This season

[Setterman]

You arent alone brother. This has been the toughest year since 1989 for me

Well hell that's comforting, at least I'm in good company

 

[muddyboots]

Same exact thing here. Like you said. I can go what days I want too and basically have 4 great spots to choose from. But they didn't let me hunt when I kill my turkeys. It's kind of like deer hunting after the rut. I just don't care for hunting turkeys like that. If the season continues to open like it did this year then my seasons will be very tough. Just reality.

 

[Setterman]

So I finally heard a bird gobble in TN. Issue was it was a mouthy hen who was all alone. I've seen it a handful of times before, but its always odd to hear a hen gobble.

 

[TheLBLman]

So I finally heard a bird gobble in TN. Issue was it was a mouthy hen who was all alone. . . . . . its always odd to hear a hen gobble.

May have been one of those trans birds.
It, I mean they, was born a jake, but they be transitioning.

And don't call they a hen.
They don't like that.

 

[knightrider]

So I finally heard a bird gobble in TN. Issue was it was a mouthy hen who was all alone. I've seen it a handful of times before, but its always odd to hear a hen gobble.

it's pretty awesome to witness it, ive heard three or four since i started this obsession in the 90's , ive seen about a half dozen hens strut as well, i know it wasnt the big headed long beard you wanted, but its awesome either way

 

[Setterman]

it's pretty awesome to witness it, ive heard three or four since i started this obsession in the 90's , ive seen about a half dozen hens strut as well, i know it wasnt the big headed long beard you wanted, but its awesome either way

It's certainly unique.

 

[redblood]

I havent hunted. My son has killed 2. The first 2 weeks of april gobbles exhoed everywhere. Pretty sporadic last 4 weeks. Still see toms strutting around the farm. Virtually no gobbling.

 

[BPhunter]

Here I sit basically 4 weeks into the TN season with two tags left to fill. I've heard exactly one bird gobble in the state of TN and he was amazingly happy to walk away tossing a few gobbles over his shoulder as he left.

I've hunted TN for essentially 30 years, started here when I was 18. I've never seen anything like this nor dreamed it possible.

I don't hunt a single farm or tract of land, rather the endless mountain ranges in Eastern TN. So it isn't just "my place". This misery spans thousands upon thousands of acres and makes zero sense.

I'm lucky to be able to cherry pick "perfect" days to hunt so the weather when I go is ideal. Still, it's complete silence every hunt.

I don't get it. There were plenty of birds at seasons end last year, enough sign to keep me in the game, and no one hunting anywhere near me. There's part of me that's terrified that what happened to our grouse has hit the turkeys. Part of me that thinks it's just a weird year. And a growing part of me that is about to say screw it and go fishing.

Thank god for KY where I killed my two birds relatively quickly or this would be really ugly and frustrating.

I can't be alone in this, but dang it's brutal getting up at 3:00am driving 1.5 hours, hiking up a mountain side for another 20 minutes only to be greeted by silence day after day.

They moved to China, safer there.

 

[Setterman]

They moved to China, safer there.

Probably got charged with some BS felony from being part of January 6th. Now they sit in prison waiting for a trial

 

[Bone Collector]

I started to let the birds gobble on the roost without me making any calls to shock gobble or respond to hen calls. I can't say it's MADE THE DIFFERENCE but it surely hasn't hurt. Even if we don't hear something on the roost we sit still the first 30 minutes without making a sound.

I started doing this years ago on public. I learned that they will shock gobble, but it seems they are conditioned to it and they seem to go the other way. Also, there are plenty of owls and crows out there to do it for me, so I don't need to add to that. I also quit calling super early. I generally wait until about official sunrise, which puts me right at the 20-30 minute mark after daylight.

I have also learned the more he gobbles, the more likely someone is to try to come in on him and bump him, or you hear a gobble on the limb followed by a BOOM....

 

[TheLBLman]

I also quit calling super early. I generally wait until about official sunrise, which puts me right at the 20-30 minute mark after daylight.

Probably better off to not call at all until well after sunrise, AND only when you're completely sit up, in position to wait out one that might respond. If they respond, your own patience can be your best ally.

I like to just go to where I already know is a good listening spot (well before 1st light), and is also a good setup spot. Wait for them to gobble first, then you respond. Once you know he heard you, shut up. Wait patiently, only respond again if he gobbles (which he probably will as he moves closer, and you've not calling to him (giving him less need to gobble).

Another thing.
Often, I've decided to move in on a roosted gobbling Tom a few hundred yards away, only to then spook a much closer roosted Tom, which just wasn't gobbling.

Every strategy has its own pros & cons.
I don't like to alert birds to my presence, so am more inclined to stay put in a good location than to take off in pursuit of a gobbling bird. Not that I don't at times, but it's just very easy to spook a real hen in that pursuit, as well as accidently get too close, spooking the gobbler, and/or getting caught without a good setup opportunity.