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Silent Toms

The last gobbler I killed last year was with 5 other gobblers kinda bachelor grouped back up. They came into my calling silently with 2 birds strutting and the rest sneaking along. I shot one of the back non-strutters and it turned out to be probably my largest bird ever. I think the two strutters were 2 year olds. I had between 16-20+ gobblers on that farm and they gobbled very very little on the ground. We killed 5 birds hearing about 5 gobbles total on the ground, they gobble their heads off in the tree.
BTW. The best way for killing em on that farm has been slow calling around 10-11a when the hens have left em.
 
Harold Money jr said:
The last gobbler I killed last year was with 5 other gobblers kinda bachelor grouped back up. They came into my calling silently with 2 birds strutting and the rest sneaking along. I shot one of the back non-strutters and it turned out to be probably my largest bird ever. I think the two strutters were 2 year olds. I had between 16-20+ gobblers on that farm and they gobbled very very little on the ground. We killed 5 birds hearing about 5 gobbles total on the ground, they gobble their heads off in the tree.
BTW. The best way for killing em on that farm has been slow calling around 10-11a when the hens have left em.
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Define slow calling. Not being sarcastic; I really want to know.
 
Cut a couple times literally 2, 3-4 light yelps, nothing loud, obnoxious or excited think of a hen talking to herself, then leaf scratching. Wait several minutes approx 15 minutes to call lightly again if/when I do hear a gobble I pretend I don't hear him and do it again 2-3 minutes after he gobbled. It's been my experience the next thing I hear is a gobbler or 2 running in or I'll hear drumming and they are easing in. I usually don't hear more than a gobble or two and usually don't need to hunt more than about 40 minutes. Either way it's by far the most effective way for me to kill birds. I don't use any decoys.
 
GOODWIN said:
Speaking of silent toms. What's your best approach to kill one that does go silent?
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Patience, soft and sparse calling only. My best gobblers have been late season, mature, call smart gobblers. Scout them, get on them, be patient and only call soft and sparingly. I call like I am a feeding hen with a few soft yelps maybe a feeding purr and then put the call down for 20 minutes.
 
PalsPal said:
And I have zero interest in killing a non-gobbling turkey.
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Did you actually mean this,
or that you have zero interest in killing gobbler that is not putting on a show?

Often, older Toms will come in, putting on a great strutting show, spitting & drumming (just not gobbling). They often put on a better show than the young 2-yr-old Toms.

Personally, I'd rather hear drumming than gobbling.
Both, even better.

I have zero interest in simply "shooting" a distant turkey I might happen to see, as I want him to "play the game" and put on his "ritual" show. But his gobbling is not necessarily a part of that.
 
I don't enjoy shooting a silent sneaking in bird either. First bird of the year, he's toast... but if I have already killed one that year, I usually won't shoot birds that come sneaking in silent with uncolored heads. I'd rather save him for another day when he can put on a show.
 
I killed a buck one time that made 5-6 scrapes and 4-5 rubs on his way by me grunting the whole way to fight another buck. The arrow passed through him and he was working a scrape when he fell over dead. Was that exciting? It absolutely was but, I'm not gonna pass other bucks up just because they didn't put on the same show. Personally I love a gobbling turkey but, if I call one in and he decides to be quiet he gets shot just the same. The vast majority of the gobbling their heads off birds I kill are 2yo with 3/4" Spurs, the quiet ones are usually older birds with big spurs which I feel a certain accomplishment. Memories, breast/thigh meat and spurs are my turkey trophies in that order.
 
megalomaniac said:
I usually won't shoot birds that come sneaking in silent with uncolored heads. I'd rather save him for another day when he can put on a show.
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Same here, but some of the best "shows" I've ever seen did not include gobbling (just usually do). I've watched some old Toms do a lot of strutting, spitting & drumming, minutes on end, right in my face, with a bright red head/neck --- but sometimes without gobbling.
 
To LBLs point a lot of older toms spit and drum and just don't gobble as much as a 2yr old. Most of my big spurred turkeys gobbled far less than most of my little spurred turkeys.
 
Harold Money jr said:
I killed a buck one time that made 5-6 scrapes and 4-5 rubs on his way by me grunting the whole way to fight another buck. The arrow passed through him and he was working a scrape when he fell over dead. Was that exciting? It absolutely was but, I'm not gonna pass other bucks up just because they didn't put on the same show. Personally I love a gobbling turkey but, if I call one in and he decides to be quiet he gets shot just the same. The vast majority of the gobbling their heads off birds I kill are 2yo with 3/4" Spurs, the quiet ones are usually older birds with big spurs which I feel a certain accomplishment. Memories, breast/thigh meat and spurs are my turkey trophies in that order.
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^Yes! My reality is that I am not good enough to pass up a single turkey killing opportunity.
 
I'll shoot a silent gobbler as long as he is playing the game. By that I mean strutting, drumming, or looking for a hen, and I call him up.

I ain't going to set in a foodplot and shoot one that just walks out there feeding.
 

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