So I have 2 scenarios:
1. After that Gobbler flys down he gives you 10-15 decent gobbles over a 45 minute time period, but doesn't come in, how long do you wait before you make a move on him (presume you can and have good cover to do so), or shift completely and start trolling? Presume he doesn't have hens. Is your answer based on experience from the past, or what you believe is now the better decision to fill your tag on any gobbler?
2. It's mid-late morning and you encounter a gobbler after cruising a bit...he 'seems' interested, you work him for about 30 minutes but you don't believe he has made a move toward you....from what you know he doesn't have hens. When do you move on him, or do you stay patient and how long if so?
If he flys down too far for starters try roosting n be closer. If he flys down to one spot n stays gobbling periodically he's looking for you to join him. Mark the area mentally n try again tomo, or try some gobbler sounds (fights, yelps, purrs). If I had time though I'd give him the day n look for another today. Kinda like decoying ducks, be where they wanna be before they get there n they'll join you.
So much will depend on lay of land n time of year. If it's open id bet more guys, especially less experienced ones, get caught moving unless other things favor you.
If you strike him mid morn n if no hens are present. Call little n soft n make him come look for you. Play coy.
If that doesn't work id occasionally kick it up. Maybe some fast cutting. If that cranks him up I'd again wait but so much depends on a negative/positive response so I might actually continue.
Most guys like the coy game but imo an awful lot of birds haven't read the book n like more aggression in their hens. (Think I do too so I don't blame em!) but truthfully an awful lot depends on so many scenarios.
Is he standing there displaying for hens? If so try calling them. Is there something blocking him n cover enough for you to move to better spot. Is the season young or gonna end in an hour?
Some will tell you call the same, maybe good advice but if it's almost 12 last day I'm going for it.
First day I'd back off em keep the birds "fresh". Hope this sorta makes sense
Bowguy,
I understand ALL of what you are saying and it's good stuff. I have done the same many times....what my interest is, is more along the lines of a survey....wondering what everyone else would do when presented with a similar scenario. To move or not move is often the $60,000 question we all face each season. There are too many conditions, what if's, time of the season and so on...many of which you cover well, that can influence our decision to move or not.
Well that's the essence of the answer. I think terrain, distance matter without that it'd be hard to do a survey. Sometimes best to even move away or lateral right? Not sure I personally could ever give an answer without being totally in a set up. Bet you'd have a hard time w it too but let's see the survey answers. Just a note to you that might add to the survey perhaps anyone answered could write what state theyre hunting n what type land. Might be interesting n prove/disprove some theories. Good luck w it
I wouldn't move unless I could get away with it, if I could, I would definitely move. For me, it's the thrill of trying not to get caught. It's a little bit of an adrenaline thing.
#1: If he has answered you with gusto and you kept calling he may still be there but is unlikely to come. If he is with hens, of which you can never always be certain, he is probably not going to come whether he answered you with gusto or not.
#2: If he answered your call with gusto, the late morning lone gobbler is likely to come if the hunter will only shut up.
Quote from: silvestris on December 02, 2016, 04:13:30 PM
#1: If he has answered you with gusto and you kept calling he may still be there but is unlikely to come. If he is with hens, of which you can never always be certain, he is probably not going to come whether he answered you with gusto or not.
#2: If he answered your call with gusto, the late morning lone gobbler is likely to come if the hunter will only shut up.
Agreed, my opinion is to move early in the morning and locate and stand fast later in the morning.
Each situation is different, so it is difficult to state matter-of-factly what is the best thing to do. However, generally speaking, if I have a gobbler that is responding and appears interested, but is holding his ground, I am going to move on him IF I know I can get away with it,...and I will do that rather quickly once I am convinced I need to.
There are gobblers that want the hen to come to them and will hold their ground. The more you call to them from one spot, the more suspicious,...or maybe, disinterested,...they will become. Moving and calling so that the gobbler thinks a real hen is out there moving around, will sometimes break them off of their stationary pattern and bring them forward. Of course, if you can cut the distance between you and the bird while moving, even more the better.
However, it is the rare situation where the circumstances will allow for enough moving around that you will not be risking getting busted at some point. When I find myself in that kind of situation though, I try to take advantage of it. In my experience, it ups the odds of success.
Quote from: GobbleNut on December 02, 2016, 05:26:37 PM
Each situation is different, so it is difficult to state matter-of-factly what is the best thing to do. However, generally speaking, if I have a gobbler that is responding and appears interested, but is holding his ground, I am going to move on him IF I know I can get away with it,...and I will do that rather quickly once I am convinced I need to.
There are gobblers that want the hen to come to them and will hold their ground. The more you call to them from one spot, the more suspicious,...or maybe, disinterested,...they will become. Moving and calling so that the gobbler thinks a real hen is out there moving around, will sometimes break them off of their stationary pattern and bring them forward. Of course, if you can cut the distance between you and the bird while moving, even more the better.
However, it is the rare situation where the circumstances will allow for enough moving around that you will not be risking getting busted at some point. When I find myself in that kind of situation though, I try to take advantage of it. In my experience, it ups the odds of success.
This. Especially the second paragraph.
And this....
1. I'm probably not waiting the 45 minutes. There's usually one of two reasons he hasn't shown up. Either he has hens or he's not comfortable coming to where your at. Either way I feel he's not coming and I'm comfortable enough in my ability to move on him that I'll usually close the distance on him.
2. I'm hanging tight until he shows or gobbles again to let me know where he's at. I may sit there a couple hours or more before I decide to move. And before I move I'll try to coax a gobble out of him by cutting at him. If he gobbles I then know wether to move or stay, if he doesn't gobble I'll ease his way at an angle.
Answers are based on past experiences and their outcomes.
In both of the scenarios you mention I would move. IF you can do so without getting busted. Works for me a lot. Remember, real hens don't stand in one spot and call for hours on end.....
PS: What Guesswho said. I'd like to know more or less where he's at before I do move.
Guys,
This is what I was looking for and no surprises here either, I think we all agree that when and if presented with the opportunity with minimal risk of getting busted we would move. I guess if I was 30 yrs old I might stay put a bit longer, but now at 59 I would rather get the action moving. GobbleNut states it well.
I am 35 years old and have patience slightly shorter than the hind leg of a snake when it comes to turkeys. If he is vocal but not moving then I am relocating in short order if at all possible. There is a reason why he isn't coming and it's not because he isn't interested. I think patience is overated in a lot of circumstances. If I do stay put then leaf scratching is all I do.
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I'll generally relocate on him in the situations you mentioned. I can't leave a bird, we don't have that many. I worked one for about 4 hours last year with probably 5 different setups before he strutted in and I shot him.
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I move all the time as I cannot sit for too long. In doing so I've lost the fear of getting busted and learned quite a lot in the process. If it is suspected the bird has stopped coming in I move. It is a lot more fun being engaged with a bird and losing then getting ditched while sitting and waiting.. The ability to move almost at will is why I enjoy hunting in the rain. The sound is all but covered and there is usually enough movement in the woods from falling rain to diffuse motion caused by me.
If you are convinced the bird is gone or not coming in, what is there to lose?
If the gobbler hasnt moved... Im not moving either. I only move when the bird has left.. or is leaving.
Here is why. My biggest bird took a little over an hour... he was in the same spot.... not gobbling much, but never really moved. Normally I would have circled around, and tried to call him a different direction.
I couldnt do that here as he was across the road on private, I was on public. I waited him out and eventually he came my way... and I was in a bad spot. Blow downs and thick.
If he hasnt left.... hes interested. Turkeys are in no hurry 90% of the time.
Quote from: Bowguy on December 02, 2016, 02:08:05 PM
Well that's the essence of the answer. I think terrain, distance matter without that it'd be hard to do a survey. Sometimes best to even move away or lateral right? Not sure I personally could ever give an answer without being totally in a set up. Bet you'd have a hard time w it too but let's see the survey answers. Just a note to you that might add to the survey perhaps anyone answered could write what state theyre hunting n what type land. Might be interesting n prove/disprove some theories. Good luck w it
Well said.
I'm certainly not afraid to move when the situation warrants it. That being said, I sit tight and give the birds more time than I did years ago. That's from experience ;D
I've seen many gobblers come back looking for that first hen he heard that morning, on up in the day...so i stay put with lot's of patience's. I always try to be the first hen he has heard that morning. Also other gobblers in the area, could come your way also from all the calling through the morning..patience's patience's patience"s ............
When he ain't lookin....... :TooFunny:
Quote from: guesswho on December 03, 2016, 06:11:25 PM
1. I'm probably not waiting the 45 minutes. There's usually one of two reasons he hasn't shown up. Either he has hens or he's not comfortable coming to where your at. Either way I feel he's not coming and I'm comfortable enough in my ability to move on him that I'll usually close the distance on him.
I agree... If he has not come in, he is with a hen, or waiting for her to come to him...
However, generally if birds are hung up, they are somewhat close, and I have had little luck closing the distance on them (at least in the terrain I hunt). I have had better luck moving parallel and slightly away from birds at times though.
I discovered this on accident when I had a time constraint. Had to be home for some event, and when it was time to start heading back to the truck, I started calling (bird was hung up in a wooded canyon about 100 yards from me). As soon as I started moving away, he closed the distance quickly. That tactic has worked for me several times since, but I cannot think of a time when trying to close the distance (on a bird 100 yards or less) has ever worked.
For a distant bird, I will always try and close the distance if possible... I want to be 200 yards or less before I settle in... I have tried to get too close on more than one occasion though.
In the morning, on public land, once I am sure he is leaving, I am in the re-position crowd. Never straight at him. If I can, I try to find terrain or woods that are different from where I am calling him to me. That has worked twice (moved out of tall pines into scrub pine and turkey oaks and he came right in-always lateral to him, never straight at him - that tells him the hen is coming, and he should hang tight).
Later in the day, I am way more likely to sit tight as he is less likely with hens.
I hunt two private tracts that are very small. Experience there has taught me to sit tight, because a) there is not much room to move, b)he is very likely to come back. But I am also not battling other hunters to get to him before he moves off.
1. Go quiet for a while and if he doesn't come in silent or gobble any closer I'll get bored at some point and try to cut him off and call again.
2. If I've gotten response for 30 minute but he hasn't moved then put down the call and take a nap for another 30 minutes or so... Or try to stay awake in case he comes in silent. Reminds me of a bird I struck one time that gobbled back but went silent so I took a nap and was awoken by a gobble within 30 yards, he came strutting to the gun and I shot him.
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I wish I knew what to tell you.. sometimes I move sometimes I dont, when I do that it works somethings others it doesn't lol
As long as I can tell he is staying in the same spot I will wait and see if I can tell we here he is going and try to cut him. In other words if he moves much I move if not I wait him out
Too many variables for me to answer but I can say If I killed that gobbler I made the right "Move" :)
Seriously it comes downs to that hunt, I have the patience to work a bird (I know) for most of a day if that what it takes to kill him, and then there are times I will move until it works or I bust. I have even just left the bird to work later that day or even another day...
MK M GOBL
For me it does not mater if he has hens or not if he is not coming to me I will either get ahead of him or move closer witch ever makes sence and is less likely for me to be spoted. I just feel by experience when I need to move and in what way, when gobblers return to the strut area in the evening they often will respond to my calling but not come in so as soon as I realize he won't budge I move 25- 50 feet closer and they usually come in fired up. :fud: :z-winnersmiley:
Getting busted by birds is not the end of the hunt or your chances at that particular gobbler I've been busted and killed that gobbler later, one day I was busted twice because I was in to much of a hurry he didn't leave the country but I didn't get him either. Patience is key but I would say as soon as you realize he is not coming in you need to either call more aggressive or move don't wait any longer.
I love these situations where the gobbler seems to be hung up some 100-200 or more yards away! If I can get my Funky Chicken set up over a hen in the breeding position is a fairly open area, I'll continue to give some hen yelps and, at some point, introduce my Primos gobble call. This gives the impression that another gobbler has moved in on the hen while the real bird was trying to entice her to come to him. Knowing that the peck order is always in full swing with both gobblers as well as hens, there's a very good chance that the real bird will start to make his way, usually silently, toward me to size up his competition. When he sees the Funky Chicken, which any respectable tom could easily whip, his confidence in winning the hen is bolstered and he will often come on in on the run. At this point the most difficult part of the hunt may be not shooting your decoys since the real bird will be very aggressive in challenging the Funky Chicken! I've used this technique in the early as well as the late morning with success. Of course, nothing is fool proof and, if you have a boss gobbler, you may have to wait until later in the season when he's not having much luck with hens that are still available for breeding as was the case in the Southern Illinois 2015 last (5th) season. A gobbler which I'd hunted a couple of weeks before would gobble but always go the other way, never returning to my yelps or gobbles even when I stay until noon. On the morning of the successful hunt, he again went the opposite direction of my calling. I could faintly hear him some 300+ yards away where he'd gobble every 4-5 minutes. Apparently, there were no hens that responded to his gobbling. After about 30 minutes, I heard him gobble but not as far away. I gave a few hen yelps quickly followed by my Primos gobble tube to which he responded, even closer. From that point on, I kept silent. Within a minute or so, I caught a glimpse of him less than 10' away as he skirted the thicket in which I was sitting, wings dragging the ground and making turkey challenging sounds. He went directly to my Funky Chicken and was nose-to-nose with him. I had to give a few light putts to get him to jerk his head up which allowed my Remington 1889 double barrel hammer shotgun to send a load of #5 shot his way, allowing him to ride home with me. It's those types of moments that get me out of my cozy bed and heading to the turkey woods! Best of luck this season!
I move a lot on birds. As stated above, hens don't stand in one spot and call they are almost always moving. My preferred way of hunting is to sit down only after I know he is committed and on his way. You might think I get busted some and you would be right! I used to sit stands daylight to dark waiting on one particular buck but no patience for waiting on turkeys.
I don't mean to sound like I never sit in one spot and call, sometimes there are situations you just can't move on them because of terrain and then I'll do my best to exercise patience and get creative with my calls. If he's not coming to me, I'm making a move and sometimes it's straight away from him. That can make a bird commit when other moves won't. After all he's expecting the hen to move to him not away and I think it may just hurt his feelings a little.