On the TV, the turkeys gobble all day long. That's not how it is around here. They gobble on the roost, but are silent as death once they hit the ground. I think that the process of natural selection has weeded out the loud ones. How much do they gobble on the ground in your area????
I cant begin to count the number of gobbles I heard this morning after flydown. This is on public land and as the season progress's you wont be able to buy a gobble after flydown.
Yep they sure do gobble on the ground here. I'm kinda lost when I can't get a gobble on the ground if I missed when they were on the roost..
It all depends on several factors. Some days they choke themselves gobbling, other days you may not hear anything.
I've had days with less than 5 gobbles and days with hundreds and hundred, sure is a lot more fun when they're talkative isn't it
I've had them gobble on the ground, but they were making a mad dash to a group of hens and not to my calls!
Usually that pretty much means you're out of luck until about 10. haha. Just the other day I was going to try my luck to see if I could find any mushrooms. It was about 3 in the afternoon that I made it to the spot. Got outta the truck and walked may be 20 feet into the timber and Bam! Heard a gobbler sound off. I didn't want to spook him since he was only about 150 yards away so I just ended up sitting there and listening to him gobble about 30 times in an hour and a half. I had other obligations so I ended up leaving. I'm sure he was following some hens, but like everybody else has said. Sometimes they won't shut up and other times you would never even know they were there.
Its really hit and miss for the first couple weekends here. Yesterday not a peep after flydown, today, me and a buddy worked a bird that gobbled probably 200 times for three hours. He beat us but he gobbled on the ground.
Its been that way for a long time were I hunt.Years ago they would gobble all day. now im lucky to get 2 or 3 gobbles on the rooste then thats it.
From my experience terrain and hen numbers have a lot to do with the gobbling after flydown. sometimes you simply cant hear them. we all know what a bunch of hens do to them!
Quote from: bigthunderchicken on April 03, 2012, 09:32:18 AM
From my experience terrain and hen numbers have a lot to do with the gobbling after flydown. sometimes you simply cant hear them. we all know what a bunch of hens do to them!
I think this is a large factor. you offer me a property that has 12 gobblers but 65 hens or a property that has 5 gobblers but 7 hens and I'll tell you which one I want to hunt and where im going to hear more gobbling after fly down on a given day. If a gobbler has enough hens that he's never alone he isn't going to gobble much
In my experience, even a gobbler that is alone sometimes clams up when he flies down. Sometimes they stand a strut awhile, only spitting and drumming, which i'm convinved does more to actually attract hens than gobbling does. Sometimes they are thirsty after a long night in the tree and he may slip over to a small stream or spring seep and get his morning cup of joe. Maybe grab a few juicy bugs, and then get back to what he was originally thinking about. Ive killed birds that roosted alone and came in off the roost, but just kinda took their time but got more fired up after they seemed to have a chance to piddle around a bit. These birds are after my own heart.i just take awhile to get going in the morning, so i feel with them. If i cant raise a ground gobble, i dont fret. I either dig in and wait em out or move on. If theyre not in a gobbling mood, all the sweet hen talk in the world aint gonna change that.
Turkeys are more visual than audibel. Toms gobble to round up the hens or to just let them know where he is. When the hens are with him or close full strut and spittin' & drummin' are more attractive to the ladies! :drool:
Doesn't really seem like it atm. They are gobbling real good on the roost and not great on the ground. The season here comes in on the 23rd so a lot changes until then. Right now, the hens are all around once they are on the ground they get kind of quiet. My tactic I guess is to beat the hens to the gobbler, and entice him to either fly my way or start headn my way (on the ground), dictated by the terrain and my position. I think its important to check the birds temp when he is gobbling, either on the roost or on the ground. If he's hot, then get in there as fast as you can. If he's not real hot, maybe try to get in front of him where he might be headed.
As said they gobble on the limb at first lite to gather hens, after fly down he may gobble a couple times but it is mostly spitting and drumming. It happens to everyone. I try to call somewhat aggressive in hopes to bring is hens to me and him tag along. But if you can wait it out the hens will take off at mid morning to go lay and he may remember that hot hen that you pretended to be hours earlier and make his way to you. I am convinced it is spitting and drumming after fly down as opposed to gobbles and hes probably breeding. I called in a field last season and did not hear one gobble. He literaly came in spitting and drumming.
I think predator numbers has a good bit to do with it as well. I have a few different farms that I hunt in a couple mile area. The ones that we see more coyotes on seem to have tighter lip birds. I am positive this is not the only factor but I do believe it is a factor. And man is it hard to hunt a bird that won't talk to you.
Justin
Depends on the day and the circumstances. The double my buddy and I killed gobbled on the ground more times than I could count opening day and then again the next morning until we killed them. Some days, they won't gobble after flydown until mid morning or not at all. Who knows...that's what makes it so fun to hunt them and so frustrating!!
Had 4 gobble for me last nite- early evening. And my 11 yr. old smacked 1 in the face his 20 ga. Man I luv turkey hunting.
Hookhunter I'm with you. I have called in cayotes that were looking up into the trees for me. Doesn't take birds long to know that a big mouth gets you eaten.
I think hens, people pressure, and weather play the biggest roles in gobbling either on the roost or on the ground.
A lonely bird, on a crisp clear morning, that hasn't been bumped by people repeatedly in the last few weeks I likely to gobble pretty well.
A hard hunted bird on crowded public ground, who has a couple hens in the tree with him, on a rainy day is probably going to be less vocal.
There are a number of factors but finding him without hens is the biggest thing.
Even on hard hunted land, the mid-morning when his hens leave him, can get him gobbling even if he was quiet on the roost.