Another question or two

backroads

backroads

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2010
Messages
937
Reaction score
79
Location
Giles Co
Another question you guys can help me with. My property is hardwoods and all hills and ravines. Nothing much to speak of that is flat except on the back side and that has a flat area is maybe 1.5 to 2 acres. Basically no ground cover.

I didn't hit it hard last year, and I didn't kill anything either. But, when I'm sitting there I can hear the toms and I can tell they are coming in, but I never saw one. I am guessing they busted me before they got close. And I do have one of the rubber hen decoys which looks pretty cheesy to me.

What is a good way to provide myself better cover? I received a ground blind for Christmas and plan to set that up, but that is going to limit me to one spot, and I know sometimes I need to close the distance myself.

Any suggestions on how to better provide cover for myself? I'm wearing gloves, face mask, etc.

What is a better decoy to use than the cheesy rubber hen or does that really help?
 
right now a box and slate call. In a previous post I was asking about learning a mouth call and will try to get better at it before season starts.
 
Buy one of those cheap blinds that stake around you and break some good leafy branches. Put the branches in front of the blind and leave some room so you can shoot out of it. If I am trying to ambush one out of a blind I only call once every 10 or 15 minutes. Mabey a series of yelps or cluck and purr. It isn't a secret formula but that's how I ambush turkeys on small properties.
 
Oh yeah I never use a decoy in the woods. I try to set up so a turkey will be in gun range before he see's my calling position. They like to hang up if he can see where you are calling from and he dosent see a hen.
 
The turkey may have seen u running the friction call. Or maybe a silent hen took him away from u. Did you ever hear any putting
 
imo I wouldn't worry about decoys very over rated in turkey hunting imo ive killed and seen a whole lot of birds killed with no decoys I hardly ever use them. another thing I highly doubt they see you running a friction call. sounds like your new to turkey hunting. my first guess is that you may have over called which will turn a long beard the other way very fast. another thing a blind will work but I doubt they saw you either my guess is a hen got in between you and the bird and that turned him away. number of things could be the problem I would also say if you are dead set on decoys don't cheap out and get good decoys. but I would never use them in the woods ever.
 
It finally sank into my thick skull that i was calling way to much and way to loud when i first started turkey hunting. Last 2 birds i killed last year i never took my mouth call out of my vest . Those hunting shows on TV are way different then any turkey hunting ive done around here . TV shows that old long bread gobbling all the way to the gun and the hunter sreaming down on there mouth or friction call . It is exciting have one gobble his head of to the gun but it just doesn't happen like that all the time like they show on TV
 
timberjack86 said:
Buy one of those cheap blinds that stake around you and break some good leafy branches. Put the branches in front of the blind and leave some room so you can shoot out of it. If I am trying to ambush one out of a blind I only call once every 10 or 15 minutes. Mabey a series of yelps or cluck and purr. It isn't a secret formula but that's how I ambush turkeys on small properties.
Click to expand...

That's what I'd do. A blind is your friend when hunting is tough.
 
All great advice. I hadn't thought about over calling, but I'd bet I did over call. Thinking back to the hunts I did I pretty much called every time I heard him gobble. I never had one close enough to hear them putting.

So I tried it several times last season. The closest I got last year was opening day. I was set up on my property and calling one from the property behind mine which is private property for ISR Group. It sounded like he was fairly close. Then I hear someone else calling from that side of the property so both of us were working him. The other guy won because about 30 minutes into it I hear the shot. All the other times it seemed like I never could call them from other neighbors property across the ravines.

I was wondering if I got down in the ravine if I would have a better chance calling them down verse down and back up on to my property? My thought is if he up on the ridge and I'm down in the ravine he has a better chance of seeing me.

At the bottom of this post is a topo of my property with an estimate of the property lines. The red line is the old logging road I take to get to the back of the property. The flat area on the west side is where I was talking about setting up. The east side is where our place is.

I've seen the blind with the stakes on the WalMart web site. I'll invest in one of them.

Thanks for all the advice.

 
So the times I did try last spring I either heard the turkeys from either the west side or the two neighbors properties to the south.
 
Get as close as possible before you start calling to him. Try to get on the same ridge he is on, this can be tricky during early season when the woods are still bare. Let the gobbler dictate how much you call, knowing when and how much to call will come with experience. I like flats like the one on your topo map, they are a good place to go sit and watch after the birds have stopped gobbling later in the morning.
 
If it were me, assuming a few things, I'd be at the top, probably just over it so he'd have to hit the top. If he responds to you (and you KNOW it's a response to you), just hush--he's coming. Don't be afraid to get close, though.
 
I never use decoys esp in the woods. Everybody and their brother here uses them and they get shy. Plus with a decoy in open woods they'll hang up on you too easy. As far as blinds go I never use them because I'm too mobil. They may work fine though in your set up. One of these guys can tell you more about them then me.
 
Blinds are fine if you KNOW they'll be passing through wherever you set it up, but mobility really is the key for me so I rarely use them. I just try not to call unless I'm near a tree wider than I am so I know exactly where I'll be if/when I hear a response.
 
One of the hardest things to conquer early in your turkey hunting career is knowing when to call and when to stop calling. If he is coming in hot (being very vocal and seems to be coming in on a string) he knows where you are at and its advisable to stop calling then. Just be patient and he will come, a lot of the times he will try to make you yelp back but if he really wants it he will come in. If he hangs up about 100 yards away, then purring and submissive yelping can entice them in a little more.

I suggest reading as much as you can and watching you tube videos, a lot of those "TV" shows are all about selling a product and are not neccessarly relevant to the real world.

Another thing that has helped me a lot is, just sit back and relax in the turkey woods. Listen to them and try to figure out what they are saying to each other, once you start to understand turkey vocalization the better you will get with communicating with them.

As far as your set up, I think the flats are a start. Get out and walk around right now and see first hand the flow of the land. Benches and gentle slopes are also productive. Be aware though if you sit up on a ridge, make sure you sit up far enough back off the edge so when they appear over the lip they will not be in your lap.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top