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Turkeys not being turkeys.

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megalomaniac

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Joined
Oct 28, 2005
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Mississippi
Getting frustrated with these darn birds. I've hunted parts or all of 14 days since juvie opened Mar 8th. They gobbled good (relative term in south MS) the first 2 weeks, but this weekend on has been miserably slow and quiet. I've had 6 toms in gun range since last Friday, and not a single one gobbled, not once (one tom was missed by a lease member I was guiding we lopped in front of). This morn, another member who doesn't hunt but runs a cell cam for deer texted me a pic of a tom taken at 719a. I snuck in there quietly by 805, but still couldn't get a single gobble from him. Today at noon, I spotted 4 turkeys in a food plot from 150y away from the woods. Snuck in to 40y, ended up being 4 2yos. Called softly to them, one went into half strut, the other 3 started easing away from me, so the one that seemed like he wanted to play a bit followed. I'm ready for these birds to start acting right again. I've heard 1 gobble in the past 8d... and it's not for lack of birds. I have 8 toms still alive on my 2000 ac lease.

Really looking forward to TN next weekend to hear some gobbles!
 

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AND... i just got picked off by the one bird I've been trying to kill for the past week. He was at 30y and snuck in silent. Unbelievable.... at least his head was all colored up and he looked pretty.
 
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Dennis said:
Most of the birds I have killed over the years came in silent. Definitely all the biggest ones for sure. I like it that way. A tom that gobbles his head off just attracts other hunters.
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Personally, I'd rather hear some drumming than the gobbling.
Yes, I love to hear gobbling,
but drumming is usually more "up close & personal",
and coming from an older bird.
 
WAY too windy this afternoon to hear drumming., and he didnt come.in strutting, just sneaking. Cant drum unless they at least get fired up enough to pop strut. He may be back... he just barely picked me off moving my gun slowly. He didn't putt, just eased back the way he came. His hen is 20y away drinking in the creek I'm set up close to.

But jeez, this is almost like deer hunting them.
 
TheLBLman said:
Personally, I'd rather hear some drumming than the gobbling.
Yes, I love to hear gobbling,
but drumming is usually more "up close & personal",
and coming from an older bird.
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Same here. But, it's because I mostly hunt pressured public land and after that first gobble or two, I just want them to shut-up and quit attracting attention. If I hear them drumming it's close enough I'm not worried about other hunters.
 
Well, he never came back for a 2nd look. Hen hung around feeding in the creek bottom for 30 min.

As far as drumming vs gobbling, give me gobbling inside 50y every time. There is just something about hearing their entire plumage shake with the gobble when they are that close. Nothing like it!

I'm not discounting the drumming. But I only love it because I know they are close. But when one gobbles inside 50y, you know you've beat him because he's fooled, doesn't know exactly where you are at, and he's going to come the last 10y 99% of the time.
 
Put a cell camera on the plot closest to the hardwood drain I had him sneak in. He's still in the area! May give him a check tomorrow am before work, as he should roost low with these incoming storms.
 

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Well, found one that was on fire this morning before work. Went a couple miles down the road to check the bird the young fellow missed last Friday. He wasn't roosted where I thought he would be and started out, but I heard a faint gobble way off in the distance (maybe 500y). Hauled butt toward it, cut the distance in half and called. He immediately crushed it from the limb. He was on a knoll just off a powerline with a creek/ ravine between us. I couldn't cross the creek due to the rain last night. Figured he'd pitch onto the powerline and come down it to me, so I closed to 125 or so and sat down on the edge of the powerline with the creek 10y away. There was a rise across the creek, and I knew he'd have to come to the top of it to check my location. I also knew there was a decent chance he wouldn't come far enough up to confirm he was a tom and not a jake, but I didn't really care if I killed him or not.

Had about 15 minutes to play with him before I had to leave for work, so I pushed him pretty hard with the calls, way more agressive cutting and yelping than I would normally do, and he was going nuts on the limb. I didn't hear him fly down, but a couple minutes later he gobbled 50y away on the ground in the powerline on the other side of the rise. I gave a couple soft clucks and got the gun at the ready. A minute later, I can see his head coming up the rise. And of course, he comes up far enough that I can see his head then wattles, then just where the beard comes out of the breast, but no further. He's at 20y and works back and forth a bit, but never high enough on the rise to confirm he's a longbeard. Never popped strut to see tail fan either. After just under a minute, he smells a rat and eases back the way he came. And I eased back the way I came and made it to work on time. Was a great hunt!
 
megalomaniac said:
Well, found one that was on fire this morning before work. Went a couple miles down the road to check the bird the young fellow missed last Friday. He wasn't roosted where I thought he would be and started out, but I heard a faint gobble way off in the distance (maybe 500y). Hauled butt toward it, cut the distance in half and called. He immediately crushed it from the limb. He was on a knoll just off a powerline with a creek/ ravine between us. I couldn't cross the creek due to the rain last night. Figured he'd pitch onto the powerline and come down it to me, so I closed to 125 or so and sat down on the edge of the powerline with the creek 10y away. There was a rise across the creek, and I knew he'd have to come to the top of it to check my location. I also knew there was a decent chance he wouldn't come far enough up to confirm he was a tom and not a jake, but I didn't really care if I killed him or not.

Had about 15 minutes to play with him before I had to leave for work, so I pushed him pretty hard with the calls, way more agressive cutting and yelping than I would normally do, and he was going nuts on the limb. I didn't hear him fly down, but a couple minutes later he gobbled 50y away on the ground in the powerline on the other side of the rise. I gave a couple soft clucks and got the gun at the ready. A minute later, I can see his head coming up the rise. And of course, he comes up far enough that I can see his head then wattles, then just where the beard comes out of the breast, but no further. He's at 20y and works back and forth a bit, but never high enough on the rise to confirm he's a longbeard. Never popped strut to see tail fan either. After just under a minute, he smells a rat and eases back the way he came. And I eased back the way I came and made it to work on time. Was a great hunt!
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If he gobbles like a mature Tom he dies like one. 🤣 ok halfway joking but that would've been hard to hold off on breaking his neck.
 
muddyboots said:
It's been that way here the last several seasons. Have to just deer hunt them. Not for me.
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It's like that every year down here... mid season sucks.

But get to the last week of the season and it's almost as good as opening weekend. Harder to find a bird, but once you do they gobble great. Just sucks to hunt in low 90s temps with a bazillion mosquitoes down here. But worth every second, knowing it will be 10.5 months before you can do it again.

Gotta be careful tho... the jakes by the end of the season will fool you with their gobbles. Almost as good as an old bird.
 

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