flown over my bro and SIL's head off the roost in killable range. I think he just gets a pass from us this year as we look elsewhere. I'm just gonna tip my hat to him and move on for one that wants to play the game. See ya next year Mr Longbeard. Maybe they won't have corn running all year to our north. >:( If we kill one there next year we will tell ourselves it was him, just to feel better. ;)
Try him once a week until he is ready
I killed a gobbler last weekend that's been giving me fits. Sounds like a similar situation I was in. Like mentioned above don't give up and try him through out the season till it's his day to die! Good luck!
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As long as you have other gobblers to hunt...then I would hunt them, but I would still keep coming back to that one every few days. (Especially if you have more than 1 tag) Sounds like you're somewhat limited on set ups, but switch set ups, time of day, calling and calls.
I've hunted several like him over the years and it can be frustrating, but I like the challenge. Plus, you can sometimes learn more from hunting one like him for a few days than some overzealous 2 year old that comes running to your call....while gobbling his head off. You just gotta be ok with eating a tag.
I believe every bird is killable. He's got to be lucky every day where you only have to be lucky once. Don't hunt him every day and look for another approach. Right time, right place Keep us posted.
Don't give up!!! Maybe go elsewhere but go back and try him every few days.
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Quote from: Turkeybutt on April 15, 2024, 06:30:11 PM
I believe every bird is killable. He's got to be lucky every day where you only have to be lucky once. Don't hunt him every day and look for another approach. Right time, right place Keep us posted.
Yep.
Don't give up, still check back with him as the season goes along... He might just change his mind and come running.
I totally understand. You can waste the better part of a season on one like that. In my humble experience if I can't kill him in 3 days, I probably won't any time soon.
Just think how rewarding it would be to get him? I would donate the rest of my season as long as he's still gobbling......
Anything that is alive will die at some point.
Your personal question is: At what extent do I want to go to expedite the death of this Turkey?
Good question Flopper. Not enough to quit work! Not enough to cheat (kill as he flies over or as he lands by random chance). I know I could kill this bird if I could hunt that property. I know his routine well now. He is on our piece for 15-20 minutes in the morning (unless he flies all the way to the other piece) and then when he comes in for the evening. I doubt I will have a chance again this season, but my SIL is gonna try him in the morning. Special opp hunt next weekend (our last).
I need to find a Georgia lease. I am only 30 minutes max from the line. Would like a couple more weeks.
Good luck to those just getting started.
Good luck g8rvet, I know this feeling. I would save a tag and try him after all his hens are bred. " Lonely Larry's " are easier than ones with dates already, lol. I hope one of you gets him, Z
Yes, I also believe that every bird is killable... Just maybe not the way I want to kill him. :P
For me the excitement and fun of turkey hunting is to have a hand in calling them in... Whether that means directly calling him into a call by immitating a hen, or a jake or tom... Or upsetting a hen to lead a tom into range... My satisfaction comes from the conversation resulting in a harvest...
That is not to say there is not skill in stalking a bird, or ambushing a bird.... But the vast majority of pleasure for me is tricking them to a call in one way or another.
But sometimes you can get lucky, and draw in a hen that he follows... Or draw in a jake that he "needs" to chase off.... But, I honestly feel that without nature intervening on my behalf, there are some birds that I simply cannot call in (at least on that day).
I'm sure you know this, but if he's gobbling that much try to get in his bubble to the point where there's a good chance you might spook him...they see and hear stuff on the ground all night long but I'm convinced that they think the noise is just another deer, possum, etc. At this point there's no harm in spooking him.
If that doesn't work some might suggest removing the battery from said feeder and coming back in a few days. I don't condone trespassing, but baiting turkeys is also illegal.
However, it is not illegal to simply "feed" the game; the illegal part comes into play when a person "hunts" where the feed was deposited. That is why I encourage legislation to ban the deposit of feed in the outdoors. How did those animals survive before we got here to feed them. How is this practice in anyway described as "hunting".
All gobblers are killable...but some are just not killable by ME because I just don't have the patience or the need to keep pursuing them in a manner that is not compatible with the reasons I hunt spring gobblers to begin with. That is fine with me. They will either play the game the way I want them to...that is, engage in a (hopefully lively) conversation and then show up and give me "the show"...or they can just stay in the woods. ;D
Having said that, I don't begrudge anybody that feels differently about that...and I most certainly don't blame folks that are forced to hunt individual gobblers day after day because of their particular circumstances. It is just not what turkey hunting is all about for me, personally, and my circumstances allow me to look for those birds that suit my turkey hunting philosophy,...which, most often, is not compatible with those kinds of gobblers and their crappy attitudes. ;D :laugh:
In Florida, baiting is not illegal. Hunting within 100 yards of corn is illegal. I do think it is unethical though. When we got this lease, we turned off all the deer feeders and removed the bait from them. Now the birds have moved where there is bait. Not sure we are gonna re join next year because of this. there are birds there and we have fooled with them, but there are a ton of hens and the longbeards know where they are spending the day, and it ain't on our property. Another place I hunted, the birds would work back around to us, but no love here.
Quote from: g8rvet on April 16, 2024, 08:14:07 PM
In Florida, baiting is not illegal. I do think it is unethical though. When we got this lease, we turned off all the deer feeders and removed the bait from them. Now the birds have moved where there is bait. Not sure we are gonna re join next year because of this. there are birds there and we have fooled with them, but there are a ton of hens and the longbeards know where they are spending the day, and it ain't on our property. Another place I hunted, the birds would work back around to us, but no love here.
I feel for you and your dilemma, g8rvet. This is also Texas hunting in a nutshell, although it is perfectly legal to shoot over the feeders there. Where I have hunted there, if the property was not running feeders, the birds were gone and on the adjacent properties that had working feeders. That really complicates matters when you are a hunter with disdain for feeders while also having to deal with the reality that not everybody feels that way...and, in fact, there seems to be no shortage of "hunters" that think that shooting turkeys at feeders is just "hunky dory"...often whether it is legal or not.
The TV and YouTube Turkeys are usually 2 year olds. On hard pressured areas an old longbeard has survived 3-4 hunting seasons. He's seen and heard it all. Some of these older gobblers will not go to a hen period. Real hen, someone impersonating a hen he ain't going. In nature he gobbles and the hens go to him so it's not unusual for an old gobbler to refuse to go to a hen.
When they get like this and I've seen dozens like this in La, they usually are only killed by happenstance. Guy just happens to be in the right place and he walks by etc. But traditional set up and call him from the roost ain't happening. I don't let it get me down I just move on knowing that gobbler will fertilize plenty of eggs.
If you really believe you can kill any Turkey I have one that I tried 3 days in a row this season lol. He's still in that creek bottom and he ain't coming to a hen. Your welcome to him.
I agree with others i would check back with that gobbler during turkey season if you're not tagged out in the meantime. I wouldn't put all my hunting time in chasing or trying to kill that one particular gobbler.
I myself think you are going about it the right way in chasing and wanting to defeat that gobbler at his own game and that's by calling him to the gun barrel..
I take my hat off to you and i hope in the future you get your gobbler.
Quote from: GobbleNut on April 16, 2024, 09:56:22 PM
Where I have hunted there, if the property was not running feeders, the birds were gone and on the adjacent properties that had working feeders.
Same with deer hunting in SC. It's legal to bait deer, so if you don't do it, the deer simply walk next door to the neighboring properties that do.
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It's tough for sure. I run feeders on the northern boundary of the farm I manage (no competition on the other 3 sides - highway and public) because the neighbors do and they will pull the turkeys. I would prefer to shut them down from the end of deer season until May, but I also like to have turkeys on my side of the fence. We just make sure to stay away from them, which can be a real pain. The farmer is actually unhappy that I'm not running more feeders to help keep the deer and hogs off his crops.
Quote from: lalongbeard75 on April 17, 2024, 09:26:19 AM
If you really believe you can kill any Turkey
I definitely DO NOT believe I can kill any turkey, but I do believe any turkey may be killable. Right place, right time, dumb luck, gets separated from his hens, etc.
For sure about the hens. Every single morning, he heads to a spot, gobbles his head off at every noise and it happily joined by multiple hens. I would not have gone to the bar when I was single if loose, purty women were coming to my house either! :TooFunny:
You said "may" be killable lol. That means he "may not " be killable. Some gobblers just don't go to hens period. They have no need to and it's not natures way, the hen is supposed to go to the gobbler.
I believe I can kill any turkey it just may take while. I hamstring myself by imposing rules I must follow. Rules I've acquired over the years. Rules that do not not allow me to pull the trigger unless I've made my presence known. When I was a much younger man I killed and unkillable gobbler by ambush. Hunted him 3 days in a row and he would not come to calling. 4th day I was waiting in his spot. Never made a peep. His hens came through my decoys and out the other end of the field. He flew down to the center of the field from God knows where shortly after they left. He bellowed out a gobble and strolled right in. It was a pretty hollow feeling when it was over.
Years later and rules in place I hunted a gobbler for the better part of 3 weeks. Had him to 60 2 times 1st time some clown came in and spooked him off, 2nd he stayed just out of range in a meadow because I had no decoy and the 1pm closing made me walk away with him gobbling as I left. Had him going nuts at another point hung up behind an unknown to me barbed wire fence in the woods. I had a blast chasing him around and there was always the anticipation he'd be there whenever I chose to give him a go.
The last day of the season had him show up after my last hurrah, tear the woods down, cutting, cackling, whitting, yelping festival and was heading for the truck. He must have walked right behind my truck and gobbled his butt off as he went by in the woods not 150 yds from me. Kinda like he was laughing at me.Telling me to go back home.
By know means was the hunt done that last day of the season. He was still out there and I had the whole off season to hunt him over and over. Planning and scheming for when I could get after him next spring. I never made back there the following spring but I'm still hunting that guy every know and again.
Quote from: lalongbeard75 on April 18, 2024, 06:43:09 AM
You said "may" be killable lol. That means he "may not " be killable. Some gobblers just don't go to hens period. They have no need to and it's not natures way, the hen is supposed to go to the gobbler.
All true. But "may not" also means "may be". Half full vs half empty. ;D Paul described it well though. I agree some birds won't go to hens, ever. But without the rules we impose, it does not really make him unkillable.
I killed one last year that would have been unkillable for some. I knew he was there and was not leaving. He answered my yelp at about 7:30, again about 9:30 and once more before he died at 11:30. He knew a hen was there, but he tended to his live hens first and eventually got around to the "other hen".
This year, this bird would be very killable for the guy on the other side of the line. He struts in the same area nearly every day. Just get there and keep quiet and wait for the day he is close enough to kill. Not really my cup of tea though, even if I could access that property.
Quote from: lalongbeard75 on April 18, 2024, 06:43:09 AM
You said "may" be killable lol. That means he "may not " be killable. Some gobblers just don't go to hens period. They have no need to and it's not natures way, the hen is supposed to go to the gobbler.
Well... Maybe you call in that boss hen and he follows...
Or maybe you call in a jake, and he comes in to defend his territory...
Or maybe you happen to call right when those hens have left him for the nest and he wanders in to you...
For me, most likely none of those things happen, and the only turkey for me, is the Wild Turkey whiskey I pour when I get home to console myself.