How would you kill this bird?

Not sure if someone posted this .... so forgive me if redundant.....how about going with a friend, put the friend where you normally call from....while you go to where you think he will go and set up quietly.
 
gobblinfool":lru6rt36 said:
Not sure if someone posted this .... so forgive me if redundant.....how about going with a friend, put the friend where you normally call from....while you go to where you think he will go and set up quietly.
Click to expand...

ZachMarkus":lru6rt36 said:
Take someone hunting with you, set up on both sides of him, have your partner do the calling and he'll walk towards you and if he's gobbling you can get in front of him before he gets to you.
Click to expand...

I have a friend going with me tomorrow. We are going to try something like this. I'm concerned I won't be the one to pull the trigger though. That will be quite depressing after all our history.
 
Mike Belt":4gy8t356 said:
Is he with or around hens? I know that's typically the assumption since he won't leave them. The reason I ask is I had a bird like that a few years back and he'd do the same thing. In the end the reason was because a hen would not come to the call and would lead him away every setup I made. I ended up killing the bird but I had to fool the hen first.
Click to expand...

Sometimes he is with hens. Sometimes not. I spent all day with him Saturday and he didn't have hens until later in the afternoon but he wouldn't come in. He'd just stay in the middle of the woods and gobble.
 
Try this use the same call!!!! Very important! Go about 4 or 5 times and get close to him and call when he answers move away call more when he answers move away walk off and leave him calling to him! About 4 or 5 times of that he will remember that hen that's left him before and when it works they will run in so be ready! It's conditioning him to that that raspy hen that he likes and you know he likes because he gobbles is going to leave him! This works after a few times even an old bird will break his neck to find you! Also when I mean walk off I mean leave for the day!
 
It's not at all a "fun" way to hunt but I recall a few mean turkeys that acted like this way and all I did was scratch in the leaves, work a wing, and maybe purr on occasion. Setup was important because they came silently and I found that having some dry crunchy leaves and listening for drumming was key as these birds otherwise granted little warning. Another thing I learned is because they're also looking for that hen you have setup in a way that diminishes that advantage. Fields and woods openings are pretty much out of the question...if he can SEE there's no hen there he ain't coming. A little hump, bend in the logging road, a little pine thicket...anything that makes him come look such that when he appears he's in gun range.

Like I said it's dull, boring, and typically uneventful until you finally hear that spit and shuffling in the leaves. Good luck to you, sir.
 
I had two birds two years ago doing the same thing to me, I never killed either one! One would show up in the same place, strutting for hours on end. I even resorted to a blind near the location, it was the perfect ambush, but he would never show up when I was in it. To add insult to injury I had lots of pics of him 10 yards from the blind when I wasnt there. The other bird was just over the ridge, and it was comical to a point. He would answer EVERY call you made, but never come out of the bottom, the bottom I didnt have permission to hunt mind you. I knew if I could get him to come up, I could get him to cross onto me. It was to the point that when I had people with me, I would make him rattle off, just for fun, and then start walking to the next location to hunt cooperative birds, they were always dumbfounded why I would leave him. Its because I wasted half my hunting time and he never moved!!!!
 
Your story reminds me of a seminar I went to 10 years ago with Preston Pittman as the keynote speaker. I guy asked a very similar question, Preston listened very intently, and then said. "Get a layout blind, dig a giant hole to hide in where he likes to hang up, get a cow suit, but whatever you do, shoot him square in the face and move on to the next bird!" His response has always cracked me up. LOL
 
Thicketmaster":1x2169xu said:
Try this use the same call!!!! Very important! Go about 4 or 5 times and get close to him and call when he answers move away call more when he answers move away walk off and leave him calling to him! About 4 or 5 times of that he will remember that hen that's left him before and when it works they will run in so be ready! It's conditioning him to that that raspy hen that he likes and you know he likes because he gobbles is going to leave him! This works after a few times even an old bird will break his neck to find you! Also when I mean walk off I mean leave for the day!
Click to expand...
I was going to mention something almost exactly like this. Had a bird like this one time and did basically the same thing. I could tell he would move my way some after I would move away from him, but always hold his ground and never come all the way. Also important is make sure where your trying to get him to come is a place you've heard him in before. Some birds just won't come to certain spots. After calling and moving away a few different times on different days I set my plan in motion. I started about 200 from him one day, after I called I ran about a hundred yards to him and to a spot I knew I'd heard him in before. I never called again. He came in real cautious, but when he decided his "spot" was safe he started gobbling. When I was ready I gave him a cluck on my diaphragm, he instantly stood straight up and turned his head to me with the deer in the headlights look. Ah...satisfaction, it's sweet when it comes.
 
Boll Weevil":1ewnb9ki said:
It's not at all a "fun" way to hunt but I recall a few mean turkeys that acted like this way and all I did was scratch in the leaves, work a wing, and maybe purr on occasion. Setup was important because they came silently and I found that having some dry crunchy leaves and listening for drumming was key as these birds otherwise granted little warning. Another thing I learned is because they're also looking for that hen you have setup in a way that diminishes that advantage. Fields and woods openings are pretty much out of the question...if he can SEE there's no hen there he ain't coming. A little hump, bend in the logging road, a little pine thicket...anything that makes him come look such that when he appears he's in gun range.

Like I said it's dull, boring, and typically uneventful until you finally hear that spit and shuffling in the leaves. Good luck to you, sir.
Click to expand...

Thanks BW. I don't think he will come in silent because he loves to gobble, but you never know. Every time I set up on him I set up where when I see him he's in range. But he won't come. When I say he won't come to a call, I mean his mind is made up that the hen is coming to him. But, he will mess up eventually. I hope. I CAN'T WAIT to get there tomorrow and try him again. Problem is I have 4 days to kill him before I leave for a 6 day Missouri hunt.
 
TheRealSpurhunter":1u3ccm3h said:
I would make him rattle off, just for fun, and then start walking to the next location to hunt cooperative birds, they were always dumbfounded why I would leave him. Its because I wasted half my hunting time and he never moved!!!!
Click to expand...

Probably a wise move!
 
TheRealSpurhunter":mv5cpmbh said:
Your story reminds me of a seminar I went to 10 years ago with Preston Pittman as the keynote speaker. I guy asked a very similar question, Preston listened very intently, and then said. "Get a layout blind, dig a giant hole to hide in where he likes to hang up, get a cow suit, but whatever you do, shoot him square in the face and move on to the next bird!" His response has always cracked me up. LOL
Click to expand...

Preston is a trip! Sounds like something he would say.
 
Boll Weevil":2mom26qh said:
It's not at all a "fun" way to hunt but I recall a few mean turkeys that acted like this way and all I did was scratch in the leaves, work a wing, and maybe purr on occasion. Setup was important because they came silently and I found that having some dry crunchy leaves and listening for drumming was key as these birds otherwise granted little warning. Another thing I learned is because they're also looking for that hen you have setup in a way that diminishes that advantage. Fields and woods openings are pretty much out of the question...if he can SEE there's no hen there he ain't coming. A little hump, bend in the logging road, a little pine thicket...anything that makes him come look such that when he appears he's in gun range.

Like I said it's dull, boring, and typically uneventful until you finally hear that spit and shuffling in the leaves. Good luck to you, sir.
Click to expand...

yes, do this... it will work...

BUT, don't even start until you've found the bird and sneak to within 75 yards of him... it'll take a lot of patience and a fair amount of skill to do so, but if you can get within 75 yards, then just purr and scratch leaves, he WILL come in. That's about the only way I can kill dominate birds with a harem of hens in the early season. Even if he has hens with him, as long as they haven't been spooked on your approach, he'll eventually come to check you out thinking you are just one more of his harem.
 
Good luck Spur I hope you get him. Don't be afraid to sneak on him, he's got your number and you may have to go ninja on him. I don't know what your terrain is like, but dips and rises can be key in putting yourself in range by the time he pops into view. I don't know how well the scratching and waiting works cause I've never done it, but it sounds like a good idea too.


Sent from the talk of tap
 
Good Luck. Spur when you get him, come over here to Blount County and kill this sucker i have been after.
 
If you are by yourself, and you can get another bird gobbling in the distance, walk toward that other bird with some purrs and putts. If he is dominant, it will make him mad enough that the hen is leaving him for another gobbler. I made that work last year on the only stubborn gobbler I killed. The whole sequence done right can take up to 2 hours. Go slow, just like a real feeding hen out for a stroll.
 
He got me again. I decided to try decoys today. A jake and 2 hens and gobbled at him. He came out in the field eyeing the dekes and he was nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. After a few nervous seconds he went in the woods and crossed behind me putting as he went. Never had an ethical shot. He knew there was something up with the stone still dekes. I know everyone says turkeys aren't smart, they just have great survival instincts but I've never seen anything like him. Sooner or later he will mess up and I'll be there when he does. We have yet another date in the morning. Thanks for the tips and well wishes!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top