Whats the best lesson you've learned from a tough bird that helped you later on?

[Old Swamper]

Choose your ground wisely. Set down wrong on one, and you are beat, right off the rip. I will often retreat if necessary, to find better ground.

[mountainhunter1]

I think there are a lot of personalities that I'll remember. A few that come to mind, I had a bird once that I feel like I should've killed but didn't. It was a late season bird and he'd only answer to gobbles. Anyhow, if he was at point A and I called from B he'd stay at point A, but if I moved to spot C he'd come and answer from spot B. He did this multiple times. I moved to D, he answered from C, etc. Looking back I really wish I'd doubled back on him. Second time he did what he did I should've moved from point C to D and called then doubled back to C to try and catch him. Don't know if it would've worked or not, but the fact I didn't haunts me. I imagine I'd have gotten him killed.

Had a bird last year that was really bad to juke. He'd come in indicating a line of travel and then go silent and double back on himself only to come in quiet from the opposite direction. He did this multiple times and beat me multiple days. Finally I caught him off the roost one morning and he tried it again. He indicated a direction of travel with three or four gobbles and when he went silent I was already turned the other direction waiting on him. Five or ten minutes later he pops up on the ridge and I hammered him coming in quiet at 35yds.

I think the moral of these stories is that certain birds have individual personalities and patterns and it's wise to pick up on them. As Maya Angelou said, When someone shows you who they are believe them the first time.

Here's the juke artist from last spring.



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Beautiful bird and gun!

I have ran into birds that switch to my last position every time I move as you speak of - have had some luck just shutting up at about location C once I realized what he was up to. Usually takes about an hour or hour and a half or longer, but he will often show up on the ridge if I stay put and refuse to make another sound.

If you have your hunting buddy with you, just leave him at your previous location and then you can call from the next one while he sits back and takes care of business when the bird shows up and gobbles at your last location. Hope he is ok, was thinking that you said that he was shot by another hunter last year.

I'm gonna take it a step further mountainhunter1. When I 1st started turkey hunting I'd have to take my shoes off too count how many times I called to a gobbler and he went silent or was interacting with a gobbler and he went silent only to have him show up at My exact location 20 mins after I had vacated it and was moving on because I thought he did the same. Back than I believed the call shy gobbler stuff that was going around and thought possibly that was the case. After having this happen to me multiple times I finally got it through my thick skull maybe I should hang tight for a bit and be ready.

Well said Paulmyr. Hope you are doing well. Here is a great tip - I have gotten to know quite a few of the people on here and Paulmyr is a turkey hunter. The fellow flat out knows how to kill a turkey. If he says it, it is probably right.

Paul to your point - two years ago, I heard a bird gobble twice down in a deep drain as I was up on top of the ridge. He did not seem in a hurry to come up the first morning and I moved to a different gobbling bird. But I came back several days later and he was in the same exact spot in that hole. I sat there and listened to him for about thirty minutes. He finally went silent when I heard a hen yelp one time down below on his level. I sat there and ate a bagel and waited about thirty minutes. Got a pot call out and clucked two or three times. Put the pot call up and sat there and never said another word. I knew the terrain where I was sitting was favorable to where he would want to move when he finally left that hen and I just sat there. About two hours later, I heard something in the leaves and out of the corner of my eye, he was strutting around the end of the adjoining drain about seventy yards away and he came around the corner and strutted onto my side of the ridge opposite of that drain. I shot him at six steps. Probably could have done that the first morning several days earlier but heard a bird gobbling better behind me and left him instead of waiting him out. You are right - Patience is our best friend in the spring.

[Tom007]

Had a real tough one last year. Took me 3 days to get him after a first day blunder. Simply put, the 2nd day was a(Sit and watch) session learning where he wanted to go after fly-down. The 3rd day (Wed of opening week) I set up in his path. He skirted me with his harem of ladies and I threw caution to the wind, cackling them back. He followed, the rest is history. He was at least a 3 year old. Moral here is you want to set-up where they want to go, especially when they are hened up......good luck to all

[Paulmyr]

Mountainhunter1 you give me way to much credit. Maybe I should tell you about the time 2 years ago when I went to spook a hen I heard fly up to chase her away from a gobbler I was positive went to roost in a pine Island in the middle of a clearcut so he would be alone the next morning. She was pipping as she limb hopped a little closer to me from about 120 yds. Well turns out when got I to about 60 yds from her and she came into view, that supposed  hen had about a 10" beard. He hopped off the limb and soared outta my life forever!

That sucker did an about face in the clearcut, took off, let out a squeaker of a cackle as he navigated the  pines I was sitting in, and lit in the tree. He was already looking for me. All I had to do was slip out to the road and come back in the morn. But no, this "turkey killer" had to make sure I was going to be alone with that gobbler the next morning!

[Tom007]

I think there are a lot of personalities that I'll remember. A few that come to mind, I had a bird once that I feel like I should've killed but didn't. It was a late season bird and he'd only answer to gobbles. Anyhow, if he was at point A and I called from B he'd stay at point A, but if I moved to spot C he'd come and answer from spot B. He did this multiple times. I moved to D, he answered from C, etc. Looking back I really wish I'd doubled back on him. Second time he did what he did I should've moved from point C to D and called then doubled back to C to try and catch him. Don't know if it would've worked or not, but the fact I didn't haunts me. I imagine I'd have gotten him killed.

Had a bird last year that was really bad to juke. He'd come in indicating a line of travel and then go silent and double back on himself only to come in quiet from the opposite direction. He did this multiple times and beat me multiple days. Finally I caught him off the roost one morning and he tried it again. He indicated a direction of travel with three or four gobbles and when he went silent I was already turned the other direction waiting on him. Five or ten minutes later he pops up on the ridge and I hammered him coming in quiet at 35yds.

I think the moral of these stories is that certain birds have individual personalities and patterns and it's wise to pick up on them. As Maya Angelou said, When someone shows you who they are believe them the first time.

Here's the juke artist from last spring.



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Dave, that gun is killing me....

[ChesterCopperpot]

Dave, that gun is killing me....

I built a double barrel in the off season and added an Ace In The Hole sight and rail on another primary turkey gun and I'm honestly thinking of just running that old 1928 nickel steel Model 12 all season again like last year


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[Tom007]

Dave, that gun is killing me....

I built a double barrel in the off season and added an Ace In The Hole sight and rail on another primary turkey gun and I'm honestly thinking of just running that old 1928 nickel steel Model 12 all season again like last year


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Let's see that double!

[mountainhunter1]

Dave, that gun is killing me....

I built a double barrel in the off season and added an Ace In The Hole sight and rail on another primary turkey gun and I'm honestly thinking of just running that old 1928 nickel steel Model 12 all season again like last year


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Well, all I know is that if I was a big old Tom, and I had to die at the hands of a turkey hunter in the North Carolina mountains, I would much rather that hunter to be toting a 1928 Model 12 with a bead front site than some new fancy set up shotgun with a brand-new red dot and such.

We have one of those model 12's in storage - not sure the year of manufacture, but it is old. It came into the family 77 years ago, but not sure if it was brand new or used at that point or not. Think it was bought used. It was my father's first shotgun. It is a sixteen and not a twelve. Maybe I need to get that gun out and shoot something through it high up on a rocky ridge during turkey season. What do you shoot in that beauty to make sure you don't push it too much pressure wise?

[Kygobblergetter]

A really tough bird I hunted in wisconsin on some really pressured public. My uncle and his buddy were joining us a day later. I hunted him the first day then left him to my uncle since I had more time to hunt. Last day rolls around, my uncle is gone and the bird is still around. This bird would gobble but absolutely wouldn't commit. At his first gobble that morning I put on my sneaking shoes and closed in tight. (Late season thick foliage) I was within 75 yards of him on the limb. He gobbled decent until I gave him a single light cluck and he literally gobbled until he ran out of breath. 30 minutes later and one more cluck had the same result. He pitched down at 60 yards without making a sound and snuck in to 40 where I shot him. Sometimes on those tough birds you just have to get in their bubble and make them curious


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[Cut N Run]

I can take pieces from almost every post in this thread and echo experiences from similar scenarios. Good stuff guys.

Patience is one lesson I won't forget soon.  I was hunting a < 300 acre piece of land I was quite familiar with.  I'd start my morning on top of the ridge, so my calls would carry further.  Then, depending on the response I got, I could make a move according to their reactions.  I heard a distant gobble and responded with a long box, which fired him up more.  He was working my way, sort of following the spine of the ridge, doing exactly what I hoped he wouldn't do.  It's open enough woods and smallish trees, where there aren't many places to hide and he could see a long ways.  I backed off the side of the ridge, clucked a few times, and dragged my feet a few times to mimic a hen scratching as she walked.  The gobbler stopped on top of the ridge, from right where I'd left, and he probably gobbled 125-150 times over the next 90 minutes.  I could see him strutting back & forth, waiting for the hen to return.  I clucked and scratched about every 15-20 minutes and he'd answer, but wouldn't budge.  Finally, I just set the slate down and sat stone still.  He got quiet and hadn't said anything for almost 40 minutes.  I was thinking he'd gotten tired of waiting on the hen and left.  Next thing, I thought I heard drumming coming from about 75 yards below me (?!).  He'd gotten on the horse trail (same one I walked in on) and walked past me silently.  A few purrs & clucks on the mouth call and a little scratching turned him.  He walked up to the downed tree I was set up against and hopped up on the log & went into strut @ 6 yards. It was spectacular to see, though I was absolutely handcuffed and couldn't move.  He drummed again, then hopped down, and eased behind a big white oak.  I busted him at 11 yards. over 2.5 hours after his first gobble.  When he was quiet for so long, I almost got up to move, but experience and patience won the argument in my mind and helped me tag him.

Jim

[YoungGobbler]

Mountainhunter1 you give me way to much credit. Maybe I should tell you about the time 2 years ago when I went to spook a hen I heard fly up to chase her away from a gobbler I was positive went to roost in a pine Island in the middle of a clearcut so he would be alone the next morning. She was pipping as she limb hopped a little closer to me from about 120 yds. Well turns out when got I to about 60 yds from her and she came into view, that supposed  hen had about a 10" beard. He hopped off the limb and soared outta my life forever!

That sucker did an about face in the clearcut, took off, let out a squeaker of a cackle as he navigated the  pines I was sitting in, and lit in the tree. He was already looking for me. All I had to do was slip out to the road and come back in the morn. But no, this "turkey killer" had to make sure I was going to be alone with that gobbler the next morning!

That's a good one  We all have some moments like this in bank... I have mine too 

[rifleman]

I've been after these guys for a very long time.  I find that where you set-up is very important as most know and will know .  However, the biggest factor is to remain motionless and in your set-up spot and remain there for what seems to be too long.  I've killed many turkeys who come in without gobbling long after I thought he may have left town.

[Greg Massey]

I have learned many lessons over the years, calling gobblers is like going to school, no teacher, teaches the SAME WAY...  Every gobbler is a learning lesson. IMO
If you spend enough time in the woods with them, you will learn lots of valuable information. I tell people, turkey season is only for a short period of time, so plan on going and staying the day, pack a lunch and stay as long as your state will allow that day till lunch or all day ...IMO... Lots of other good information has already been shared. It doesn't hurt to say a little prayer also...

[falconiii]

When I think of the best lesson I've ever learned from a turkey, it takes me back to Tennessee.

What's the victory of a cat on a hot tin roof? I wish I knew. Just staying on it, I guess, as long as she can... 

Persistence

[eggshell]

I learned one simple lesson years ago. Go find an easier bird. You can come back to a tough bird and check on him, every bird has his stupid day