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Spoonbillmallard

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Well I have been out three different times this season so far and have got my butt whooped by the turkeys. It seems as though as soon as they hit the ground they get the lock jaw and you can't make them gobble. Anybody have any tips or suggestions on how to get on a gobbler after they stop gobbling? Or how to call while they are on roost before flydown?

I'm not a very experianced turkey hunter, although I have killed my fare share but it seems as though luck prevails instead of pure skill. Hopefully you guys can help me out here.
 
Sounds like the way my season is going! :crazy:
It sounds like they are with hens as soon as they hit the ground.
It happend to me this morning.Got in there before daylight tons of gobbles coming from the next ridge!Then the hens started up and after they come off the roost I never heard another gobble!
 
The nature of the gobble is to call in hens. As soon as he is with his hens there will be very little gobbling but a lot of displaying.As his hens leave to feed or lay an egg, he tends to get lonely and may start to gobble again. Stay later and he can become vulnerable. Also a lot of gobblers do not have hens but may not gobble in fear of the boss. They will slip into your calling and a lot of times see you first.
 
Yea I figured that to be the problem. Hens are abundant where I am at and have been since I started hunting turkeys there. The first thing you hear in the morning is gobbling for about 25 minutes then the hens start chiming in and then as soon as they hit the ground there will be one maybe two more gobbles then its all over.

I have another question. How do you hunt turkeys that don't roost near open areas? The turkeys I hunt roost near fields in the woods but never fly down to the field. They fly down in the woods. And there is not much way to set up on them unless you figure out where they go after they fly down. But so far they have gone three different ways. I am beginning to think these are impossible to hunt. It is really frustrating when you have a good setup about 80 to 100 yards from the gobblers and they fly down the opposite direction and you never see them or hear them again. Anybody have a clue on what a good strategy would be? So far I haven't found one that works.
 
We have kind of the same deal in one of the spots we hunt. You don't know where they will roost or which way they are going when they hit the ground. But frustrating as it may, we are the only ones to hunt this land and it is fun trying to do the right thing and is extra rewarding when the day comes when it all comes together. If they hit the ground and start working away from you, try to get in front of them and call very little.
 
Yea I have tried getting out front of them but there is no way to really tell where they are going and when they don't gobble it makes it even harder. And I have had a hard time hunting turkeys in hardwoods. If they are in a field that is a different story. But when you have the noisy woods to go through and you can't really get infront of them without getting seen.

The only predictable thing they do is roost in the same general area. They are roosting in the same spot on the same ridge every time. So me and dad are gonna go out there this afternoon and just set up at the roosting spot and wait for em. Don't know how that is going to work but if worst comes to worst we can shoot em out of the tree. Wouldn't be the first time lol
 
i had 5 or 6 diffrent birds gobbling their heads off this morning flew down and gobbled till about 8:30 i was set up about 300 yds from em and had hens walkin past me to get to them. i was disgusted. when ever them hens go to nest they had better watch out cause ill be there waiting.
 
Spoonbill,

Question? How long are you hunting?

Your best time to hunt maybe from 10:30 - 1:00, when the hens leave him.

Also, Get as close as you can to the roost sight. I mean 100 yards or less.

Be the first hen to yelp on the ground. NOT TOO Early!

When the hens start and your are close yelp and be aggressive. Act like your the "BOSS" hen. Do a series of hard cuts to high yelps. When they start yelping cut them off after you answer them a time or two in a normal tone. I did that this morning and it worked like a charm. The gobbler didn't know which bird to go to and he finally came my way.

Have you tried a gobbler decoy?

Have you took a buddy in there and you both yelp and answer each other? Separate 40 yard from each other and answer each other yelp to yelp about 5 times then one of you all take control and get really aggressive. This will sometimes bring that gobbler in thinking he is going for a HOT Hen or two hot hens!

Also, if he is not willing don't push him. Leave the area and come back in a hour or so. The worst thing you can do is pressure that bird so much that he will be call shy of you when the time would of been right!

Just some tricks i've been doing and it seems to help, if you can get CLOSE. 200 yards or closer.
 
I don't really hunt that long because normally I get so frustrated because I can't seem to get him to respond or come in at all. I am normally leaving at 9 oclock or so.

I get really close to him on the roost. I have been easily within 100 yards of him while he is on roost but he never flies down to the decoys. He always flied down the opposite direction.

Yes I always use a gobbler decoy. Do you still need to be that aggressive even when you are that close to him?

I have heard from some people that you don't really need to call that much while he is on roost. Maybe I got some bad info so that is why I am asking you guys. I know this is the best place to get information from hunters that practice it.

Yea its normally always me and my dad that go hunting. But we almost never call at the same time together.
 
If your leaving at 9 your leaving way to early. Most of my birds i've killed has been from 12:00 to 3:00.

Aggressive: Every bird is different. If your competing with hens then aggressive i think is the way to go. If he don't think your that baddest chick on the block he is not going to care about you.

Normally you don't call that much in some ways. But you have to think your competing with other hens.

If your calling to a bird that is lonely and he responds every time you call then you shut up. A lot of time he will come looking for you. Sometimes it only takes 1 or two calls to get him in to you.

Question? Could you be calling "TOO LOUD"?

Is he flying to the hens that are calling to him?

IF he is an older bird he may just be going to his "Strut" zone, which could be a flat, point on a ridge, or a bench. And has no reason to come to you for any reason. The hens may know where he is at and he always gets the hens to come to him.
 
Yea I know I am leaving way too early but by that time I have run out of ideas. It all starts with a different game plan that ends in the same result. i am exhausted from walking up and down ridges and there is no turkey to be seen or heard. I really need to stay longer I agree. But what do you do when the toms aint gobblin? Do you just set up and start calling and hope one will slip in on you? I really don't know!

Yea I see how competing with other hens would work. But is it that i'm not setting up in the right spot? Or I am not getting his attention?

I try not to call loud especially when they are on roost early. But how do you get down agressive and not be loud? I mean a cut and a cackle are suppose to be loud and sharp. So can calling too loud while he is on roost make him fly down the other direction?

There are hens about 150 yards away from him in the woods. But he normally has hens roosted with him as well. And the hen that roost with him doesn't make a sound. And if it is she is just purring and softly clucking. Because I don't ever hear her.

Yea I have tried setting up in what I thought was his strut zone yesterday mornin. And we got there, they gobbled in the same spot they always do and 3 hours later not a sound or a turkey. I mean I don't know if we are doing something wrong or what? Just really frustrating!!!!
 

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