Im just going to start out saying that I am a very experienced hunter, I am not new and I have shot my fair share of BIG toms. But this turkey is ridiculous! I have been hunting this bird on a property that only I hunt since opening day last friday (over a week ago)! He roosts in a different spot every single day, he has three hens with him, he does not give two s**ts about my jake decoy with two hens, a single hen or even my decked out Killer B tom he just struts away and then takes off into the bush. He gobbles like nuts and has not done the same thing from day to day even once. I have not once spooked him off, I hunt out of a double bull blind with my bow. He will not respond to any calling, mouth, box or slate. It is incredibly frustrating because he is a massive bird and I have lost a lot of sleep in the past week hunting and scouting him! What can I change or try differently to convince him to get in range!?!
Stick with it, one day he will want to play. One thing to your disadvantage is you are not mobile in a blind. He also may know the decoy ploy. If he has a favored strutt zone go there and wait, wait and wait some more. pack some water and granola. Less is often more with old Toms'. Gilli suits are great for long waits.
I don't know if you have been hunting in the late morning or not but if you haven't I'd give it a try. I have seen several birds that couldn't care less about anything I try in the morning be more than willing to play ball between about 11-2 in the afternoon when there are no hens to be found.
I dont have as much experience as you, but I would ditch the decoys and the blind and get in the bushes and try to ambush him. I guess that's because I learned myself how to turkey hunt without using decoys or anything. Unless his hens leave him, I doubt you are going to ever call him into range. If you are going to stick with the bow, all you need is some good cover or a dip or rise in the terrain to get drawn back. This year I finally tried with the bow and I drew back from behind a rock, would have killed him but shot the top of the dang rock (keep this in mind, lol). and if he is strutting, that should make it easier if he turns away. But I doubt sitting in one spot with decoys is going to work on this gobbler. Also like said above, have you tried mid day or later in the afternoon? My guess is he still has hens in the afternoon. they have to nest at some point. But in the mean time, I would try an ambush
Get between him and his hens in the morning. Don't call, don't use the blind, don't use decoys and take a shot gun!
Keep after him....
He has to be perfect all the time,
You have to be perfect just once...
He will slip up...
I hunted a bird similar to that 2 weeks ago. The bird would gobble like crazy but since he already had 3 hens with him he was not interested in our decoy set-up or calling, he'd respond but not move. We started taking note of where he came into and out of the field. We sat in a blind one evening waiting for him to exist the field, as usual they made for the same exist right where we were waiting. No calling no decoys just sitting and waiting. My buddy took him him down at 15 steps.
Hunt later in the morning. Hang with him. Things change day to day pretty quick during turkey season. When the hens start setting the odds will turn in your favor slightly. Just dont get burnt out and give up. Persistance is the key. You may want to continue changing up calls also. You just might get lucky and hit him with what he is wanting. Have you tried a fighting rattle. I have killed a few birds with that when nothing else works. Good luck.
I would try waiting quietly where he likes to travel. Not a typical turkey hunt, but can lead to success.
That's turkeys hunting ....
Try. and break out of the mold and do more unconventional methods , not every turkey was meant to be killed , but trying different tactics will help quite a bit
-the blind - try being more mobile and move around undetected throughout the day , think of it , real hens just don't sit down and spend the entire day in one spot , move a little determine his routine - better yet figure out where those hens like to spend the day and you'll likely find him not to far away
Yes sir, that's turkey hunting and a good bird like that is what gets me going. I feel your frustration on this wily tom BUT if you have persistence and will stay after him I think you'll get your chance and it may only be one chance. You've been given excellent advice. You may have to pull every trick you can think of and yet there is still no guarantee. Stay mobile- don't call from the same location every time and especially trying to sound like 2 or 3 different hens from the exact same spot over an extended period of time. That's not natural. Mix up time of day hunting. Mix up various tones of turkey calls. If you can safely do so challenge his dominance if you think he is the dominant bird in the area. These are just a few suggestion. Hey, consider yourself fortunate to be hunting such a challenging bird. They are the ones that make us better turkey hunters. Strutter...
Like others stated keep at it, as he could come running to the call on the right day?
I do have to agree, you are kind of limited with the blind, but realize you are bowhunting. Kind of reminds me of a bird I messed with several times in PA last year. Would always flank the calling, so towards the end of the Season, when I knew he was in the bottom I figured I'd try another approach.So instead of trying to call him to me, I went to him. Did some excited yelping with a mouthcall while covering ground going straight towards him, he responded in the bottom, I setup and got him, afew minutes later when he crested the top. Ended up being a good bird, with 1 1/2 inch spurs. My point is you are limited with a blind, where sometimes you just have to try off the wall tactics, that more mimic what a real hen would do, Good Luck
Thanks everybody for the excellent advice I appreciate it very much. So here's some new info. There are two toms now, on has one hen the othernhasntwo, the on with two hens is definitely the dominant bird because he cuts off the other one every single gobble. They roost in differ areas so I took two other guys with me today to cover every possible exit. The small one avoided my one buddy off the roost by following his hen through the bush instead of into the field, I scooted around the opposite of the bush with the most dominant Tom who gobbled his brains out all morning even on the ground! Got setup under a great tree in a dip with my bow and called, he responded and sounded like he was coming right at me. He then stopped gobbling and the next time he gobbled he had moved back 100 yards into the bush, I moved towards him calling and he would not respond at all. The other smaller to, never left the bush all morning, we had to leave for other commitments but man, everything that could possibly be going wrong is!
Quote from: kuttley on May 05, 2014, 10:07:58 AM
Thanks everybody for the excellent advice I appreciate it very much. So here's some new info. There are two toms now, on has one hen the othernhasntwo, the on with two hens is definitely the dominant bird because he cuts off the other one every single gobble. They roost in differ areas so I took two other guys with me today to cover every possible exit. The small one avoided my one buddy off the roost by following his hen through the bush instead of into the field, I scooted around the opposite of the bush with the most dominant Tom who gobbled his brains out all morning even on the ground! Got setup under a great tree in a dip with my bow and called, he responded and sounded like he was coming right at me. He then stopped gobbling and the next time he gobbled he had moved back 100 yards into the bush, I moved towards him calling and he would not respond at all. The other smaller to, never left the bush all morning, we had to leave for other commitments but man, everything that could possibly be going wrong is!
sounds to me like you just need that bird to make the one deadly mistake, no telling when that happens but best you can do is hunt him every chance you get
hunting one of these birds myself mine seems to gobble more 9-12 than daybreak but I call to him goes the other way o well sure is fun good luck
Get out of the blind and take the hunt to the bird. Get 50-60 yards from him on the roost and things will change.
Most of the time, it's all about getting into a bad bird's "personal space" before you can be effective.
Quote from: VaTuRkStOmPeR on May 06, 2014, 09:49:41 AM
Get out of the blind and take the hunt to the bird. Get 50-60 yards from him on the roost and things will change.
Most of the time, it's all about getting into a bad bird's "personal space" before you can be effective.
This is the best advice I've seen, so far (IMHO). I did the same thing this season to an old bird (really, there were three of them, spaced out along the water) that had thwarted me in a very similar manner. He gobbled on the roost, I heard him fly down, then he slipped around the corner to me, strutting. What seemed to seal the deal was that he was excited about what sounded like a hen coming to his tree gobbling. The other hens can't screw you up if you're the first hen to meet him!
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Well everybody here he is! 10.5" beard 1" spurs 26 lbs, an ancient monster thunderbird! Went out on a whim without roosting him the night before, heard him gobbling on the roost and tried to get close. Got within 60 yards but could not get into the bush without making too much noise so layed prone on the field edge. He flew down into the bush and I called and gobbled at me and came looking, out in the field he spotted me immediately and took off back into the bush. I heard him gobbling down in the bush so I took of to a point closer in a different field and got tucked up under a lay down on the field edge. I called aggressively and heard him gobble but also a hen clucking. I started cutting her off and she came looking for a fight! She came out at 5 yrds an he was 15 yrds behind her but still too far in the bush. She went back in after finding no hen in the field. He was strutting just inside the bush and gobbling. Some really agressive yelping and purring brought we right out I to the field and he strutted out right behind her at 30 yrds and I made no mistake! Two weeks of solid hunting and I finally sealed the deal, what a season and what an experience, that's what hunting is all about!
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Congrats on getting him! I see you put down the bow and went mobile, good choice on a bird like that.
You bet, it was the only way I was going to deal this deal!
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