I have about 2,000 acres to hunt.. and I'm pretty much the only one hunting it in the spring. Place is loaded with turkeys... I killed a nice bird opening day. For the last few weeks I have heard only one bird gobbling. He gobbles real nice at dawn all the way up until 9-10am sometimes. He gobbles over 100 times in the early AM. He stays in one small area for the first few hours which tells me he is hened up still. This is all fine, but the problem is the area is thick.. I can only get about 250 yards from him...no closer. He is on the other side of a swamp. I have wasted 2 weeks on this bird. I get set up as close as I can... give him a few soft calls and let it be. He won't leave his hens of course. What you are your ideas? Should I move on to other birds.. I know we have a lot of other gobblers... but they are silent. It late season now in North Florida.. only 2 weeks left.
If I couldn't get to him I'd move on to another bird. But I'm not so sure he's hened up if he's gobbling like that. Sounds more like an isolated bird afraid to go anywhere to me. But who knows.
With all that acerage I would move to another bird
yep.. that is what I may do. It just hate it because I only need to get another 200 yards and he is dead bird.... but I cant. I guess that is why they roost in those thick swamps.
If you are the only one hunting the woods, maybe you should try gobbling at him. Play his territorial side instead of the breeding side.
Actually I did that Sat morning to him.. and again today. Saturday he keep on gobbling after like he had been. Today when I hit the gobble call... he stops and he never gobbled again after that.
Your probably dealing with a subordinate tom that's afraid of getting his butt kicked that's why you shut him up after you gobbled. I would bet he doesn't have hens either gobbling that much up to that late in the day. I would find another
Turkeys are fascinating to figure out no doubt. I had a bird that I hunted and scouted for two years on my mothers land. He stayed in one field on the next property over and I cant tell you how many times I tried to coerce this bird over the fence to me the previous two seasons. Finally the last week of the season last spring I hit the woods on the same ridge I had been calling to him from the previous weeks, he gobbled his tail off on the roost like he always did from the same tree, hit the ground and shut up. At about 9:30 Im sitting there dejected and thinking of a million scenarios in my head on what the deal was with this bird and all of a sudden he rings the woods wide open 75 yards away. I threw him some soft yelps and he triple gobbled at every one. I then switched to purring a couple sequences and after 10 minutes or so there he was Fanned out infront of me at 20 yards in the sunlight. I didnt hesitate on harvesting this hardheaded tom one second and after 21 pounds and 1 6/8 and 1 5/8 respectively I started pondering what had just happened and why did things finally break in my favor! My observed opinion to this day is this gobbler was king daddy and he had hens from miles coming to see him during peak breeding and he wasnt budging one bit from his core area but essentially me painting a continuos picture of a lonesome hen that hadnt been breed in his mind on a weekly basis just over the fence on that oak ridge got the best of him and I am in awe every time I think about the hunt that took two years to finish! This bird will more then likely rank number one to me for the rest of my god given days, and Im thankful for the opportunity I was afforded to be apart of such an amazing hunt! I hope this maybe helps on turning your wheels a little bit. God bless
If I had that much area then I'd be trying to find another bird. If you're wasting that much time on him, you may be missing out on other turkey who are willing to and/or are in easier terrain to kill them in.
I'm like you though, it eats at me when a particular bird is getting the best of me and I hate to leave him alone.
I'd probibly go after a different bird. However, I love the challange. Some how.. some way, being that it's 2,000 acres. (if you can) I'd try to circle around and change the direction of the attack. Get him before he hits that strut zone.
I could get around him.. but it would mean I have to go on other property that is not ours. He is real close to the property line.
well see.. maybe he will be more motivated to come to me when the hens start leaving ... just don't know if that will happen in the next few weeks while season is going.
But... It will be hard for him to get to me (like it's impossible for me to get to him now) I'm pretty sure he would need to do some fly over some thick stuff to get to me... stuff it that thick.
You probably just need a hunting partner, buy they are so hard to find...
Wait a minute, I have never killed an Osceola and have a flexible work schedule. How fortunate for you!
I actually don't have anything constructive to add, sorry.
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At 250 yards out you aren't even in the game. You can call a bird from a long way off, but the odds are very low. Every time you attempt it, you further condition the bird against the calls you have used. Get in there and kill him or move on to another bird.
FL-Boss, did you ever kill your bad bird you were after? I was rootin for ya.
No.. I went back and hunted some more for him last Thursday morning and never heard him. But the weather wasn't that great either, I did however hear a new bird gobbling behind me ... which was in the right direction....favorable to me. He responded to me some, but never came closer than 200 yards. I could hear him well, but never saw him. So.. I decided that afternoon I would sit in a new area where I thought that bird may be roosted... wanted to try to pinpoint where he may be roosting for the next morning hunt. On my way there... I ambushed one, could have been that bird. Sometimes we just get lucky – read here http://oldgobbler.com/Forum/index.php/topic,35125.msg357707.html#msg357707
FL-Boss, Im sorry you didnt get the one you were after, but as the old timers say, "A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush" and Im glad you got the one in the bush. Congrats.
I know this thread was from last year, but ... Q: How bad is the swamp? Reason I ask is b/c - buy some waders & go in after him!! :) Seriously, I've got some land that's soupy/swampy, and that's exactly what I've done before, with success. Is it a pain - sure, but ... I've kinda got an attitude of "do whatever it takes".
If you can't afford waders, borrow some. If it's real soupy/swampy, you could also borrow a very small jon boat... Again, get creative; I've usually found that, where there's a will, there's a WAY!