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Friendly suggestion?

eweisner

eweisner

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I took the opportunity to walk the property I just received permission to hunt last week. I am sharing with another individual and the landowner requested that I get in contact with this person so that there would be no ill feelings etc etc.

So I called the guy up, told him who I was and what I was going to be doing and that I didn't want to interfere with anything that he had going on. He was rather friendly and we chatted. He asked if I were going to be just deer hunting or if I would be turkey hunting as well. I told him him I would be turkey hunting too.

At this point the conversation turned a little weird. He suggested that I get on the property as soon as possible and start calling to attract the birds. He said that he had seen birds there one other time but heard them on the farm next door. He told me that he and his wife were playing with his calls on his own farm and the next few days he had roosting birds. Being new to turkey hunting I am not sure of the validity of what he was telling me.

I was just reading the prohibited acts portion of the Hunting Guide and found the following statement:

"Calling or attempting to call wild turkeys using any means to mimic the sounds made by turkeys is prohibited on all WMAs from
March 1 until the opening day of the spring turkey hunts on the WMA."

I am probably over analyzing this but wanted to be sure that his friendly advice was in fact friendly.
 
To clarify...I Hadn't planned on it. Really just wondering why I would receive such a suggestion from another hunter. I have read enough posts here to know that what he was suggesting didn't sound right and was looking for confirmation. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. Sitting on my back patio working on my calls and having birds roosting on my kids swing set would be one thing, but this appeared to be an entirely different matter.
 
REN said:
um DO NOT go out calling until season starts, that is my friendly advice and i am actually being friendly about it
Click to expand...

X2!!

Calling right now is the last thing you want to do.

That guy either doesnt know his butt from a hole in the ground, or since you said "the convo got awkward", he wanted you to screw up your chances
 
I wonder how many that guy has harvested from there.

My suggestion would be go out now and start listening to them before they come off roost. No call needed and pay no attention to what he suggested. Later on you can suggest to him to partner up with you on a hunt. That way you both can get a feel of how each other hunt. Then when your out on your own you might can use him to your advantage.
 
Cuttin Caller said:
...Then when your out on your own you might can use him to your advantage.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm being dense but not sure what that would look like.

I will probably hunt like I fish. I grew up wading creeks and the Caney Fork River. If I get a hit I will fish the hole until it proves out and then move on. Whether it be a call or corn on a hook I'm still throwing bait. Either way I'm looking for a response.

My idea of hunting deer/turkey is the same as when I hunted people for Uncle Sam. Use the best intell available, silent as possible insertion, blending in as much as possible, wait until a target presents itself, and then strike.
 
The guy prob has no idea what he's saying is bad info,if he knew calling them before the season is bad and he hunts the same property then he's in a sense lowering his own chances as well. Alot of bad information gets past around when it comes to hunting.
 
I know a guy that actually does this...and he is a flat out killer. His situation is that his small farm joins up with another piece of property that does not allow hunting. He says the birds stay a pretty good piece from his property all through the year, but by calling to them first thing in the morning, and then some in the evenings, he eventually gets birds to start roosting closer and closer to him, where he says that if he doesn't, the birds just absolutely do not get near his property. I don't know. I called BS on it, but like i said, this guy is a flat out turkey killer. I've never been in that situation...but i never call at them before season to begin with, either.
 
A. this guy is being a punk and trying to mess up your hunt- DONT LISTEN TO HIM!

or

B. He has a no clue about killing turkeys.
DONT LISTEN TO HIM!
 
This is not a poor piece of property. Not a lot of thickets, but does have a lot of water. There's a pond, two creeks and three seep springs. It's pasture and woods intersecting with two ridge lines. Found an oak tree on the edge of the upper pasture that had absolutely saturated the ground below. Found a spot for a blind and am looking for a tree for a stand.
 
Bullfrog said:
I know a guy that actually does this...and he is a flat out killer.
Click to expand...

I believe you Bullfrog; it's certainly a little bit of an unorthodox tactic but maybe it can work. Perhaps another consideration is whether its worth the risk or not. Quite a few years ago I heard Ray Eye speak on what will sho'nuf booger-up your turkeys. It's pressure...plain and simple. Simple preseason calling (or even awful calling for that matter) will not necessarily educate turkeys. Having them associate turkey sounds with a human threat absolutely will though.

2 strutters and a bunch of hens in a field 2 weeks before the season opens and day after day some yahoo stops on the road with his box call and cranks out a bunch of yelps just to see if he can get them to gobble back. Preseason scouting and calling to locate birds and a sneaky tom eases in silently and sees you before you see him. That's the kind of stuff that educates turkeys in a hurry.

I'm with the others...fight the temptation and keep the call in the vest until it's time.
 
I think he told you to go yourself imo leave the call at home till season as you said the conversation got weird when turkeys were mentioned and he hopes you call one end of the property and he will hunt the other hoping he has different calls than you or when you educate them he won't have to call they will run away from you imo good luck and I hope I'm wrong
 
Bullfrog said:
I know a guy that actually does this...and he is a flat out killer. His situation is that his small farm joins up with another piece of property that does not allow hunting. He says the birds stay a pretty good piece from his property all through the year, but by calling to them first thing in the morning, and then some in the evenings, he eventually gets birds to start roosting closer and closer to him, where he says that if he doesn't, the birds just absolutely do not get near his property. I don't know. I called BS on it, but like i said, this guy is a flat out turkey killer. I've never been in that situation...but i never call at them before season to begin with, either.
Click to expand...

LOL you guys should read Ray Eyes book turkey hunters bible.
Good book will make you think about how you hunt.
 
Ray Eye is something else when it comes to turning conventional wisdom on it's head; really great to listen to and makes you think about everything you've learned as being the Turkey Gospel.

I'll never forget his response for what to do with a bird that was within range but stuck in a strut, maybe had his fan towards the hunter, or was just under a little rise where he couldn't get a shot.

His response was to stand up, yell "HEY" if you have to, and shoot him."
 
I googled "The Turkey Hunters Bible" and ran across outdoor Alabama's website "Spring Turkey Hunting Tips: Spring Turkey Hunting: Tips for Beginners" by Ron Eakes, Wildlife Biologist, Black Warrior Wildlife Management Area which states this:

"Field scouting begins after you have identified several possible hunting spots. Get a good map of the area you plan to hunt. Drive the back roads during the first couple of hours after dawn, stopping along ridges, high points, power lines, open creek and river bottoms to listen for gobbling.

Use a turkey call or a locator call, such as an owl hooter or crow call, to try to get a response. When you hear a gobbler, mark the location on a map. If you get a bird to answer you, don�t continue to call to him. This often causes gobblers to become call shy and they will not respond to you once the season opens. Additionally, birds that continue to gobble also tend to attract the attention of other hunters who might be scouting the area"

Again, not that I plan on doing this just found it very ironic that the Wildlife Biologist for AL recommended a modified form of what everyone here is saying.

Of course I will refrain from any further comments about Alabama...

Reference

http://www.outdooralabama.com/hunting/g ... y-tips.cfm
 

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