am i crazy?

[Blount County Hunter]

It seems like most turkey hunters these days do more walking then sitting, I personally never leave my turkey hunting spot for anything, I have been hunting the exact same 2-3 foot tall off the ground blow down for 10 years, all of my turkey have been killed from the exact same spot and its deep in the woods by the way, I call every 30 minutes, and resist the urge to call back to every gobble I hear, I hunt the exact same property that my dad and uncles hunt and have killed more toms than all of my family put together from the exact same spot, what do you all think about just sitting in one spot and calling to them and just waiting them out?

 

[PickettSFHunter]

Definitely an effective tactic to use. Im sort of a hybrid. I sit alot and move too. Most hunters these days do to much moving around and yakking. Scare more birds than they kill. I try to find that happy medium between sitting and moving enough to not get bored.

 

[RheePerry]

Sometimes u have to move! For example: let's say u got a gobbler on top of a ridge and u r in the bottom. 9 times out of 10, u will not get that gobbler to come down the ridge, but if u move up the ridge and around and get on HIS level, he will come to u.

 

[buckdead]

Sometimes its best move other times its best to sit tight. Just one of those things you gotta play by ear.

IMO the mistake most turkey hunters make is over calling.

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Sometimes its best move other times its best to sit tight. Just one of those things you gotta play by ear.

IMO the mistake most turkey hunters make is over calling.

Very true, and that's why I keep a close eye on my watch, and will call every 30 minutes, unless I hear a fired up hen, then I usually try and start a conversation with her and try to piss her off enough to come looking for a fight, because with my experiences in the past, every boss hen I pissed off, brought a tom in full strut behind her to come watch the fight, and to the guy that said you can't call a tom down hill, I still won't move on him, maybe he won't come right then, but he "will" be back most of the time later on that day to come check out that sweet hen he heard earlier in the day, I don't leave my spot for anything, patience is a virtue, sometimes when I call, its nothing more than a few barely audible soft yelps and purrs, but I usually go by instinct on what type of calling to use, like on windy or breezy days I will call louder if need be, but sometimes to loud of calling can turn a turkey away from you in my opinion

 

[Blount County Hunter]

The last time I got up and actually moved when was a 6 foot long black snake that I heard coming from quite a distance but couldn't see it till it was right on top of me came straight up over my makeshift blind and into it with me, I'm not afraid of snakes, but don't like sharing my blind with one, it ended up going up under the sticks and branches and I just called it a day and left

 

[catman529]

LOL snake...that would have been a surprise. I dont know if I would have just sat there or jumped out...if I knew it was a harmless snake I might have just sat there and watched it. If I know a snake isn't poisonous then I often pick it up anyway

 

[Baxter83]

Nothing wrong with that method, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of the chase factor. I use turkey hunting as a good source of exercise and a way to hone in on my stalking skills. :grin:

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Nothing wrong with that method, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of the chase factor. I use turkey hunting as a good source of exercise and a way to hone in on my stalking skills. :grin:

Well I'm only hunting a 20 acre woodlot that my family owns, can't really go to far chasing, so I really never saw a need for it in my circumstance, so I have spent the last 10 years perfecting my "stay put in one spot method", and have gotten very good at it, but I can see where you are coming from, I guess walking and calling makes it more enjoyable, but I don't mind sitting in one spot all day

 

[Blount County Hunter]

LOL snake...that would have been a surprise. I dont know if I would have just sat there or jumped out...if I knew it was a harmless snake I might have just sat there and watched it. If I know a snake isn't poisonous then I often pick it up anyway

I knew it was harmless, but have you seen how big a black snake gets living in the woods it whole life, his girth made a can of chunky soup look like a pencil, well a little over exaggeration, but the dang thing was atleast 5-6 ft long, if not bigger, and fat as can be

 

[knightrider]

it all depends where the birds are and the mood their in,i have a big oak i sit under that i have called many birds to,but im not afraid to get up and make a move on one either, where youre setup is a key factor in the game,if i feel i need to move on the bird i will.i have fired many gobblers up running and gunning i never would have killed by sitting in the same spot

 

[Baxter83]

Nothing wrong with that method, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of the chase factor. I use turkey hunting as a good source of exercise and a way to hone in on my stalking skills. :grin:

Well I'm only hunting a 20 acre woodlot that my family owns, can't really go to far chasing, so I really never saw a need for it in my circumstance, so I have spent the last 10 years perfecting my "stay put in one spot method", and have gotten very good at it, but I can see where you are coming from, I guess walking and calling makes it more enjoyable, but I don't mind sitting in one spot all day

Yea it would be hard to move around on 20 acres for sure. The main thing is that you're hunting a way that you enjoy. That's all that matter's.

 

[catman529]

would have been cool to see...like I said, I dont know if I would have sat and watched or jumped out of the blind.

Hunting on Yanahli and I've heard there are rattlesnakes out there. Especially around the rocks...so I got to be careful out there especially since I have an interest in finding caves to go spelunking (and there are caves on Yanahli).

 

[Blount County Hunter]

it all depends where the birds are and the mood their in,i have a big oak i sit under that i have called many birds to,but im not afraid to get up and make a move on one either, where youre setup is a key factor in the game,if i feel i need to move on the bird i will.i have fired many gobblers up running and gunning i never would have killed by sitting in the same spot

How do you know that that tom might not have came later on? I mean the running and gunning worked, but I bet if you waited him out for 3-4 hours, he would have eventually come, but you can't ever tell

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Nothing wrong with that method, but I get a lot of enjoyment out of the chase factor. I use turkey hunting as a good source of exercise and a way to hone in on my stalking skills. :grin:

Well I'm only hunting a 20 acre woodlot that my family owns, can't really go to far chasing, so I really never saw a need for it in my circumstance, so I have spent the last 10 years perfecting my "stay put in one spot method", and have gotten very good at it, but I can see where you are coming from, I guess walking and calling makes it more enjoyable, but I don't mind sitting in one spot all day

Yea it would be hard to move around on 20 acres for sure. The main thing is that you're hunting a way that you enjoy. That's all that matter's.

Oh no doubt I enjoy it, with all the success I have had doing it, no need to make a change in hunting methods

 

[knightrider]

it all depends where the birds are and the mood their in,i have a big oak i sit under that i have called many birds to,but im not afraid to get up and make a move on one either, where youre setup is a key factor in the game,if i feel i need to move on the bird i will.i have fired many gobblers up running and gunning i never would have killed by sitting in the same spot

How do you know that that tom might not have came later on? I mean the running and gunning worked, but I bet if you waited him out for 3-4 hours, he would have eventually come, but you can't ever tell

like i said it all depends on circumstance,after 22 years ive learned to read them pretty good, and almost every time is a little different, yes the sitting method works out and probably have a little higher succes rate then running and gunning[certainly on small parcels]take the past juvi hunt me and my son[9yrs old first bird] set from 5;30 till he pulled the trigger at 2;30 those birds were near and in a big field all morning so i knew waiting would have a better outcome.which ever way it takes to kill them is great for me, hope you get a limit this spring

 

[Blount County Hunter]

Well I haven't ever gotten my limit, usually 2 is plenty for me for a season, no need to kill more than your gonna eat in my opinion, I usually spend the rest of my season helping my dad and uncles get a tom, by setting up about 30 yds behind them, I take more pride in calling a bird in for someone else then I do for myself, just happy I got to share my talents with others

 

[Blount County Hunter]

And congratulations on your sons first tom, I also shot my first tom at the age of 9, well ill tell you the story, the fall before that season, me and my dad were squirrel hunting, we heard what sounded like a stampede coming at us, just over the hill, when they topped the hill about 20 yds away, there were over 100 birds in the flock, so we decided we were going to try turkey hunting the following spring, we went out and bought a lohman pump yelper, seemed like the easiest call you could buy at the time, we did very little research or asked anybody about turkey hunting before we went, so we get dressed in old army camo and tennis shoes and head out into the woods 1 hour before daylight on opening morning, we set up in an old blown down pinetree with hardly any visibility in it, we called in 2 toms at 730 that morning, but never could get a shot off due to the low visibility out of the blind, at exactly 930, the same 2 birds came back again, this time I spotted them strutting off to my left, and I said "dad can I shoot now" , he told yea " aim for the one on the right, he looks bigger" so I let that 12 gauge single shot sing, dropped him in his tracks, and I have been so hooked since then that it is unreal, did every school project from 5th grade through 12th on turkey or turkey hunting, its more of a passion to me than a hobby, just can't really compare it to anything

 

[WRbowhunter]

I am new to turkey hunting but to be honest right now its a lot more fun to run and gun. I think after sitting in a tree stand deer hunting for almost 4 months the last thing I want to do is sit for several hours waiting on a turkey. But the proof is in the pudding in your case.

 

[knightrider]

i agree it is an obsession for me,i would rather turkey hunt than anything i can think of.i spend every moment i can in the woods, i also enjoy calling for others and helping them harvest birds as well.some of my most memorable hunts i have never pulled a trigger and hope to have many more with my son.he is now hooked as bad or worse than i am[lol]