stradegy

[HuntnMa]

ok.... i was listening to one of my turkey hunting cds today on the way to work...well he's got these birds roosted, just gobbling and gobbling....they never flew down to him....why not ? what did he do wrong....he kept calling, they'd answer, he'd get agressive, they'd respond, but they never showed....
I was thinking maybe he was calling too much, yet they were hot....see, i usually try to let them hear me first, a soft tree yelp works for me, but then i hear of folks getting aggressive and shooting them as soon as they flydown...so it got me to thinkin'(oh no, lol)...how do the others do it ? so please share some of your skills with me....

[Adam]

The first rule of turkey hunting, to me, is get where the birds want to go. At least in that direction.

If the birds are determined to head east off the roost and you're west of the roost, no amount of calling is going to change their minds. ESPECIALLY if they have hens already.

If you can set up between point A and B, you're much better off. Sometimes you don't even have to call. Some guys call that unsportsmanlike, I call that "doing your homework".

The other thing that could of been the problem is they had hens. If Tommy has 2-3 cuties in front of him, beckoning him to come with them, why would he go after one he can only HEAR back in the brush? As the saying goes "A bird in hand is worth 2 in the bush."

[bullmoose38]

I start off calling lightly. If I know the bird isnt interested a get more aggresive. A good example was our one hunt in Missouri. We worked the bird an hour and half to get him in bow range. We could see he was losing interest. So Holly and I starting call ridiculously aggressive and it worked. I guess it comes down to each bird is different. So you need to try different calling tactics.

[HuntnMa]

Originally Posted by Adam

If you can set up between point A and B, you're much better off. Sometimes you don't even have to call. Some guys call that unsportsmanlike, I call that "doing your homework".

."

I call it doing your homework i prefer to call them in,as most, but sometimes it just doesn't happen, but i have a spot that has worked for me for the last 3 years.....just knowing where they are going, but it's a last resort spot.....
We've gotten about 3 inches of rain yesterday and we're suppose to get more tonight......i was fine with leaving my birds alone, but the standing water might change some things ....i really hate to do it but the rain screwed me one year and i don't want that happening again, so i guess i've got some more homework to do......i have a feeling i know where they'll be going if it is too wet, but i need to verify it .....or not, lol....

[oneshot]

An old gentleman who I hunted with years ago told me not to call to a tom while he was in the tree. This old fellow had alot of experience and took alot of birds each year in several states, I was young and just starting to turkey hunt but ask why not one day. His answer was that in nature the hen comes to the tom most all the time so he will sit up there and gobble and strut on the limb sometimes for an hour or more waiting to see the hen he hears calling come to him. Sometimes however I call just enough to get one answer and stop until he hits the ground. If you have a decoy set up that he can see from his roost that seems to help alot. I have hunted with people who called to them on the roost and called more, and more agtessively as the tom gobbled more and seemed to get hotter only to have him loose interest, and fly down after an hour or so in the other direction ,going the other way and still gobbling to his calls. Maybe this explains what you herd I don't know for sure but it worked for him alot and for me sometimes.

[youngbuck83]

I have good experience w/ soft tree yelps when he's still in the tree. Try just a few then shut up and make him sweat. He'll usually fly down in your direction wondering where you went......BANG!

[Adam]

I agree with not calling to them (or at least not more than enough to let him know you're there) while he's in the tree.

I've found out the hard way that they'll just stay up there and when you don't come in, they fly down and head the opposite direction.

[HuntnMa]

i went out this morning....the rain left God awful amounts of water but they were still there to my suprise and i even got a new one picked out.....this one was a big mouthed bird...but i think he may of saw me...when i went in, it was still dark, on my way out, i heard him gobble, then i slipped by , waited behind a tree for about 5 minutes and hooted, nothing.....waited for about 15 min. in silence and still nothing ,so i left...he was a gobbling fool to my hoots before the walk out, so i think it's best to leave them alone until opening morning......

[pbg40g]

I'm going to meet with a couple of my Bible study buddies at the leader's house this week or next so we can scout a little before opening day (March 22 here in Georgia). I hope to hear some good gobbling!

[Great White Hunter]

AM: Light yelping.

Afternoon: I crow call and listen...If they vocalize I go. If it's dead, I head out to one of the honey holes.

Of course, you already scored so this thread will probably matter more to those of us who are still waiting for the season to open!